Norman Mellin

Biographical Sketch of Norman Mellin

Norman Mellin was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and received his early musical training on the piano. His mother, who was a graduate of the Vienna Conservatory of Music and a student of the famous piano pedagogue, Abbey Whiteside, in New York, was a staunch advocate for preserving Austrian folk traditions and music within the family. This influence and reverence for folk culture and traditional arts became the major factor in his pursuance of folklife studies later in life. 

During his childhood and early teens, he learned to play the cello, bass viol, violin, fiddle and guitar and then pursued his study of music at the University of Cincinnati's College Conservatory of Music where he completed his undergraduate work. At the conservatory he studied cello, violin, string methodology, and music composition with Scott Houston, a student of noted composer Howard Hanson. He continued his graduate studies at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. Since moving to Mississippi and being directly involved with southern folk culture and musicians, he applied his compositional talents to the writing of over 150 original songs and fiddle tunes and transcribing numerous fiddle tunes from those he documented in his field recordings.

During his career as a professional music educator, Mr. Mellin gravitated towards the folk music spectrum as a means to enrich the experience of his students. In 1983 he organized his first attempt at fusing the traditional folk arts with students in the school orchestra program at Mt. Lebanon High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania by creating a fiddle ensemble that performed American, Scottish, Irish and Newfoundland fiddle tunes. The ensemble consisted of fiddle, alto recorder, flute & piccolo, xylophone, percussion, guitar and bass. These efforts lead him to write an eighty-page document entitled, Incorporating Traditional Fiddling into the School Orchestra Curriculum.

The Goat Ropers String Band composed of students from Starkville Public Schools was his second venture into creating a folk music ensemble as described earlier. The group has performed three times at the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, Arkansas, on Thacker Mountain Radio in Oxford, MS, on WCPC radio broadcasting from Houston, MS and on WTAV TV's Morning Show in Tupelo, MS. The Goat Ropers was also invited to perform for the governor's reception at the Natural Sciences Museum for the annual Arts in Education Summer Conference and was featured on Mississippi Public Radio's All Things Considered morning news broadcast as part of the Profiles of Music Series. This former high school age group has been invited to perform at many festivals in and outside of the State of Mississippi.  In September of 2000 the Goat Ropers opened a concert for the country band called Blackhawk in Rayville, LA and in October, 2000 for the Swampstock festival mentioned previously. They have competed in the Jackson State Fair's String Band Competition winning second place in 2001. Individually, Mr. Mellin has won his division in numerous fiddle contests as well as his students who have competed in Mississippi and Alabama.

Mr. Mellin is the recipient of two Mississippi Arts Commission Folk Art Apprenticeships. The first apprenticeship was granted in 1993 to study with old-time fiddler, Charles T. Smith, in Cumberland, MS whom he met in the fall of 1990 and who taught him much of what he knows about old-time fiddling. The second apprenticeship was granted in 2001, to study with old-time gospel fiddler, John "Buddy" Crocker of Greene County, MS. Five of his fiddle students have also been awarded Folk Art Apprenticeships to study with fiddler, Charles T. Smith and they are as follows: Hanna Melby, Stacey Phillips, Andrew Rogers, and Ruby Jane Smith and Collin Whitten. The Mississippi Arts Commission has referenced and utilized his research on two occasions. His extensive archive was cited in Mississippi Folklife Resources: A Survey of Organizations, Institutions, Associations, and Independent Researchers by Dr. Douglas Day of the Southern Council for Folk Culture, published in May of 1999. In the construction and planning of the three year traveling exhibit entitled "Crossroads of the Heart," Mr. Mellin's recordings and photographs of fiddler, Charles T. Smith were selected for inclusion in the interactive multimedia kiosk display. 

Mr. Mellin's most extensive research began in 1993 when he undertook to record three important fiddlers in Greene County, MS. He found the history and culture of the Piney Woods so fascinating that he decided to document the history and folk culture of Greene County, MS from 1860 until 1940. As part of this research he has gathered many oral histories of the area including extensive interviews with son of a confederate soldier who was still living in Greene County until his death in 2004.In addition to his research, Mr. Mellin has had his article on Mississippi fiddler Charles T. Smith published in two journals. It first appeared in Mississippi Folklife, Volume 32, No. 1, Fall, 1999 published by Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of MS and again in the The Devil's Box, Volume 33 No. 4, Winter, 2000 published by the North American Fiddler's Association. 

A listing of the contents of his archive, research subjects, CD's and  DVD's produced by him and newspaper clipping s of his educational accomplishments are listed on the following pages. 

Newspaper Clippings:

1998, May: SDNews, Goat Ropers To Perform at Ozark Folk Center

1999, April 25: SDNews, Old Times Not Forgotten: Old-Time Music at Overstreet Elementary

2000, April 19: SDNews, Goat Ropers at Ward-Stewart Elementary

2000, August 20:  Commercial Dispatch, Columbus, MS: Not Just Fiddling Around

2000, November 13: Clarion Ledger, Starkville's Goat Ropers Winning Fans

2000, November 15: SDNews, Goat Ropers Open Swampstock

2001, September 8: SDNews, Starkville Public School String Students

CD’s & DVD’s Recorded and/or Produced by Norman Mellin 1990 - 2009

Field Recordings of Fiddlers & String Bands

Bell, John A. Maben, MS

Buckner Family Bluegrass Band. Maben, MS

Claunch, W. E. & Christine Hagood (daugher). Guntown, MS. Wire recordings. 1955.

