# Cherokee Fiddle

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> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Cherokee_Fiddle.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherokee_Fiddle
> Source revision: 1313282565
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{Infobox song
| name       = Cherokee Fiddle
| cover      =
| alt        =
| type       = single
| artist     = [Johnny Lee](/source/Johnny_Lee_(singer)) and Friends
| album      = Sounds Like Love
| B-side     = You Know Me
| released   = October 4, 1982
| format     =
| recorded   =
| studio     =
| venue      =
| genre      = [Country](/source/Country_music)
| length     = 3:59
| label      = [Asylum](/source/Asylum_Records)
| writer     = [Michael Martin Murphey](/source/Michael_Martin_Murphey)
| producer   = [Jim Ed Norman](/source/Jim_Ed_Norman), John Boylan
| prev_title = [When You Fall in Love](/source/When_You_Fall_in_Love)
| prev_year  = 1982
| next_title = [Sounds Like Love](/source/Sounds_Like_Love)
| next_year  = 1983
}}
"'''Cherokee Fiddle'''" is a song written by [Michael Martin Murphey](/source/Michael_Martin_Murphey). Murphey's version of the song went to number 58 on the [Hot Country Singles](/source/Hot_Country_Songs) chart in 1977. The story is based on a  fiddle player named "Scooter"; his real name was Dean Kirk. He was of Choctaw Indian and Irish descent. Having taken lessons as a child from Clayton McMichen, he  played the fiddle his entire life. He once worked with the country music and movie star Rex Allen. In his later years he played at the narrow gauge train station in Silverton, Colorado.

In 1979, the song was recorded by American [country music](/source/country_music) artist [Johnny Lee](/source/Johnny_Lee_(singer)). His version was included on the soundtrack album for the 1980 motion picture [Urban Cowboy](/source/Urban_Cowboy). A remixed version was re-released in October 1982 as the first single from Lee's album ''Sounds Like Love''.  This version reached number 10 on the ''[Billboard](/source/Billboard_(magazine))'' [Hot Country Singles](/source/Hot_Country_Songs) chart. The 1982 remix features backing vocals from Murphey and [Rosemary Butler](/source/Rosemary_Butler_(singer)) and fiddle by [Charlie Daniels](/source/Charlie_Daniels),<ref>{{cite book |title= The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=2004 |publisher=Record Research |page=198}}</ref> while the original 1979 mix features backing vocals from Butler, [Marcy Levy](/source/Marcella_Detroit) and [Tom Kelly](/source/Tom_Kelly_(musician)) and fiddle by [Byron Berline](/source/Byron_Berline). Furthermore, Lee did a complete re-recording of the song for his 1990 compilation "The Best of Johnny Lee".

==Chart performance==
===Michael Martin Murphey===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!align="left"|Chart (1977)
!align="center"|Peak<br />position
|-
{{singlechart|Billboardcountrysongs|58|artist=Michael Martin Murphey}}
|}

===Johnny Lee===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!align="left"|Chart (1982)
!align="center"|Peak<br />position
|-
{{singlechart|Billboardcountrysongs|10|artist=Johnny Lee}}
|-
|align="left"|Canadian ''RPM'' Country Tracks
|align="center"|24
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Michael Martin Murphey}}
{{Johnny Lee}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Songs about Native Americans
Category:Songs about fiddles
Category:Songs about country music
Category:Songs about musicians
Category:1977 songs
Category:1977 singles
Category:1982 singles
Category:Michael Martin Murphey songs
Category:Johnny Lee (singer) songs
Category:Songs written by Michael Martin Murphey
Category:Song recordings produced by Jim Ed Norman
Category:Asylum Records singles

{{1970s-country-song-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Cherokee Fiddle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherokee_Fiddle) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherokee_Fiddle?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.