Bob Holt was an American fiddler, playing old-time and for square dances. He was known for his lightning-fast, energetic style of playing. He played his signature song "Ninth of January" at as much as 144 beats per minute while playing for dances. He was born on November 25, 1930, in Ava, Douglas County, Missouri. He died March 19, 2004, in Ava. Holt was a recipient of a 1999 National Heritage Fellowship in the amount of $10,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States' highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.