Billy Jack Saucier
Encyclopedia
Billy Jack Saucier was an acclaimed Grand National Fiddler
and a native of Dallas, Texas
.
Symphony Orchestra at the age of 15 where his exceptional talent was the starting point of a great career.
His passion for the fiddle and mastery of Western Swing
lead to a performance with Hank Thompson
and Leon McAuliffe in the 1950s where he was a regular at the Big D Jamboree in Dallas Texas with KRLD.
The artists that Saucier worked and or recorded with include Merle Haggard
, Ralph Mooney
and Roy Nichols
.
In 1965 he joined the Joanie Waco Show where they played extensively around the country including Las Vegas as well as military base
s around the country. During this time Billy Jack and Joanie were married.
Saucier has played at the National Fiddlers Contest in Mt View, AR, the Roy Clarks Theatre in Branson, Missouri
, the The Grand Ole Opry
in Nashville, Tennessee
and numerous venues across the country.
In April 1985, Billy Jack received the title of GRAND NATIONAL FIDDLER (see award picture in Commons Category Billy Jack Saucier) from Ron Davis, president of SWEET, INC. stating: “Yes, It is our opinion you are the best in the world today.” and “It is also our opinion that you are the best of all time to date.”
Saucier died in 1987. Joanie lives in Las Vegas, NV
.
Fiddler
A fiddler is a person who plays a fiddle or violin.Fiddler may also refer to:*Fabrangen Fiddlers, an American musical group founded in 1971*Tupolev Tu-28 "Fiddler", a fighter aircraft*Fiddler , a DC Comics villain...
and a native of Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
.
Biography
As a child, Saucier studied classical violin and performed with the Oak CliffOak Cliff
Oak Cliff is a community in Dallas, Texas, United States that was formerly a separate town located in Dallas County; Dallas annexed Oak Cliff in 1903...
Symphony Orchestra at the age of 15 where his exceptional talent was the starting point of a great career.
His passion for the fiddle and mastery of Western Swing
Western swing
Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands...
lead to a performance with Hank Thompson
Hank Thompson
Hank Thompson may refer to:*Hank Thompson *Hank Thompson , country music singer and songwriter...
and Leon McAuliffe in the 1950s where he was a regular at the Big D Jamboree in Dallas Texas with KRLD.
The artists that Saucier worked and or recorded with include Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
, Ralph Mooney
Ralph Mooney
Ralph Mooney was a well known steel guitar player. He played with many country and western artists, including Buck Owens, Merle Haggard and played in Waylon Jennings' band for two decades....
and Roy Nichols
Roy Nichols
Roy Nichols was an American country music guitarist best known as the lead guitarist for Merle Haggard for more than two decades. He was known for his guitar technique, a mix of fingerpicking and pedal steel-like bends, usually played on a Telecaster.-Biography:Roy Ernest Nichols was born in...
.
In 1965 he joined the Joanie Waco Show where they played extensively around the country including Las Vegas as well as military base
Military base
A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. In general, a military base provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a...
s around the country. During this time Billy Jack and Joanie were married.
Saucier has played at the National Fiddlers Contest in Mt View, AR, the Roy Clarks Theatre in Branson, Missouri
Branson, Missouri
Branson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s....
, the The Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
and numerous venues across the country.
In April 1985, Billy Jack received the title of GRAND NATIONAL FIDDLER (see award picture in Commons Category Billy Jack Saucier) from Ron Davis, president of SWEET, INC. stating: “Yes, It is our opinion you are the best in the world today.” and “It is also our opinion that you are the best of all time to date.”
Saucier died in 1987. Joanie lives in Las Vegas, NV
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
.