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["Jenny Smith is an old-time fiddler, dulcimer player, banjo musician and clog dancer from Lost Creek, West Virginia. I interviewed her with her mother, Dee Cogar Bright, from Sutton, West Virginia. When she was young, Smith apprenticed with fiddler Melvin Wine through the former Augusta Heritage Apprenticeship Program. In this interview, they speak about their family lore, and the old-time music and square dance traditions, mainly in Braxton and Webster counties."]%

1. Transcript of oral history of Dee Cogar Bright and Jenny Smith

Identifier:
4224.BrightDeeJennySmith.IntTranscript.12.19.17
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Dee Cogar Bright and Jenny Smith
Date:
2017-12-19
Creator:
Smith, Jenny, Bright, Dee Cogar
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Banjo, Folk music--West Virginia, Fiddling, Wine, Melvin, Appalachian dulcimer and autoharp music, Square dance music--United States, Apprenticeship programs, Folk music festivals, Old-time music, Hammons (Family : W. Va.), Fiddle tunes
Location:
Weston (W. Va.)
["Roger Bryant (b. 1948), is a native of Logan, West Virginia. He is a county musician and songwriter, and is the grandson of West Virginia banjo player Aunt Jennie Wilson. He is the executive director of the Logan Emergency Ambulance Service Authority (LEASA) and is director of the Logan County Office of Emergency Management."]%

2. Transcript of oral history of Roger Bryant

Identifier:
4224.BryantRoger.IntTranscript.3.31.16
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Roger Bryant
Date:
2016-03-31
Creator:
Bryant, Roger
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Old-time music, Country music, Folk music--West Virginia, Wilson, Jenny, 1900-1992
Location:
Logan (W. Va.), Logan County (W. Va.)
["Carol Dougherty is an elder in Wheelings Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Church. She was born in Wheeling, WV in 1938 and was raised by her grandparents, who were immigrants from Lebanon. She is a traditional Lebanese home cook, a member of Our Lady of Lebanon Womens Society, and will be teaching a folk dance and dubke class for children at Our Lady of Lebanons 84th annual Mahrajan Festival in August 2017."]%

3. Transcript of oral history of Carol Dougherty

Identifier:
4224.DoughertyCarolIntTranscript6.21.16
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Carol Dougherty
Date:
2016-06-21
Creator:
Dougherty, Carol
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Cooking, Lebanese, Oglebay Park (Wheeling, W. Va.), Lebanese Americans, Folk music--West Virginia, Catholic Church--Maronite rite
Location:
Wheeling (W. Va.)
["Frank George (October 6, 1928 November 15, 2017), a Bluefield native, was a banjo player, fiddler, and piper, who also played piano, organ, hammer and lap dulcimer, and was a walking compendium of West Virginia traditional music history and jokes. He was the recipient of the 1994 Vandalia Award, West Virginias highest folklife honor. Jane George (November 11, 1922 February 19, 2018) helped launch the craft revival in the Mountain State through extensive fieldwork with traditional artists, educational programming, and by co-founding the Mountain State Art & Craft Fair at Cedar Lakes. She also hosted Mountain Heritage weekends and Kanawha County Parks Mountaineer Day Camps to teach young mountaineers about their cultural heritage, founded two Scottish dance troupes, and served as a 4-H agent in multiple counties. She was the 1993 Vandalia Award recipient. "]%

