Joe Fulton has been playing fiddle at the Pike Place Public Market and at farmers markets
since January 2002. Before that he busked in Iowa city, Austin Texas and New Orleans.
	He says that the Pike Place Public Market is the best place he's ever busked. "It seems like the
place where buskers get the most respect."
	He says that at first he didn't like the rules at Pike Place Public but now he thinks they are good
because they give everybody a chance to play. He likes the Pike Place Public Market Performer's Guild 
too because the guild put on the Buskers' Festival and because the guild gives musicians a
chance to speak as a "unified voice." 
	Fulton is classically trained and has been playing fiddle for 20 years. At the market he plays
mostly Celtic and Appalaichin fiddle tunes. He says his favorite song to play is Ashoken
Farewell because it is so pretty. Others are moved by his rendition as well. Fulton says, "One
day I was playing Ashoken
Farewell at the Clock and someone came up to me and said that that
song reminds him of what's important in life."
	Other songs Joe does well are Turkey in the StrawM/a>, Puff the Magic Dragon, Angeline The
Baker and The Tennesee Waltz.
	Joe is often accompanying other musicians. He is in high demand at the Pike Place Market.
He's been spotted playing with fellow guild members Marvin Brost, Justin Kuhn, Jim Hinde,
David McKesson amongst many others. 
	Joe has a cd available called, "ballard avenue buskers" that he recorded with his friends Nancy (Bass) and Shawn (Banjo). He is also featured on cd's recorded by
Two Chord Terry and the Broken Strings, Greg Spence Wolf and the Tall Boys. In 2004 The Tall
boys appeared at The Northwest Folklife Festival.
 You may also see joe sometimes accompanied by his doberman pincher Jack. Joe says, "He is really friendly, except, he bites people who try to steal money." 
	Joe can play many instruments including mandolin, guitar, bass and piano. In fact his first
job was playing bass in a seventies cover band. He was also a mandolin player in New Orleans.
"I was playing in New Orleans down by the river in a big group of people. After awhile
everybody took off except me and this banjo player so we all split up the money and we got
about $10 each. Everybody left who was listenning except this one couple. We played two
songs for them and they gave us a twenty dollar bill and then another twenty dollar bill."
	Joe asked the banjo player, "Should we split the money with the other people."
	He said to Joe, "My lips are sealed."
	Joe's advice to up and coming buskers is, "Sometimes you make money and sometimes you
don't. But keep doing your best and don't worry too much about money."


By Greg Spence Wolf