When it’s time to come in after a long day in the field or in the barn, many Farm Bureau Members find the toe-tapping rhythm of fiddle-based music to be the perfect way to enjoy time with family and friends. Fiddle playing in North Carolina can range from impromptu jam sessions to thousands of people gathering for events such as MerleFest in Wilkesboro or the Cherokee Bluegrass Festival.

However, Graham County Farm Bureau Member Steve Jordan doesn’t need a big festival setting to bring out his fiddle. Jordan has played the fiddle since he was a teenager. His father, Jimmy Jordan, toured with famous acts such as Bill & Wilma and the Snowbird Mountain Boys, as well as Carl Story, known as the “father of gospel bluegrass.” Jimmy Jordan passed away suddenly three years ago, but Steve Jordan wanted the music to carry on in his honor throughout the North Carolina mountains.

About a year ago to honor Jimmy Jordan, Steve Jordan and his wife, Sue, opened up Jimmy’s Pick n Grin, a venue consisting of 4,000 square feet in Andrews where fiddle and bluegrass music are just part of the attraction every weekend. Organized bands or anyone interested in playing that style of music so entrenched in the region can participate.

“We have great fellowship. People just come to share their talent,” Sue Jordan says.

Steve Jordan might get up on stage to share with whoever is playing at the time. His wife insists musicians who come—especially fiddle players—don’t have to practice much as a group. The melodies come naturally because it’s the style of fiddle music that’s been played for generations.

“Folks have said, ‘I can’t believe you’ve got this kind of crowd here and you don’t even sell alcohol.’ People aren’t coming for a pick-up bar,” Sue Jordan says. “They’re coming to see their friends, and we have a big dance crowd.”

And when people get ready to dance with fiddle music, clogging often is one of the more popular choices. Graham County Farm Bureau Board Member Raymond Norton can be found nearly every weekend clogging with his wife, Lala. Whether it’s at Jimmy’s Pick n Grin, at the town square in Robbinsville or at another event in Georgia or Tennessee, the Nortons put their tap shoes to good use.

“Some of our friends were cloggers, so four years ago we just ordered two pairs of shoes and took a couple of lessons,” Raymond Norton says. “It’s not hard to pick it up. It’s mostly keeping time with the music. It’s so much more fun dancing to it rather than just listening to it. We used to just listen and pat our feet a little bit and keep time, but it’s so much more fun when you put on a pair of taps and get up and dance.”

For Apex resident Cindy Gambino, clogging has been more than just a weekend pastime. Gambino was named Miss American Clogger in 1992 and 1993. She’s taught the dance for years, as well, only taking a break recently because of the birth of her first child.

“One of the major appeals of clogging is that you can be any age and you don’t have to be in perfect shape,” Gambino says. “It’s easy to pick up. I think people are surprised once you learn a couple of basics, you can go from there.”
While fiddle and bluegrass music might be most connected to clogging, Gambino stresses the dance can be performed with many genres.

“One of the things that makes it so popular now, especially to kids, is you can dance to any kind of music,” she says. “We dance to pop music, country music, bluegrass; you name it—if it’s got a good beat.”