Violet Hensley, Oldest Living Country Legend, Dies at 109

She was known by numerous names, including the “Whittling Fiddler” and the “Stradivarius of the Ozarks.” And in the country music realm, she was the oldest living legend, and by a mile. The Arkansas Art Council where Hensley was originally from designated her as a “Living Treasure.” Forget country music, Violet Hensley was one of the oldest living individuals in all of arts and entertainment. And when she passed away on August 7th at the age of 109, she one of the oldest Americans alive.

Violet Hensley was born on October 21st, 1916 during World War I in Mount Ida, Arkansas to George Washington Brumley and Nora Springer Brumley. When she was young, her mother passed away, and so she was mostly raised with her two sisters by her father, who taught the young Violet Brumley how to both build fiddles by hand by a whittling technique, as well as how to play them. She was already a respected luthier and fiddle player when she married Adren Hensley in 1935. Violet proceeded to give birth to nine children, and spent 27 years away from music as she raised them.

But in 1961 as her children began to grow older, she started making fiddles again. It was as a fiddle maker where her fame began. But she ultimately became the symbol of a bygone era of rural America, and a fascination swirled around her as a living link to old time fiddle music, and the craft of handmade instruments. She was in her 50s when she became a cult celebrity. Hensley started working at the Silver Dollar City theme park in Branson, Missouri, fitting perfectly in with their late 1800s theme. In the off season, she would tour all around the United States.

A prominent profile in National Geographic helped raise Violent Hensley’s profile nationwide and around the globe. In 1969 when The Beverly Hillbillies filmed at Silver Dollar City, Violent Hensley was featured, which helped raise her profile again. She was said to have struck up a friendship with Irene Ryan who played Granny on the show during the filming. Hensley would go on to appear on The Art Linkletter Show in 1970, Captain Kangaroo in 1977, as well a To Tell The Truth hosted by Alex Trebek.

As time went on, the stature of Violet Hensley as a living piece of American history only grew with her age. She was featured by Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., Charles Kuralt profiled her for his On The Road series for CBS, and she even appeared on Regis and Kathy Lee in 1997. All of these opportunities finally led to Violet Hensley making her Grand Ole Opry debut on August 6th, 2016. She was 99 years old at the time.

Violet Hensley would go on to work at Silver Dollar City in Branson for some 50 years. Though she was considered a living piece of history all the way back when she was in her 50s, the fact that she lived to be so old only made her legacy and its ties to the past that much stronger. The death of Violent Hensley truly marks the end of an era, and the end of a legacy of handmade fiddle making that started with her father who made his first hand carved instrument in 1888.

A Violet Hensley-made fiddle is considered a treasure and a masterpiece. She also released three albums, Old Time Fiddle Tunes (1974), The Whittling Fiddler and Family (1983), and Family Treasures (2004). Violet continued to play and craft fiddles nearly all the way up to her death according to the most recent profile on her from November of 2025.

Who is the oldest living country music legend now that the venerable Violet Hensley has passed away? Western Swing pianist Lucy Dean Record is reportedly still performing at the age of 102. Of more recognizable names, Leroy Van Dyke of “The Auctioneer” and “Walk On By” fame is still alive at 96. You also have Willie Nelson, who might outlive us all at 93.

But nobody truly embodied being a living piece of country music history like Violet Hensley. Farewell to the Whittling Fiddler.

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