Growing up, my dad always encouraged me to end my practice sessions with something, just for me, that I enjoyed. One of my go-to songs was Orange Blossom Special, which quickly became my great-grandmother’s favorite fiddle tune. When we would visit her in her retirement home, I would perform it for the residents, enjoying hearing my sound echo all around the building. The name, Orange Blossom Special, refers to a luxury train that would run between New York and Miami from 1925 to 1953 to capitalize on Florida’s new vacation industry. If you listen closely, you can hear the train inspired sounds throughout the piece. Irvin T. Rouse and Chubby Wise visited the train when it stopped in Jacksonville, awed by the technology and beautiful design which led them to write the tune we know and love today. Wise claimed that he helped co-author the song with Rouse, however, this turned out to be false. Chubby Wise did, however, help popularize the tune with his fiery fiddle playing.