Charleston, WV (WOAY)- A state lawmaker wants to see the fiddle named the official instrument of West Virginia.
Republican Del. Josh Holstein introduced the proposal in the House of Delegates stating the instrument has “importance and significance” in “West Virginia’s history, traditions, and culture.”
The fiddle arrived in Appalachia in the 18th century brought over by immigrants from the British Isles.
Holstein’s proposal cites several prominent West Virginia musicians, including fiddler Blind Alfred Reed.
Born in 1880, Reed was among the artists who played in the first recordings of traditional country music at the Bristol Sessions in 1927.
The fiddle is also the state instrument of Missouri and Arkansas.
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