Appalachian Collection

"Music from the Lost Provinces": A Guide to Traditional Music in Ashe County, North Carolina, Grayson County, Virginia, and the Surrounding Area

 

enoch rutherford

 

 


*Lucas Pasley on banjo and Enoch Rutherford on fiddle,
at Enoch's home near Independence, Virginia, December 1998

 

Scope

The traditional music and musicians of the Blue Ridge Mountains have a legendary place in the history of American music. This pathfinder is designed to help people locate information on Old Time and Bluegrass music and musicians from Ashe County, North Carolina, and Grayson County, Virginia, known hotbeds for traditional music in the Southern Appalachian Region. It is important to note that sometimes the most useful resources in researching this particular topic are often found in the form of notes accompanying sound recordings and articles writen in magazines focusing on traditional music.

 

A good Introduction to Traditional Music in Ashe County, North Carolina, Grayson County, Virginia, and the Surrounding Area is found in:

McGee, Marty. Traditional Musicians of the Central Blue Ridge: Old Time, Early Country, Folk and Bluegrass Label Recording Artists, with Discographies. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co., 2000. ASU APP COLL STACK ML 106. U4 B66.

 

Some relevant Library of Congress Subject Headings include:

Highly Relevant

  • Old Time Music-North Carolina-Ashe County
  • Old Time Music-Virginia-Grayson County
  • Country Music-North Carolina-Ashe County
  • Country Music-Virginia-Grayson County
  • Bluegrass Music-North Carolina-Ashe County
  • Bluegrass Music-Virginia-Grayson County
  • Folksongs, English-Appalachian Region-Southern
  • Music-Blue Ridge Mountains-Bio-bibliography-Dictionaries

Also Relevant

  • Bluegrass Music
  • Old Time Music
  • Country Music festivals-Virginia
  • Country Music festivals-North Carolina
  • Folk Music-Virginia-Grayson County
  • Folk Music-North Carolina-Ashe County
  • Mountain People-Southern States-Music
  • Country Music-Discography
  • Folk Music-United States-Discography
  • Dance Music-Appalachian Region-Southern

More General:

  • Folk Music-United States
  • Popular Music-United States
  • Folk Dance Music-United States
  • Banjo Music
  • Fiddle Tunes
  • Folk Songs-United States
  • Music-Southern States

 

More information can be found in the Appalachian Collection Clippings File under the following headings:

  • Ashe County, North Carolina
  • Music-Fiddles
  • Music-Appalachia
  • Musical Instruments-General
  • Music-Banjo
  • Musicians-Appalachia

 

Other books including material about Traditional Music in Ashe County, North Carolina, and Grayson County, Virginia can usually be found within these Library of Congress Call Number ranges:

 

Some Frequently Cited Books include the following:

McGee, Marty. Traditional Musicians of the Central Blue Ridge: Old Time, Early Country, Folk and Bluegrass Label Recording Artists, with Discographies . Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co., 2000.
ASU APP COLL STACK ML 106. U4 B66.

 

Biographies

Tribe, Ivan M. The Stonemans: An Appalachian Family and the Music That Shaped Their Lives . Urbana, Illinois: U of Illinois P Music in American Life, 1993. ASU APP COLL STACK ML 421. SB T7.

Wolfe, Charles. The Devil's Box: Masters of Southern Fiddling . Nashville, Tennessee: The Country Music Foundation and Vanderbilt UP, 1997. See Chapter 5, "Mr. Grayson's Train" p. 61-65. ASU APP COLL STACK ML 3551.7. S68 W65.

 

Guides, Dictionaries, and Encyclopedias containing information on Traditional Music in Ashe County, North Carolina, and Grayson County, Virginia:

Erlewine, Michael, ed., et al. All Music Guide to Country: The Experts' Guide to the Best Recordings in Country Music . San Francisco, California: Miller Freeman, 1997. ASU APP COLL STACK ML 156.4. C7 A45.

McCloud, Barry, with Ivan M. Tribe. Definitive Country: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Country Music and Its Performers . New York, New York: Berkley Pub. Group, 1995. ASU APP COLL STACK ML 102. C7 M33.

Gazetteers

To help locate communities in Ashe and Grayson Counties see:

Gannett, Henry. A Gazetteer of Virginia and West Virginia . Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1975. ASU APP COLL STACK F 224. G19.

Hanson, Raus McDill. Virginia Place Names . Verona, Virginia: McClure Press, 1969. ASU APP COLL STACK F 224. H3.

Powell, William S. The North Carolina Gazetteer . Chapel Hill, North Carolina: U of North Carolina P, 1968. ASU APP COLL STACK F 252. P6.