Crocker, John “Buddy.” Greene County, MS

Denmark, Elvin. Greene County, MS

Denmark, Jode. Greene County, MS

Grice, Homer. Friendship Community, MS

Hunkapillar, Hubert. Booneville, MS

Jamieson, Robert. Ripley, MS. First fiddler in the original Bill Monroe & The Bluegrass Boys Band.

McLeod, George Cecil. Leakesville, MS

Miller, Alvin Perry. Charm, Ohio (Amish Fiddler)

Rocky Creek String Band. Greene County, MS

Smith, Charles T. Cumberland, MS

Smith, Howard. Sebastopol, MS

Sullivan, Enoch. St. Stephans, AL. Sullivan Family Gospel Band.

Sullivan, James Buchanan. Drop-Thumb Banjo, St. Stephans, AL

Wilemon, Bryson. Tupelo, MS

Vocalists/ Guitarists/Pianists

Brown, Ora & Ruby. Iuka, MS Folk songs handed down in the family.

Carter, Wayne. Aberdeen, MS. Songwriter & Flat-picking guitar.

Kendrick, Shaefer Bryant. Greenville. SC. Folk tunes & Speeches.

Maples, Ruby Jane. Greene County, MS. Pianist.

Putt, Wayne. Starkville, MS. Old songs with guitar.

Hebert Halpert & Abbott Ferriss / MS Folk Music Tour, 1939.  1st Complete Set of WPA MS Fiddlers.

Bledsoe, W. A. & Horace Kinnard. Meridian, MS

Brown, John. Iuka, MS

Canoy, Enos. Magee, MS

Claunch, W. E. & Christine Hagood (daugher), Guntown, MS

Hatcher, John. Burnsville, MS

Kittrell, Frank. Meridian, MS

Long, Charles & Sam Neal. Quitman, MS

Myers, Jim. Magee, MS

Sharp, Hardy, & Douglas Williams. Meridian, MS

Tucker, Stephen Benjamin. Meridian, MS

78rpm Commercial Recordings of the 1920’s & 30’s: Complete Recordings

Carter Brothers & Son, Quincy-Amory, MS

Central Mississippi Quartet

Clardy, Augustus Eugene. Leflore, MS

Collier Trio, The. Carthage, MS

Ellis, Lonnie & Virgil. Friendship Community, MS

Henderson Brothers. Jackson, MS.

Leake County Revelers, Sebastapol, MS.

Magnolia Trio, The. Jackson, MS

McLaughlin’s Old-Time Melody Makers

Milnor & Curtis, French Camp, MS

Ming’s Pep-Steppers. Chester, MS

Mississippi Possum Hunters. Friendship Community, MS.

Mumford Bean & His Itawambians. Fulton, MS.

Narmour & Smith. Valley Hill, MS

Nations Brothers. Brookhaven, MS

Newton County Hillbillies. Newton County, MS.

Ray Brothers. Chester, MS

Wagner, Kinnie. The Five Songs of Kinnie Wagner. Notorius outlaw of Greene County, MS.

Oral History Preservation: Confederate Soldiers, Legends, Occupational Folklore, Outlaws, Gospel Composers

Baird, Osma Everett & Hubert. Baird Machine Shop. Houston, MS.

Baxter, Abe. The Abe Baxter Murder Case of a Greene County, MS  Fiddler.

Beach, Freddie. Leakesville, MS. First Fiddler for the original Hank Williams Band.

Beach, Joshua Thomas, CSA. Hobson Community, Chatom, AL

Golden, William M., Gospel Composer, 1878-1934

Hollingsworth, Nathan Morris. Terry, MS. Confederate Soldier’s March & Military History.

Little, George Washington, CSA. Greene County, MS. Interviews of his son on 15 CD’s.

Maples, Abner C., CSA. Greene County, MS

Mizell, Wilmer “Vinegar Bend.” Major League Baseball Player from Greene County, MS. 1950’s

Vernal Skirmish Civil War Battle. Greene County, MS.

Wagner, Kinnie. Notorius outlaw of Leakesville, MS

Photographic Preservation of Greene County, Mississippi. 1000+ rare photos from 1860 - 1940.

160 CD-ROMs of scanned photos for book on the Folklore & People of Greene County, MS.

A&M / M&A Railroad, Confederate Soldiers, Farms, Fiddlers, Homes & Businesses of 1860’s - 1920’s, Logging,  Outlaws, People, Railroads, River Rafts & Ferries, Sawmills.

DVD’s Under Production:

Bell, John Archie. Maben, MS. Fiddler

Crocker, John “Buddy.” Greene County, MS. Fiddler

Denmark, Elvin Ray. Greene County, MS. Fiddler

Hollingsworth, Mary Alice. Columbus, MS. Making children’s toys.

McLeod, George Cecil. Leakesville, MS. Fiddler

Brewer, Claudia & Bessie. Sisters. Age 94 & 91. Leakseville, MS. Broom making.

Smith, Charles Thomas. Cumberland, MS. Fiddler

Sullivan, Enoch. St. Stephans, AL. Fiddler. Sullivan Family Gospel Band.