It could easily be argued that Don Messer’s radio and television presence had one of the single most significant influences on North American fiddling. Fiddlers not just in Canada but throughout the USA as well listened and incorporated the music they heard from Messer. I have written about how Sarnia’s Johnny Durocher wrote tunes for Messer (search for border the fiddling article or the article on Durocher), but he wasn’t the only one. Harbor Beach, Michigan’s Eddie Kranz (Thumb region, 1912-2003) wrote a tune called “Michigan Hornpipe” and sent it in to Messer, who played it on his program (unknown whether tv or radio). Eddie Kranz’s daughter Janet gave Dave Langdon a tape recording of that performance and Dave passed it on to me. So below you can hear Don Messer and His Islanders playing Eddie Kranz’s tune, “Michigan Hornpipe.”

I may be biased, and no disrespect to Messer, but I think Eddie, himself, played it a bit better, so I will also include in this post a recording of Eddie Kranz playing his own tune, as recorded on the Port Huron House Party record.