Judges

Mark Ralph

    Mark Ralph grew up in the Short Creek community of Grayson County, Kentucky.  He joined the Grayson County Youth Orchestra when he was eleven years old and started an ongoing contest fiddling career soon afterward.

     Notable wins include:  Kentucky State Fiddling Champion (4 times); Tennessee State Fiddling Champion (3 times); Indiana State Fiddling Champion (3 times); Alabama State Fiddling Champion; Walnut Valley Fiddle Contest in Winfield, Kansas; Lake Superior Open Fiddle Contest in Duluth, Minnesota; Lincoln Heritage National Open Fiddle Contest in Springfield, Illinois and the TVOTFA Fiddle King in Athens, Alabama.  He also has several top ten finishes in the Grand Master Fiddle Championship in Nashville, Tennessee and in the Grand National Championship in Weiser, Idaho.

     Mark played professionally as a member of The Bar-J Wranglers, a western group based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, during the mid 80s.  He has served as a judge at numerous contests, including:  the Grand National Championship in Weiser, Idaho; the World Championship in Crockett, Texas; the Grand Lake Contest in Grove, Oklahoma and the Kentucky and Tennessee State Championships.  In addition, he helped revive the Alabama State Fiddling Championship and serves as its chief coordinator.

     Mark is a practicing general dentist residing in Huntsville, Alabama with his wife, Robin, and their three children, Claire, Jake and Wade.  Samples of his playing are available on several National Oldtime Fiddlers Championship CDs as well as on his own ‘Gone to Texas’ CD.