Here we have West Virginia country music legend Doc Williams and his band, the Border Riders, with the spotlight on Doc's brother Cy Williams, who played fiddle with the group. The repertoire of the Border Riders consistent mostly of traditional old-time, bluegrass, and country music songs and this record is a prime example of their early style.
Cy Williams was born Milo Smik on July 31, 1918, being the younger brother of Andrew John Smik, Jr., who later became famous as Doc Williams. Cy Williams learned fiddle from his father, an Czechoslovakian immigrant, who had played mandolin and violin in Prague prior to relocating to the United States. When Cy was 12 years old, his father took him to Pittsburgh to present him with his first fiddle. The nickname "Cy" derived from "Fiddling Cyclone", a name he received very early on.
Brothers Doc and Cy started performing at dances in their hometown area around Kittaning, Pennsylvania, in the 1920s and the following decade, Cy joined his brother's old-time band. They performed under various names until they became the Border Riders in 1937. They joined the WWVA Jamboree in Wheeling, West Virginia, later that same year and became one of the mainstays of the show. Cy Williams was a member of the Border Riders for more than 20 years and was an integral part of their sound and success as a live act.
While he never performed on any of his brother's later albums, he performed on all of the band's earlier recordings made for Doc's own Wheeling label. The two recordings that showcase his skills best are "My Little Ole Home in West Virginia" and "Under the Double Eagle", two fiddle instrumentals that were released on Wheeling #DW-1022. Cy Williams also provided harmony singing on recordings and live performances.
"My Little Home in West Virginia" is a fiddle tune composed by hobby musician Ellis Hall, a glassblower from Mortgantown, West Virginia. Hall performed at WMMN and recorded "My Little Home in West Virginia" with Bill Addis for RCA-Victor, which remained one of his few commercial release. Reportedly, the disc sold about 18.000 copies. It was also recorded by another West Virginia artist, fiddler Buddy Durham, as well as Wally Traugott (released on Sparton in Canada) and Curly Ray Cline. It is probable that the song enjoyed success especially in the rural West Virginia areas and was heard by Cy and Doc, incorporating it into their repertoire. It is also possible that they knew Hall or saw him performing on stage and thus learning the tune. Doc Williams re-recorded the song in 1970 as "My West Virginia Home".
The Border Riders recorded both "My Little Ole Home in West Virginia" as well as "Under the Double Eagle" on November November 21, 1954, at King Recording Studio in Cincinnati, with Doc Williams on guitar, Cy Williams on fiddle, Marion Martin on accordeon, and Chickie Williams on bass. It saw release in both Canada (on Quality #K1314) and Wheeling #DW-1022) probably in late 1954.
In the late 1940s, Cy Williams had married Mary Calvas, who played with the Border Riders, too, and was professionally known as "Sunflower". From 1944 until 1946, he served in the U.S. Army and his marriage fell victim to World War II. He married again in 1952 and left the Border Riders in the late 1950s, working for the U.S. Post Office henceforth. Although he later attended shows of his brother, he never stood with him on stage again.
Cy Williams died on April 17, 2006.
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