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49. Oral history of John D. Morris and Jen Iskow, 2 of 3

Identifier:
4224.MorrisJohnIskowJen.AudioInt.002.6.14.18
Title:
Oral history of John D. Morris and Jen Iskow, 2 of 3
Date:
2018-06-14
Creator:
Morris, John D., Iskow, Jen
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Apprenticeship programs, Fiddle tunes, Clay County (W. Va.), Old-time music, Fiddling, Folk music--West Virginia
Location:
Clay County (W. Va.)

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50. Oral history of John D. Morris and Jen Iskow, 3 of 3

Identifier:
4224.MorrisJohnIskowJen.AudioInt.003.6.14.18
Title:
Oral history of John D. Morris and Jen Iskow, 3 of 3
Date:
2018-06-14
Creator:
Iskow, Jen, Morris, John D.
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Old-time music, Clay County (W. Va.), Apprenticeship programs, Folk music--West Virginia, Fiddle tunes, Fiddling
Location:
Clay County (W. Va.)
["John D. Morris of Ivydale led an apprenticeship in old-time fiddle and stories of Clay County with Jen Iskow of Thomas as part of the 2018 West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program, supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. John D. MorrisBorn in Ivydale, Clay County, into a family steeped in traditional music, David and John Morris learned from family and neighbors, including banjo player Jenes Cottrell and fiddler French Carpenter. After David returned from Vietnam in 1968, the brothers began organizing musical get-togethers and, in 1969, held the first Morris Family Old-Time Music Festival that same year. The festival became a major traditional music event in Clay County and filmmaker Bob Gates documented the 1972 festival in his film The Morris Family Old-Time Music Festival.Members of The Morris Brothers band included Pocahontas County old-time banjo player Dwight Diller and the late North Carolina harmonica player John Martin. Playing a mix of old-time, bluegrass, and country styles, including some of Davids original music, the group played together through the mid-70s, releasing an LP in the late 60s, Music As We Learned It, and two live shows on eight-track tapes. John, a traditional fiddler, and David, a singer, songwriter, and guitarist, were involved in union and environmental activities from the late 1960s through the 1970s. They were also instrumental in establishing the first Vandalia Gathering at the Cultural Center in 1977.The Morris Brothers music was featured in Barbara Kopples 1976 film Harlan County, USA. David, who passed away in 2016, contributed music to Kopples 2015 film about Vietnam vets, Shelter.John lives in Ivydale and plays fiddle at music events across West Virginia. He is a rich source of information about the history of old-time music in central West Virginia, and one of the few native fiddlers of his generation to continue the older style of playing.Morris was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship, the nations highest honor in the folk and traditional arts, in 2020.Jen IskowJen Iskow is an artist, designer, musician, and community organizer based in Thomas, West Virginia. Born and raised in Rockville, Maryland, Jen grew up learning to play blues and punk music. It wasnt until she moved to Morgantown in 2009 for college that she was introduced to old-time music at the weekly Brew Pub jam hosted by Stewed Mulligan. After graduating from West Virginia University, she finally settled in Elkins, West Virginia and accepted a position as the Marketing Coordinator for the Augusta Heritage Center. Suddenly being surrounded by so many talented traditional artists, Jen was immersed into the music and inspired to learn to play fiddle. After studying under talented fiddlers such as Scott Prouty, Erynn Marshall, Jesse Wells, Ben Townsend, John Harrod, and more, Jen met John Morris at his house in Ivydale, and the rest is historySee our feature on Morris apprenticeship with Iskow here: https://wvfolklife.org/2018/11/09/2018-master-artist-apprentice-feature-john-morris-jen-iskow-old-time-fiddling-and-stories-of-clay-county/"]%

51. Transcript of oral history of John D. Morris and Jen Iskow

Identifier:
4224.MorrisJohnIskowJen.IntTranscript.6.14.18
Title:
Transcript of oral history of John D. Morris and Jen Iskow
Date:
2018-06-14
Creator:
Morris, John D., Iskow, Jen
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Apprenticeship programs, Folk music--West Virginia, Fiddle tunes, Fiddling, Clay County (W. Va.), Old-time music
Location:
Clay County (W. Va.)

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52. John D. Morris and Jen Iskow play fiddle tunes including "16 Days in Georgia"

Identifier:
4224.MorrisJohnIskowJen.Music.6.14.18
Title:
John D. Morris and Jen Iskow play fiddle tunes including "16 Days in Georgia"
Date:
2018-06-14
Creator:
Iskow, Jen, Morris, John D.
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Apprenticeship programs, Folk music--West Virginia, Fiddling, Old-time music, Fiddle tunes, Clay County (W. Va.)
Location:
Clay County (W. Va.)

