Butch Cage & Willie B. Thomas

Fiddler James "Butch" Cage was one of the last exponents of the 19th century black string band tradition, and his wild, kinetic playing represents a world that is all but lost in the current century. Born on March 16, 1894, in Hamburg, MS, Cage's first real instrument was a cane fife, and he also became a credible guitar player, but his musical soul mate was to be the fiddle, and his wild, energetic lines on the instrument had a truly African feel. He moved to southwest Louisiana following the devastating Mississippi floods of 1927, eventually settling in Zachary, where he wor...