Drew Beisswenger

Drew Beisswenger first became interested in researching fiddle music as a college student in western North Carolina. He is now a performing arts librarian at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, where fiddle music remains a major research interest. He recently co-authored Appalachian Fiddle Music with Roy Andrade and Scott Prouty. Earlier, as part of a Fulbright Scholarship to teach and conduct research in Cork, Ireland, he co-authored Irish Fiddle Music from Counties Cork and Kerry with Connie O'Connell . His other books include a biography of West Virginia fiddler Melvin Wine (Fiddling Way Out Yonder), a fiddle music research guide (North American Fiddle Music), a survey of fiddle music from the Ozarks region he co-authored with Gordon McCann (Ozarks Fiddle Music), and two other collections of fiddle music transcriptions. He previously held librarian positions at Missouri State University and Davis & Elkins College, and a public folklore position at the Arkansas Arts Council. He earned a Ph.D. in Musicology, Regional Studies from the University of Memphis, and an M.L.S. from the University of Alabama.