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53. Oral history of Elaine Purkey, 1 of 2

Identifier:
4224.PurkeyElaine.AudioInt.001.10.27.16
Title:
Oral history of Elaine Purkey, 1 of 2
Date:
2016-10-27
Creator:
Purkey, Elaine
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily, Wilson, Rick
Subject:
Working class--Songs and music, Strikes and lockouts--Coal mining--West Virginia, Purkey, Elaine, Country music, Folk music--West Virginia, Coal mines and mining
Location:
Harts (W. Va.), Lincoln County (W. Va.)

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54. Oral history of Elaine Purkey, 2 of 2

Identifier:
4224.PurkeyElaine.AudioInt.002.10.27.16
Title:
Oral history of Elaine Purkey, 2 of 2
Date:
2016-10-27
Creator:
Purkey, Elaine
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily, Wilson, Rick
Subject:
Purkey, Elaine, Strikes and lockouts--Coal mining--West Virginia, Country music, Folk music--West Virginia, Coal mines and mining, Working class--Songs and music
Location:
Lincoln County (W. Va.), Harts (W. Va.)
["Elaine (Moore) Purkey is an activist songwriter and musician from Harts Creek, West Virginia in Lincoln County. She was born on May 29, 1949, on the same piece of property where she still lives. She was raised in a family of musicians and flatfoot dancers and attributes her powerful voice to the acapella singing she learned as a member of the Church of Christ. As a teenager she played in bands with her brother, and in early adulthood she was the lead singer of a local country band. In the 1980s, she began performing regularly on the Wallace Horn Friendly Neighbors Show, a live radio program out of Logan County that has been on the air since 1967. She now hosts the show. Purkey wrote songs for the Pittston Coal Strike and Ravenswood Lockout and has performed at concerts and festivals across the continent. Her song \"One Day More\" written for the Ravenswood Lockout, is featured on the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings compilation Classic Labor Songs. Purkey is portrayed in the 2014 film Moving Mountains, based on a book by Penny Loeb. A proud mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Purkey teaches singing classes to children at the Big Ugly Community Center."]%

55. Oral history of transcript of Elaine Purkey

Identifier:
4224.PurkeyElaine.IntTranscript.10.27.16
Title:
Oral history of transcript of Elaine Purkey
Date:
2016-10-27
Creator:
Purkey, Elaine
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Folk music--West Virginia, Working class--Songs and music, Country music, Purkey, Elaine, Strikes and lockouts--Coal mining--West Virginia, Coal mines and mining
Location:
Harts (W. Va.), Lincoln County (W. Va.)

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56. Oral history of Doug Van Gundy and Annie Stroud

Identifier:
4224.VanGundyDougStroudAnnie.AudioInt.6.12.18
Title:
Oral history of Doug Van Gundy and Annie Stroud
Date:
2018-06-12
Creator:
Van Gundy, Doug, Stroud, Annie
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Old-time music, Fiddle tunes, Apprenticeship programs, Greenbrier River Valley (W. Va.), Fiddling, Folk music--West Virginia
Location:
Greenbrier River Valley (W. Va.), Elkins (W. Va.)
["Doug Van Gundy of Elkins led an apprenticeship in old-time fiddle of the Greenbrier Valley with Annie Stroud of Charleston as part of the 2018 West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program, supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. Doug Van Gundy is an eighth-generation West Virginian who learned old-time fiddle from Greenbrier County fiddler Mose Coffman through the 1993 Augusta Heritage Folk Arts Apprenticeship Program. Annie Stroud, of Charleston, is a Greenbrier County native who began playing violin at an early age, and through the apprenticeship, is now learning old-time fiddle tunes local to her home county. She plays fiddle with the Allegheny Hellbenders string band and is a member of the Morgantown Friends of Old-Time Music and Dance.See our feature on Van Gundys apprenticeship with Stroud here: https://wvfolklife.org/2019/01/23/2018-master-artist-apprentice-feature-doug-van-gundy-annie-stroud-old-time-fiddling-of-the-greenbrier-valley/"]%

57. Transcript of oral history of Doug Van Gundy and Annie Stroud

Identifier:
4224.VanGundyDougStroudAnnie.IntTranscript.6.12.18
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Doug Van Gundy and Annie Stroud
Date:
2018-06-12
Creator:
Van Gundy, Doug, Stroud, Annie
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Folk music--West Virginia, Apprenticeship programs, Fiddle tunes, Greenbrier River Valley (W. Va.), Fiddling, Old-time music
Location:
Elkins (W. Va.), Greenbrier River Valley (W. Va.)