Leonard Rutherford (March 22, 1898 – June 30, 1951) was an American old-time fiddle player from Kentucky, United States.
He formed a shorter recording partnership (1929 -1934) with guitarist and singer John D Foster, but continued to play with Burnett.
"[5] When Leonard was a boy, the Rutherford family moved from Somerset to Monticello, the home of blind professional touring musician Dick Burnett.
In 1914, when Rutherford was 14 and Burnett 31 (date and ages approximate), the older man asked for the teenager to accompany him as a sighted assistant to the nearby Lauren County Fair.
The records are notable for the precise unison melodic line of Rutherford's fiddle and Burnett's banjo or guitar.
In 1928, after a dispute over royalties, Burnett and Rutherford left Columbia to record four sides for Gennett, with the addition of the guitarist Byrd Moore.
[8] His new partner, John D Foster, claimed later that Gennett had considered Burnett and Moore too "harsh" an accompaniment to Rutherford's smooth fiddle.