MANY GREAT STORIES are not only told through but are born from music, and Tidwell says one enjoyable aspect of keeping a record shop is swapping stories with customers. He often shares what he says is his favorite music story, which begins in a prison and ends in a legend. Adam Hollinger was a soldier from the Mobile, Ala., area who was captured during World War II. He and other prisoners of war were held in a German stalag, where they were subjected to deplorable living conditions and tortured regularly. Hollinger, a banjo player, met a fellow American soldier who played fiddle. To keep their spirits up, the two were allowed to play for the other prisoners. Both eventually made it home safely. Back in the post-war United States, Hollinger learned of a promising young singer who was looking to start a band in Montgomery. He hitchhiked his way there with a friend, auditioned and was hired. Unfortunately, the singer was just starting out and only playing local gigs, so he was unable to pay Hollinger enough to live on. After a short while, the banjo player was forced to leave the band for more lucrative work. Hollinger, who passed away about three years ago, was a lifelong friend of Tidwell’s family. His story is one the shopkeeper often shares, but not just because of his personal ties to the banjo-playing veteran. The fiddle-playing Paul Warren, Hollinger’s fellow prisoner of war, went on to play with bluegrass legends Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs. And that struggling young singer from Montgomery? His name was Hank Williams.
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