 

Bibliographies and Discographies which contain materials on the Traditional Music in Ashe County, North Carolina, and Grayson County, Virginia include:

Appalachian Outlook . Morgantown, West Virginia: West Virginia University Library, 1968, 1972, and 1980. ASU APP COLL STACK Z 1251. A7 A6.

Cohen, Norm. Traditional Anglo-American Folk Music: An Annotated Discography of Published Sound Recordings . New York, New York: Garland Pub., 1994. ASU APP COLL STACK ML 156.4. F5 C64.

Lornell, Kip. Virginia's Blues, Country & Gospel Records, 1902-1943: An Annotated Discography . Lexington, Kentucky: UP of Kentucky, 1989. ASU APP COLL STACK ML 156.4 B6 L87.

Tallmadge, William H. A Selected and Annotated Discography of Southern Appalachian Mountain Music . Berea, Kentucky: Berea College Appalachian Center, 1985. ASU APP COLL STACK ML 156.4. F5 T35.

 

Abstracts & Indices

International Index to Music Periodicals (IIMP), online

MLA Bibliography, online

RILM Abstracts of Musical Literature, online

Note: When using these electronic databases it is helpful to search names of particular musicians. (Do not limit to, but remember that the list of musicians provided under the section, "Other Relevant Material" is a good place to start.)

 

Specialized Magazines which often contain articles on the Traditional Music in Ashe County, North Carolina, and Grayson County, Virginia include:

Bluegrass Unlimited . Monthly publication. 1967-present. ASU APP COLL STACK ML1. B68.

The Devil's Box . Quarterly publication. Vol. 10, 1976-Spring 1999. ASU APP COLL STACK ML1. D325.

Old-Time Herald . Monthly publication. 1987-present. ASU APP COLL STACK ML1. O35.

Old Time Music . Quarterly publication. 1971-1989. ASU APP COLL STACK ML1. O53.

Pickin.' Monthly publication. Vol. 2, 1975-Vol. 6, 1979. ASU APP COLL STACK ML1. P43.

 

Reviews

None found pertaining to the subject area; however, there are sound recording review sections in the specialized magazines listed above but they are not scholarly accounts or critical reviews.

 

Other Relevant Material

Helpful Hint, when researching, keep in mind the names of key musicians such as:

  • E.C. and Orna Ball
  • Frank Blevins
  • Otis Burris
  • Alec (Alex) Campbell
  • Carolina Night Hawks
  • G.B. Grayson and Henry Whitter
  • Albert Hash
  • Wayne Henderson
  • Emmett Lundy
  • Ted Lundy
  • Spencer Moore
  • The Mountain Ramblers
  • Glenn Neaves
  • New River Ramblers
  • Bob Paisley
  • Ola Belle Reed
  • Kilby Snow
  • Ernest "Pop" Stoneman
  • Tar Heel Rattlers
  • Fields Ward
  • Wade Ward
  • Whitetop Mountain Band

Often much valuable information is published in liner notes that accompany sound recordings. Also, there is one video that gives an excellent overview of the traditional music community of the area.

Davidson, Eric, and Jane Rigg. A Memorial to Wade Ward, Old Time Virginia Banjo Picker 1892-1971 . Folkways Records 2380, 1973. ASU APP COLL REC # 134.

Goldstein, Carl. Ted Lundy and the Southern Mountain Boys: The Old Swinging Bridge . Rounder Records 0020, 1972. ASU APP COLL REC # 338.

Lornell, Kip, et al. E.C. Ball and Orna: Through the Years 1937-1975 . Copper Creek CCCD 0141, 1997. ASU APP COLL CD # 133.

Martin, Wayne. Round the Heart of Old Galax Volumes 1, 2, 3. County Records 533, 534, 535, 1980. ASU APP COLL REC # 487, Volumes 1, 2, 3.

Music in the Old Time Way: Traditional Music and Musicians from the Southern Appalachians . Videotape. Dir. Philip S. Morgan. With Enoch Rutherford, Benton Flippen, and various musical groups. 1986. 60 minutes. ASU APP COLL VC 142.

Reed, Ola Belle. Ola Belle Reed . Rounder Records 0021, 1972. Author of liner notes not named. ASU APP COLL REC # 339.

Wolfe, Charles. G.B. Grayson and Henry Whitter: Early Classics Volume 1 and 2. Old Homestead Records OHCS 157, 165, 1984. ASU APP COLL REC # 637.

Wyatt, Marshall. Music from the Lost Provinces: Old-Time Stringbands from Ashe County, North Carolina & Vicinity . Old Hat Enterprises CD 1001, 1997. ASU APP COLL CD # 236.

 

Compiler: Patricia L. Kilby, 01 November 2001