Back Step Cindy

Back Step Cindy is the name of a fiddle tune that is commonly played in the Round Peak area of northern North Carolina and the western mountainous region of southern Virginia, an area with a rich home-grown community-oriented musical tradition.

The four musicians of Back Step Cindy have been immersed in this old-time music tradition collectively for more than 100 years:   Howard from summers in New Hampshire in the 1940s, Sandy from her years in North Carolina in the 1970s and tune-catching travels in Virginia, Art from his exposure to the Ralph Case Dancers, and Joe from his experience playing for old time fiddlers at jams, festivals, and dances.

We learned the music from the first generation and continue playing and teaching it in the Baltimore and Washington DC area.  Although no longer able to jump as high as our flatfooting colleagues Kim and Jan, Back Step Cindy can play that traditional music for hours just as we learned it from the masters: Speedy, Blackie, Joe, Melvin, Tommy, Ernie, Gerry, Bob, and many more.