HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 508 Offered March 6, 2006 Commending Odell Roy Tolliver on being a fiddle legend. ---------- Patrons-- Eisenberg, Brink, Ebbin and Englin; Senators: Ticer and Whipple ----------

WHEREAS, Odell Roy “Speedy” Tolliver, known as a legendary fiddler in the music community, plays with an assortment of bands and typically has three engagements per week; and

WHEREAS, in 1918 Speedy Tolliver was born in Green Cove in the highlands of Southwest Virginia where he learned to play the banjo at age nine and at 17 won a banjo competition at the acclaimed White Top Folk Festival; and

WHEREAS, Speedy Tolliver moved to Washington, D. C., in 1939 to join professional bluegrass and roots music bands, including the Lee Highway Boys; and

WHEREAS, Speedy Tolliver was one of the preeminent musicians of the Washington area Bluegrass scene in the 1940s and was a staple on the radio, performing with Eddie Stoneman as well as Hoss and Roy Clark; and

WHEREAS, Speedy Tolliver, a regular member of the Ferro Swing Orchestra, has great versatility and plays several instruments and musical styles and is able to incorporate new styles into his repertoire, whether blues or more traditional music; and

WHEREAS, Speedy Tolliver recently released, through the Arlington Cultural Affairs Office, his first full-length album, "Now & Then," which contains new studio cuts, live tracks, and remastered tracks he originally recorded in the 1940s; and

WHEREAS, Speedy Tolliver is historically important to the region’s music and has had a long and illustrious career; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Odell Roy Tolliver on being a fiddle legend; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Odell Roy Tolliver as an expression of the General Assembly's respect and admiration for the music he has contributed to the Commonwealth.