A. Trae McMaken lives and works near the shores of Lake Huron where he writes and fiddles and watches as his flock of sheep munch grass. He has had a varied career as a traveling storyteller and folklorist, a fiddler and singer, but these days he much prefers to stay put, write, research, farm, and play tunes with friends.

Author

Trae has released multiple books across genres, including Rosin for Breath: Reflections of a Travelling Fiddler (2012), Puttygut: Life, Loss, and Memory on a Rural Michigan Road (2018), and many fantasy novels such as the ongoing multi-book Dwarves of Ice-Cloak series. 

Fiddler / Musician

Growing up on the Michigan-Ontario border, Trae imbibed varied styles of fiddle playing including Irish, Scottish, Quebecois, Ontario Old Time, and Michigan Old Time. Trae can not only switch between these stylistic accents, he melds them into a dynamic creolized language of fiddling that reflects the diverse traditional heritage of his home region.

Trae formerly taught as an adjunct professor among the faculty of the Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Program at East Tennessee State University. During his time in Tennessee, Trae delved into Southern American traditions as a fiddler and clawhammer banjoist. Yet Trae’s continued passion for the music of the Great Lakes marks him as one of the few remaining practitioners and tradition bearers of the region’s musical trove. He was awarded the title of Michigan State Old Time Fiddle Champion in 2022 and 2023. His project www.michiganfiddle.com aims to help preserve and promote Michigan’s fiddle traditions.

While touring, Trae’s performance career included a wide variety of venues such as historical sites, workshops, festivals, camps, outdoor education programs, schools, libraries, television, radio, and many dances. Though no longer actively touring, Trae can still be seen in concert from time to time in the Great Lakes region.

Raconteur

A graduate of East Tennessee State University’s Master in Storytelling degree program, Trae studied the ethical and spiritual foundations of historical storytelling as well as folk traditions. Trae was featured by the Partnership for the National Trails System in their Magazine Pathways Across America for his work as a historical storyteller and musician recounting the 18th century Battle of Kings Mountain with the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail and the Overmountain Victory Trail Association.

Recording Artist

Trae’s album For the Long Winter Nights takes a vivifying look at the fiddle and song traditions of the Great Lakes and also incorporates some of Trae’s original numbers. In 2012, Trae collaborated on master cittern player Jospeh Sobol’s album Citternity: Celtic Cittern and Beyond (2012), which also features Martin Hayes, Laurence Nugent, John Williams, and others. Trae performed on Ricky Hilton’s album Forever (Live), released in 2015. Trae performed on The McMaken’s debut album, Sleep Easy (2009).

Folklorist

Trae has two master’s degrees focusing on various aspects of folklore studies. His primary body of research can be found on his website MichiganFiddle.Com where he has spearheaded and compiled a massive collection on the history of fiddle music in Michigan. He has conducted fieldwork with Michigan State University’s museum as part of a National Endowment for the Arts grant project focusing on Michigan’s fiddle traditions. In the realm of Appalachian folklore, Trae was a contributing researcher to the multi-disc collection, Milestones: Legends of the Doc Watson Clan (2013). In addition, Trae contributed as a researcher for the Center of Appalachian Studies and Services DVD release, Ray Hicks and Other Beech Mountain Folks.