Music, Memories, and the Nashville Handshake: A Conversation with Fiddle Player Alan Johnson
If you ever find yourself wandering through Avery County, North Carolina on a lazy Sunday afternoon, do yourself a favor: pull over at the historic Pineola Inn. Follow the rich, flying notes of a fiddle, and you will find Alan Johnson sawing away on his fiddle for a captivated crowd.
Alan might just be the busiest musician in the entire High Country. In fact, if you ask him exactly how many bands he currently plays in, he will look at you, smile, and give you a perfectly honest answer: "I don't know."
When we sat down to chat with this local legend, we quickly realized that Alan’s deep musical roots stretch far beyond our mountain ridges. He carries with him a lifetime of stories, including a remarkable connection to Music City royalty.
A House Filled with Sound
Music was a family affair for Alan from the very beginning.
"I had a brother ten years older who wanted to play rock and roll, and a daddy who played the fiddle," Alan reminisces. "So growing up, there was every kind of music in the house. I picked up the fiddle around age nine and have never really put it down."
That early, eclectic exposure paid off. Today, you can catch Alan sharing his gift across the region with the David Wiseman Band, the Johnson Brothers, and Woody and the String Band. But before becoming a staple of the local mountain music scene, Alan took a leap of faith that led him straight to Tennessee.
Mastering the "Nashville Handshake"
At age 29, Alan packed his bags and moved to Nashville, driven by a dream and a fiddle case. Like many aspiring artists, he quickly learned the hustle of the town.
"I handed out my card left and right," Alan says with a grin. "They called it the 'Nashville handshake.' That's when you shake a person's hand and palm them your card."
The music industry is notoriously tough to crack, and the silence can be deafening. For six months, Alan’s phone didn't ring. "I promise you, I was about ready to pack it in and come home," he admits.
But destiny had other plans, and it arrived in the form of a legendary mentor.
An Unexpected Call from John Hartford
Unbeknownst to Alan, he had an incredibly powerful ally in his corner: John Hartford, the brilliant, Grammy-winning songwriter behind the masterpiece Gentle on My Mind.
"He befriended me when I first arrived in Nashville," Alan shares. "Almost exactly six months to the day I arrived, the phone rang, and it was Hartford."
Hartford wasn't calling with a gig; he was calling to check on Alan's spirit and make sure the young musician hadn't given up on his dream. That single, encouraging phone call shifted the universe. Within a single week, Alan booked three gigs—and the rest was history.
Some of Alan’s fondest memories of those years aren't from the big stages, but from the quiet moments. He smiles warmly recalling how he and Hartford would sit together for hours inside Hartford's home, trading tunes and playing their fiddles simply for the pure joy of the music.
The Gift of Ear
Despite his success and undeniable reputation, Alan remains incredibly humble about his craft.
"I am not the greatest fiddle player in the world," Alan insists. "Those guys sit and practice all day long, the way a golfer hits a thousand practice balls a day. That's just not me."
What Alan lacks in rigid practice routines, he more than makes up for with a rare, innate genius. Growing up, if he heard a complex lick played by one of his musical heroes—like bluegrass icon Doyle Lawson—he didn't need sheet music or a lesson. He could instantly play it back, perfectly, note for note.
It is that raw, authentic talent that makes Alan’s music so magnetic. He isn't just playing notes; he is channeling a lifetime of heritage, grit, and passion into every stroke of his bow.
Next time you are in Pineola on a Sunday, pull up a chair, grab a cold drink, and listen to a master at work. Just don't forget to offer him a handshake