Ringgold’s Randall Franks appeared Labor Day weekend at the 50th Grand Master Fiddler Championship at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville.
Mr. Franks served as celebrity co-host for the event alongside western entertainers, the Farmer and Adele. He "wrangled" around 50 fiddlers competing for three Grand Master titles from around the United States at the two-day event.
“Since my childhood, the Grand Masters, started by the Grand Ole Opry, is where we aspired to compete and hopefully win. I am honored to join with organizers Howard Harris and Ed Carnes and the board to encourage the new generations with this amazing legacy.”
The renowned entertainer/fiddler/actor who contributed to the legacies of Country Music Hall of Fame members Bill Monroe, Mac Wiseman, Kitty Wells, Little Jimmy Dickens, Pee Wee King, Grant Turner, Earl Scruggs, Dolly Parton and Hargus “Pig” Robbins, continues a role previously fulfilled by Opry stars Roy Acuff and Porter Wagoner.
Mr. Franks said he is greatly anticipating the official release of his latest film, “The Crickets Dance” which has won 14 film festival awards at events from Brussels to Los Angeles, including Best Film and Best Ensemble Cast.
Mr. Franks is a member of the Old Time, Independent and Atlanta Country Music Halls of Fame and is recognized as an IBMA Bluegrass Hall of Fame Legend. He also appeared on the NBC and CBS TV series “In the Heat of the Night” as “Officer Randy Goode.”