4. Transcript of oral history of Frank and Jane George

Identifier:
4224.GeorgeFrankGeorgeJane.IntTranscript.4.19.16
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Frank and Jane George
Date:
2016-04-19
Creator:
George, Franklin, George, Jane Taylor
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Fiddling, Walker, John Homer, 4-H clubs, Craft festivals, Old-time music, Folk music--West Virginia, Banjo, Fiddle tunes
Location:
Roane County (W. Va.)
["W.I. Bill Hairston, 71, is a storyteller, old-time musician, and pastor (Westminster Presbyterian Church) living in Charleston, West Virginia. He was born in Phenix City, Alabama, and his family moved to Saint Albans, West Virginia in 1960 when he was 11. Through his storytelling, Hairston, as he says in the interview, combines the Appalachian culture that he was exposed to on the Coal River, to the African-American culture that he is a part of. For 35 years, he served as music coordinator at the Stonewall Jackson Jubilee, and is currently the coordinator of the Vandalia Gatherings West Virginia Liars Contest. Hairston is an active member of the West Virginia Storytelling Guild, the Kentucky Storytelling Association, and the Ohio Storytelling Network, the National Association of Black Storytellers, and serves as the West Virginia liaison to the National Storytelling Network. He has performed in concerts, festivals, libraries, corporate meetings, conventions and schools throughout the region and the country. In this interview, Hairston speaks about growing up in one of three Black families in the Lick Skillet area of Saint Albans along the Coal River, his interest in and work with rural West Virginia old-time musicians and 4-H camps, his friendship with Frank and Jane George, experiences with racism in West Virginia, and his work and mission as an Appalachian storyteller."]%

5. Transcript of oral history of W.I. Bill Hairston

Identifier:
4224.HairstonBillIntTranscript9.10.19
Title:
Transcript of oral history of W.I. Bill Hairston
Date:
2019-09-10
Creator:
Hairston, Bill
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Storytelling, African Americans--Appalachian Region, School integration, 4-H clubs, Old-time music, Folk music--West Virginia, Hairston, Bill, Appalachian dulcimer and autoharp music, Racism, Walker, John Homer, Folklore
Location:
Charleston (W. Va.)
["Trevor Hammons is a 17-year old banjo player and fiddler from Pocahontas County, and a member of the legendary musical Hammons Family. He is the only member of the Hammons Family who still actively plays music in the familys old-time tradition."]%

6. Transcript of oral history of Trevor Hammons

Identifier:
4224.HammonsTrevor.IntTranscript.4.19.18
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Trevor Hammons
Date:
2018-04-19
Creator:
Hammons, Trevor
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Old-time music, Fiddling, Hammons (Family : W. Va.), Fiddle tunes, Banjo, Folk music--West Virginia
Location:
Marlinton (W. Va.), Pocahontas County (W. Va.)
["Ella Hanshaw (b. Ella Samples, October 7, 1934 Procious, WV- d. July 29, 2020, Seville, OH) was a songwriter and musician who grew up in Maysel, West Virginia. She was most recently living with her husband Tracy in Seville, OH. In the 1980s, Ella, Tracy, and Maxine and Chester Spencer formed the Hallelujah Hill Quartet, performing Ellas original gospel songs and traditional gospel in churches across West Virginia. Hanshaw was raised in a Baptist church, but became Pentecostal in 1991. She experienced holy visions and believed her songs were a gift from God. In 2018, Ellas granddaughter Kelly Kerney, and Kerneys partner Ethan Bullard, produced a CD-R of the Hallelujah Hill Quartet recordings.In this interview, Hanshaw discusses her life in music in West Virginia and Ohio, her songwriting process, her holy visions, and her faith. Ellas obituary reads:Ella E. Hanshaw, 85, of Seville, died Wednesday, July 29, 2020 at her residence after a courageous battle with cancer.Ella was born October 7, 1934 in Procious, West Virginia to Raymond and Pearl Samples.She was a member of the Crossroads Assembly of God. She enjoyed sewing, gardening, playing Hand and Foot, writing and playing music, singing, and praising her God.Ella was a devoted wife to her husband Tracy Hanshaw; beloved mother to her children Pam (Danny) Kerney of Ashtabula, Terry Hanshaw of Seville, Sandy (Walter) Warner of Spencer, Theresa (Dan) Plevny of Parma and Larry Brooks (Sheila) Hanshaw of East Lake; beloved MawMa to her grandchildren Scott, Tracy Lynn, Kelly, Troy, Christina, Jason, Andy, Joshua, Ben, James, Zac, Nick and Ashley; great-grandchildren Maureen, Chase, Ezra, Silas, Hope, Nathan, Dacey, Rachel Ella, Lincoln, and Brooke; brother George Bucky Samples; sisters Ethel Sis Mullins and Ophelia Puggy DeBoard.Ella was preceded in death by her stillborn son Roger Dean, grandson Brian, nephew James Burton, brothers Stanley and Guy, sisters Virginia Ginny, Opal and Eileen."]%

