Abstract Born in Wolfe County, KY, in 1922, Blanche (Hurt) Coldiron moved with her family to Powell County when she was 6 years old.   At nine years old, after listening to Uncle Dave Macon play banjo on the Grand Old Opry radio show, Blanche taught herself to play the banjo. She played the banjo using five different picking styles including, her customary style, the “claw hammer.”  In addition to the banjo, Coldiron played the bass, guitar, fiddle, and mandolin.  Beginning her music career during...

Abstract Kazee was born August 29, 1900 in the quite rural Burton Fork area of Magoffin County, Kentucky. Baptist Christianity, home made music, and classical commercial recordings were important influences in Kazee’s upbringing. He was singing and playing banjo by age 5 and was ordained to preach at age 17. After finishing high school at Magoffin Baptist Institute, he went on to Georgetown College to major in English, Greek, and Latin, and study voice. There he came to a stronger appreciation of...

Abstract

The recordings preserve the singing and playing of several dozen musicians mostly from the eastern half of the state. Many of them have since passed on and in several instances the tunes and playing styles documented date well back into the 1800s. Predominant tune sources for the fiddlers recorded include minstrel stage music and the dance music of Britain, Ireland, France, Germany, and in some instances, African American traditions.

Abstract

Audio and video recorded interviews and performances with Kentucky traditional musicians and singers some of whom had radio performing careers mainly during the 1930s and 1940s. The interviews were conducted at various times over the period 1969-2008, by Reubein Powell, Ray Nemec, Loyal Jones, Stephen Green, Susan Eacker, and Harry Rice.