In 2002, Centerstream Publishing published a book by author Randy Noles entitled Orange Blossom Boys. The book explored the history of the tune by the same name and the lives of Ervin T. Rouse, Chubby Wise, and Johnny Cash.
Noles has done further research since that time and decided to update the book and republish it under a new title. Also published by Centerstream, Fiddler’s Curse is now in print.
The new book give full credit to Rouse for authorship of the tune. Here’s the description from Amazon.com
One of the most bizarre stories in all of popular music is the history of “Orange Blossom Special,” arguably the century’s best-known fiddle tune. The man credited with its ownership, Ervin T. Rouse, endured tragedy, alcoholism and mental illness. He spent his last years fiddling for tips in isolated taverns at the edge of the Everglades, and died all but unknown. The man who claimed co-ownership, Chubby Wise, achieved fame as the seminal fiddler of the bluegrass genre, but struggled to overcome personal demons and to heal the scars of childhood abandonment and abuse. Johnny Cash, the tortured superstar who made the song a mainstream hit, quietly championed Rouse and earned the enmity of Wise. This trio’s disparate legacies are here told – and forever linked with the legendary diesel steamliner.
Hat Tip: European Bluegrass Blog