7. Transcript of oral history of Ella Hanshaw

Identifier:
4224.HanshawElla.IntTranscript.11.20.18
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Ella Hanshaw
Date:
2018-11-20
Creator:
Hanshaw, Ella
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Gospel music, Country music, Old-time music, Clay County (W. Va.), Women lyricists, Folk music--West Virginia, Working class--Songs and music
Location:
Seville (Ohio)
["Joe Herrman (master artist, b. 1949) of Paw Paw in Hampshire County and Dakota Karper (apprentice, b. 1992) of Capon Bridge are participants in the 2020-2021 West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program, studying old-time fiddle. Herrmann is a founding member of the Critton Hollow String Band and has taught old-time fiddle to many private students and at the Augusta Heritage Center. Herrmann and Karper apprenticed together previously in 2004 (when Karper was 11) through Augusta Heritage Centers former Apprenticeship Program.See the West Virginia Folklife Program feature on Herrmann and Karper: https://wvfolklife.org/2020/12/03/2020-folklife-apprenticeship-feature-joe-herrmann-dakota-karper-old-time-fiddle/"]%

8. Artist profile of Joe Herrmann

Identifier:
4224.HerrmannJoe.ArtistProfile.3.6.20
Title:
Artist profile of Joe Herrmann
Date:
2020-03-06
Creator:
Herrmann, Joe
Subject:
Folk music--West Virginia, Apprenticeship programs, Old-time music, Fiddling, Banjo, Fiddle tunes
Location:
Hampshire County (W. Va.)
["Sam & Joe HerrmannJoe Herrmann (b.1949) and Sam Herrmann (b. 1949), both Maryland natives, are traditional musicians who play together as part of Critton Hollow String Band. They have been a couple since the mid-1970s when they moved to Hampshire County, West Virginia. Joe is a fiddle and banjo player, and Sam is a guitar and hammer dulcimer player. Sam is also a knitter, hand yarn spinner, and owns the knitting kit company Samspun. They live on a piece of land in Paw Paw, WV where they keep sheep.Interviewers note:Interview with Sam and Joe Herrmann of Critton Hollow String Band on the back porch of their home in Critton Hollow, Paw Paw, West Virginia. Sam was knitting a childs sweater during the interview."]%

9. Transcript of oral history of Joe and Sam Herrmann

Identifier:
4224.HerrmannJoeHerrmann.IntTranscript.7.19.16
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Joe and Sam Herrmann
Date:
2016-07-19
Creator:
Herrmann, Sam, Herrmann, Joe
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Folk music--West Virginia, Fiddle tunes, Sheep farming, Dulcimer, Banjo, Critton Hollow Stringband, Old-time music, Fiddling, Appalachian dulcimer and autoharp music, Rizzetta, Sam, Knitters (Persons)
Location:
Hampshire County (W. Va.)
["Joe Herrman (master artist, b. 1949) of Paw Paw in Hampshire County and Dakota Karper (apprentice, b. 1992) of Capon Bridge are participants in the 2020-2021 West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program, studying old-time fiddle. Herrmann is a founding member of the Critton Hollow String Band and has taught old-time fiddle to many private students and at the Augusta Heritage Center. Dakota Karper, a Hampshire County native, has been playing old-time fiddle for 20 years and runs The Cat and the Fiddle Music School. Herrmann and Karper apprenticed together previously in 2004 (when Karper was 11) through Augusta Heritage Centers former Apprenticeship Program.See the West Virginia Folklife Program feature on Herrmann and Karper: https://wvfolklife.org/2020/12/03/2020-folklife-apprenticeship-feature-joe-herrmann-dakota-karper-old-time-fiddle/"]%

