Les played lots of unique tunes. They came from his grandfather, from other fiddlers, from Gems of the Ballroom and other tunebooks and some he just made up. The following tunes aren't identified on any of our recordings. If you know anything at all about any of these tunes, please send me a note.
| ** Update** Unknown 1 has been identified as "You Can't Break My Heart" by Donnel Cooley & Eugene Rogers from 1945. | removed | removed |
| Unknown 2 comes from a home-made cassette recording of a session outside Les's motor home at the Evart Funfest in July, 1994. Playing with Les were Danny Johnson, Brad Battey, Paul Goelz, Bob Hubbach, Jack Lewis, Mike Gleason Glen Morningstar and others. | sheet music | mp3 |
| Unknown 3 comes from a recording at the Battle Ground, Indiana Fiddler's Gathering in 1981 with Merle Raber, Bud Pierce, Paul Gifford and Bill White. | sheet music | mp3 |
| Unknown 4 comes from a home-made recording with Bud Pierce on July 20, 1988. Les says this is a tune he learned from Lloyd Kilts. Lloyd was another old-style, Michigan fiddler. | sheet music | mp3 |
| ** Update** Unknown 5 has been identified as "Stolen Sweets", a tune also played by Michigan fiddler Frank Mattison. Thanks go to Edna Johnson for this information | removed | removed |
| ** Update** Unknown 6 has been identified as "I'm Not So Young As I Used To Be". Thanks go to Paul Tyler for the CD with this tune title on it. | removed | removed |
| Unknown 7 comes from a home-made recording with Bud Pierce on July 20, 1988. On a February, 1998 recording with Paul Gifford and Paul Tyler, Les says this is a tune his uncle played. | sheet music | mp3 |
| Unknown 8 comes from a session at the Raber farmhouse where Les and Varsal Fales were being interviewed by Eliot Singer on February 11, 1987. Les says this is one his "grandfather always played every time he picked the fiddle up." Varsal is playing piano. | sheet music | mp3 |
| Unknown 9 comes from a session at the Raber farmhouse where Les and Varsal Fales were being interviewed by Eliot Singer on February 11, 1987. | sheet music | mp3 |
| Unknown 10 comes from a session at the Raber farmhouse where Les and Varsal Fales were being interviewed by Eliot Singer on February 11, 1987. On a February, 1998 recording with Paul Gifford and Paul Tyler, Les says this is a tune Lloyd Kilts played. | sheet music | mp3 |
| ** Update ** Glenn Hendrix found Unknown 11 in the Don Messer Anthology of Favorite Fiddle Tunes (Mel Bay, 1980) as The Farmer's Reel. Thanks Glenn. | removed | removed |
| Unknown 12 was discovered by Glenn Hendrix on a recording of Les's performance at the Lowell Showboat in 1981. | sheet music | no audio |
| Unknown 13 comes from a recording of Les's performance at the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend, Washington in July, 1998. | sheet music | mp3 |
| Unknown 14 comes from a recording made at the Raber farmhouse in February 1998 with Paul Tyler and Paul Gifford. Paul says "play that one of your Grandpa's". | sheet music | mp3 |
| ** Update** Unknown 15 has been identified as "Turnpike Reel" from Ryan's Mammoth Collection, 1882. | removed | removed |
| Unknown 16 comes from an undated recording of Les and Bud Pierce at Bob Tack's house. | sheet music | mp3 |
| ** Update ** Unknown 17 has been identified by Julia Haywood as a tune called "Little Gem Polka." She said it was one of Les's favorite tunes. It is not the same as any of the Little Gems tunes found on the Library of Congress/American Memory/Music for the Nation website. Glenn Hendrix found it in LeRoy Larson's 'Scandinavian Old Time Music Book vol. 1' which says it was composed by F.F. Knodle and published by Marsh Music House in Decorah, Iowa in 1920. | removed | removed |
| ** Update ** Unknown 18 was discovered to be a tune from 1926 called "Sunday" by Chester Conn, Benny Krueger, Ned Miller & Jule Stein. Thanks go to Dave Barton for this information. | removed | removed |
| ** Update ** Unknown 19 On a recording made at the Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife in 1987, Les says the name of this tune is "Star Over Norway". Glenn Hendrix discovered sheet music for "Starlight Over Norway" among the piano music of Les's longtime collaborator, Lorraine Stevens. "Starlight Over Norway" is a John W. Schaum arrangement of Edvard Grieg's 1891 Opus 54 No. 5 - Scherzo. | removed | removed |
| Unknown 20 comes Sharon Skaryd's July 1993 cassette recording of Les playing with Harry Dempski. | sheet music | mp3 |
| Unknown 21 comes Dixie Stevens July 1989 cassette recording of Les playing at the Evart Funfest. | sheet music | mp3 |
| Unknown 22 comes from Bob Rowland's 1981 recording of Les playing in a session at the Evart Funfest. | sheet music | mp3 |
