Fiddle Reportedly Belonging To Roy Acuff Donated To Kansas City Goodwill Store

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Just one more reason shopping thrift stores can pay off — you might just come across a musical treasure owned and played by a legend. According to a recent story in the Kansas City Star, a fiddle owned by the late Roy Acuff is up for auction in Kansas City after being donated anonymously to Goodwill of Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas. The fiddle was given to the Goodwill store on North Oak and is now in the possession of Gary Raines, who runs Goodwill’s e-commerce program in Kansas City.

Acuff’s fiddles were made by his uncle, Evart Acuff, and each one was numbered. A sticker inside the fiddle that reads No. 19 says it was handmade in August 1945 in Maryville, Tenn (labeled as “Merryville” on the sticker). It was made of applewood from a tree on a family farm.

“We recognized right away that it was something special and we now have it up for auction,” Raines said. “We have no information on the owner. They just donated it and moved on. … The certificate of authenticity and other paperwork are copies but we are confident that it’s the real thing.”

The auction is open until 11 p.m. Saturday (central time) at shopgoodwill.com, which has published photos and other details of the instrument. The high bid on the instrument is currently $8,002.

Acuff, who died in 1992, was a Grand Ole Opry star known for hits including “Wabash Cannon Ball,” “Great Speckled Bird,” “Wreck On The Highway” and “Fireball Mail.” In 1942, Acuff formed the influential music publishing company Acuff-Rose. In 1962, Acuff was elected as the first living member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Lorie Hollabaugh
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