Cecil Brower

One of the greatest swing fiddlers to ever play, Cecil Brower played in countless Western bands and performed with some of the biggest names in Southern music. Born in Bowie, TX, in 1914, not much is known about his early years. He was trained in Fort Worth by Ocie Stockard, the banjoist for Milton Brown, among others. He learned the art of breakdown fiddling and eventually crafted his own brand of fiddling which was such a recognizable style that it became the high-water mark for fiddlers in Western swing bands. Brower would go on to join several bands, and lent his talents to artists like Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Roy Orbison, Marty Robbins, and Brenda Lee, among many others. Brower would go on to play until the early '60s, when poor health began to slow him down. By the fall of 1965, he had passed on, leaving a legacy of fine music and excellent playing that would go unmatched in the Western swing genre.