Inducted 1998 Bill M. Northcutt

Billy M. Northcutt was born to Harmon and Louise Northcutt  on May 9, 1935, on a farm in Crystal City, Texas.  He went to school there and on his first day of school during his sophomore year of high school he came home with an old fiddle.  His mother asked, "How did you pay for it?"  He replied:  "I gave him dollar down and promised to pay a dollar a week."

They lived in a small house and had to put up with a lot of noisy fiddle practice but it paid off and they became very proud of him.

He graduated from high school in 1953 and went to work for a seismograph crew. With his first paycheck he bought his mother a pair of boudoir lamps and an "Heirloom of Tomorrow" electric clock.

In 1956, he joined the Air Force.  After boot camp he was stationed at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi.  After his honorable discharge in 1960, in Fort Worth Texas he went to work for Convair, which later became General Dynamics.

While in Fort Worth, he met and became friends with Benny Tomasson, Major Franklin, Lewis Franklin, Vernon and Norman Soloman.  All influenced and helped with his Texas style fiddling.

In 1962 he moved to Houston and went to work for H & H Music Company where he stayed until 1976.  In 1976 his mother moved in with him and they jointly opened a small music store he called Fiddle & Row Music Co.  He worked and was happy there until his sudden demise on October 6, 1992 at home.

Bill played all stringed instruments plus the organ, piano and bagpipes. He played Celtic, Scottish, Swedish and Texas Old Time Fiddling music.  He traveled all of the United States to various fiddle contests and music festivals.

Bill was a friend and teacher to many.