John and Frances Reedy Early Country Music Collection

This collection documents the musical career of early bluegrass musicians John (1918-1983) and Frances (1922-2006) Reedy from Harlan County, Kentucky. They appeared on Harlan’s WHLN for several years during the late 1930s and much of the 1940s. They moved to Dayton, Ohio in the early 1950s for factory work. Musically, they became a part of that city's roots music scene that included Appalachian Rock-a-Billy and independent Bluegrass record labels. The labels they recorded on included Ark, Jalyn, Jewel, and Starday. The most famous song John wrote was “Somebody Touched Me” which has become a gospel music standard.