10. Transcript of oral history of Joe Herrmann and Dakota Karper

Identifier:
4224.HerrmannJoeKarperDakota.IntTranscript.9.14.20
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Joe Herrmann and Dakota Karper
Date:
2020-09-14
Creator:
Karper, Dakota, Herrmann, Joe
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Fiddling, Folk music--West Virginia, Old-time music, Fiddle tunes, Apprenticeship programs
Location:
Hampshire County (W. Va.), Capon Bridge (W. Va.)
["Kim Johnson and Cody Jordan were participants in the 2020-2021 West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program. Kim Johnson, a resident of South Charleston led an apprenticeship in banjo traditions of central West Virginia with apprentice Cody Jordan of Charleston. Johnson began playing with fiddler Wilson Douglas in 1979 and has played with and learned from many acclaimed West Virginia old-time musicians including Frank George and Lester McCumbers. She has taught both locally and nationally, at Augusta Heritage Center, Allegheny Echoes, The Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, and the Berkeley Old-time Music Convention. See our feature on Johnsons apprenticeship with Jordan here: https://wvfolklife.org/2020/09/04/2020-folklife-apprenticeship-feature-kim-johnson-cody-jordan-banjo-traditions-of-central-west-virginia/The West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program offers up to a $3,000 stipend to West Virginia master traditional artists or tradition bearers working with qualified apprentices on a year-long in-depth apprenticeship in their cultural expression or traditional art form. These apprenticeships aim to facilitate the transmission of techniques and artistry of the forms, as well as their histories and traditions.The apprenticeship program grants are administered by the West Virginia Folklife Program at the West Virginia Humanities Council in Charleston and are supported in part by an Art Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. West Virginia Folklife is dedicated to the documentation, preservation, presentation, and support of West Virginias vibrant cultural heritage and living traditions."]%

11. Artist profile of Kim Johnson

Identifier:
4224.JohnsonKim.ArtistProfile.9.1.20
Title:
Artist profile of Kim Johnson
Date:
2020-09-01
Creator:
Johnson, Kim (Banjoist)
Subject:
Banjo, Johnson, Kim (Banjoist), Fiddle tunes, Folk music--West Virginia, Apprenticeship programs, Fiddling
Location:
Kanawha County (W. Va.), South Charleston (W. Va.)
["Kim Johnson and Cody Jordan were participants in the 2020-2021 West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program. Kim Johnson, a resident of South Charleston led an apprenticeship in banjo traditions of central West Virginia with apprentice Cody Jordan of Charleston. Johnson began playing with fiddler Wilson Douglas in 1979 and has played with and learned from many acclaimed West Virginia old-time musicians including Frank George and Lester McCumbers. She has taught both locally and nationally, at Augusta Heritage Center, Allegheny Echoes, The Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, and the Berkeley Old-time Music Convention. Jordan plays guitar in The Modock Rounders with Johnson, touring across the state and region, and is looking forward to expanding his knowledge of central West Virginia old-time banjo traditions.See our feature on Johnsons apprenticeship with Jordan here: https://wvfolklife.org/2020/09/04/2020-folklife-apprenticeship-feature-kim-johnson-cody-jordan-banjo-traditions-of-central-west-virginia/The West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program offers up to a $3,000 stipend to West Virginia master traditional artists or tradition bearers working with qualified apprentices on a year-long in-depth apprenticeship in their cultural expression or traditional art form. These apprenticeships aim to facilitate the transmission of techniques and artistry of the forms, as well as their histories and traditions.The apprenticeship program grants are administered by the West Virginia Folklife Program at the West Virginia Humanities Council in Charleston and are supported in part by an Art Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. West Virginia Folklife is dedicated to the documentation, preservation, presentation, and support of West Virginias vibrant cultural heritage and living traditions."]%

12. Transcript of oral history of Kim Johnson and Cody Jordan

Identifier:
4224.JohnsonKimJordanCody.IntTranscript.8.19.20
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Kim Johnson and Cody Jordan
Date:
2020-08-19
Creator:
Jordan, Cody, Johnson, Kim (Banjoist)
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Folk music festivals, Folk music--West Virginia, Old-time music, Fiddling, Fiddle tunes, Apprenticeship programs, Banjo
Location:
Charleston (W. Va.), Spring Hill (South Charleston, W. Va.), Kanawha County (W. Va.)