Charles Ross Taggart
Charles Ross Taggart (19 March 1871, Washington, D.C. – 4 July 1953, Kents Hill, Maine) was an American comedian and folklorist who appeared all over North America as "The Man From Vermont" and "The Old Country Fiddler" from 1895 to 1938.
Career
On the Chautauqua circuit, Taggart would perform folk music on his violin, sing, play the piano, do ventriloquism, and tell outlandish stories that supposedly took place in rural New England. Taggart retired from performing less than a year after suffering a stroke in 1937.[1]
Taggart grew up in Topsham, Vermont, later living in Newbury for many years, in a house he called "Elmbank," which overlooked the railroad depot.
He would make over 40 recordings of his "Old Country Fiddler" and "Pineville Folks" monologues with various labels, starting in the 1910s, including Edison, Victor, Columbia, and Brunswick.
See also
References
External links
- Charles Ross Taggart at IMDb
- Charles Ross Taggart at SilentEra
- Short biography of Taggart
- Works by or about Charles Ross Taggart at Internet Archive
- Link to clips of Taggart's music
- Link to Library of Congress entry on Taggart and Chautauqua circuit
- Biography of Taggart The Man From Vermont by Adam R. Boyce (October 2013)[permanent dead link]