Over the years there have been several stories of exactly what happened in the early 1930’ s. Per the article in the Athens Daily Review on May 26, 1971, Harvey L Haltom recalls that his friends, Jim Mayfield and J. U. Nelson approached him with a“ let’ s start an old fiddler’ s contest, and so we did ….”
Haltom liked to tell the story of how it all began. In 1931, a small tryout was held at the Bethel School, nothing fancy, just local area musicians and a hopeful idea. But the enthusiasm it stirred was enough to convince the organizers to aim higher. The following spring, they secured permission to hold the first official fiddle contest at Athens High School on April 29, 1932.
Haltom was given what seemed like a simple job: sell tickets at 25 cents apiece. He took the task seriously, so seriously, in fact, that he later laughed about how he sold so many tickets he never even made it inside to hear the music. By the time the doors opened, the excitement had spread across East Texas. Fiddlers arrived from eleven counties Van Zandt, Wood, Upshur, Smith, Rusk, Cherokee, Anderson, Freestone, Navarro, Henderson, and Kaufman bringing with them the sounds and styles of their home communities.
That night, about 900 people packed in to hear fourteen string bands compete. The music, the energy, and the sheer turnout made it clear that something special was happening. Before the evening ended, the audience was asked a simple question: should this become an annual event? The answer came back a resounding, YES.
Behind the scenes, a group of dedicated community leaders had helped make the event possible, including J. B.“ Dad” Gauntt, B. C. Hall, A. M. Smith,
C. H. Stanton, and master of ceremonies J. A. Mayfield. When the final notes faded and the judges made their decision, the first championship went to J. M. Hughes and his Forney Old Time String Band— marking the beginning of what would grow into a lasting East Texas tradition.
By the following year, the little contest that had surprised everyone with its success was already growing beyond expectations. On May 26, 1933, the second gathering was held in the Athens High School gymnasium. This time, the event carried an added purpose, part of the proceeds would support the Athens Farmer’ s Association, an organization of local farmers and businessmen. Amid hard economic times, the music was doing more than entertaining; it was helping neighbors support one another.
Interest in the contest spread quickly across the region. Twenty-five string bands registered to compete far more than anyone had anticipated. The crowds were so large that organizers found it necessary to hold the contest twice just to accommodate everyone who wanted to attend. By evening, the auditorium was filled to capacity, with hundreds of people packed inside, eager to hear the best fiddlers East Texas had to offer.
When the competition began, one familiar figure once again captured the crowd’ s attention. J. M. Hughes of Forney, lead fiddler of the Forney Old Time String Band, stepped forward with the same confidence and skill that had earned him the championship the year before. Accompanied by Mildred Steeley on tenor banjo and Raymond Pilliard on standard banjo, Hughes delivered a performance that brought waves of applause from the audience.
When the judges cast their votes, the decision was unanimous. Hughes and
Greater Athens Magazine | March 2026 | 7