Violet Hensley, Country Music’s ‘Whittlin’ Fiddler,’ Dies at 109

Violet Hensley, known for decades as the “Whittlin’ Fiddler,” in an undated photo. Credit: KY3

NEED TO KNOW

• Violet Hensley, the Arkansas fiddle maker known as the “Whittlin’ Fiddler,” has died at age 109.
• Hensley spent more than 50 years crafting and performing fiddles at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri.
• In 2016, at 99, Hensley fulfilled a lifelong dream by making her Grand Ole Opry debut.

Violet Hensley has died.

The Arkansas luthier and musician known nationwide as the “Whittlin’ Fiddler” was 109, according to KY3.

For readers just meeting her, Hensley spent more than five decades carving fiddles by hand at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri. She became one of the Ozark theme park’s most beloved fixtures in the process.

Hensley’s death adds to a string of recent losses. In the past week alone, fans have also mourned Game of Thrones and Doctor Who actor Tom Chadbon, Sopranos star Vincent Pastore and Lionel Messi’s father, Jorge Messi.

Here’s everything to know about Violet Hensley’s life and legacy.

Who Was Violet Hensley?

Hensley was born Violet Brumley on Oct. 21, 1916, in Mount Ida, Arkansas, according to Saving Country Music. Her father, George Washington Brumley, carved his first fiddle in 1888 and taught his daughter the craft.

“We had to make everything when we were growing up,” Hensley told Only In Arkansas.

She married Adren Hensley in 1935, and the couple had nine children. Hensley set fiddle-making aside for nearly three decades while raising her family. The Hensleys later settled in Yellville, Arkansas, where she lived for the rest of her life; Adren died in 1997.

She Spent More Than 50 Years Crafting Fiddles at Silver Dollar City

Hensley picked her fiddle back up in the early 1960s. She entered a local talent contest in Yellville. There, she met Arkansas folk singer Jimmy Driftwood, who invited her to perform at his theater in Mountain View.

That connection helped launch a career that carried her to Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri. She went on to build and play fiddles there for more than 50 years, per KY3.

Her fame grew alongside a run of television appearances. She appeared on ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’ when the show filmed at Silver Dollar City in 1969. She struck up a lasting friendship with co-star Irene Ryan on set. Later credits included ‘The Art Linkletter Show,’ ‘Captain Kangaroo,’ ‘To Tell the Truth,’ ‘Live with Regis and Kathie Lee’ and ‘CBS Evening News.’

She was also featured at the Smithsonian and profiled by Charles Kuralt on his ‘On the Road’ series, KY3 reported.

Her Grand Ole Opry Dream Came True at 99

Hensley grew up listening to the Grand Ole Opry on a battery-powered radio. She dreamed for decades of one day playing its stage.

That dream came true on Aug. 6, 2016, when Hensley made her Opry debut at age 99. She performed the bluegrass standard “Angelina Baker.”

Hensley returned to the Opry in 2017 to mark her 100th birthday, backed by fiddler Tim Crouch, who had championed her Opry dream after reading her autobiography. “She left Nashville with their jaws on the floor,” Crouch said, according to the National Fiddler Hall of Fame. Hensley made a third Opry appearance in 2018.

She Was Honored as a Living Treasure and Hall of Famer

In 2004, the Arkansas Art Council named Hensley a state living treasure. She published her autobiography, “Whittlin’ and Fiddlin’ My Own Way: The Violet Hensley Story,” in 2014, co-written with actor and musician Randall Franks.

Hensley was inducted into the National Fiddler Hall of Fame in 2018, at age 101. Over the decades, she also released several albums, including “Old Time Fiddle Tunes,” “The Whittling Fiddler and Family” and “Family Treasures,” according to Saving Country Music.

Tributes Are Pouring In From Silver Dollar City and Beyond

Silver Dollar City remembered Hensley as “the heart of an Ozarks tradition that connected generations,” in a statement shared by KY3. The park called her one of America’s most respected fiddle makers and musicians.

The small Arkansas town of Leslie honored Hensley with a key to the city and a “Violet Hensley Day” proclamation in 2025. In a Facebook tribute reported by The News, the town called her “a true Arkansas legend and an honorary member of the Leslie community.”

Hensley was widely regarded as country music’s oldest living legend in her final years. Western swing pianist Lucy Dean Record, at 102, is now believed to be among the oldest performers still active in the genre, according to Saving Country Music.