Menu Expand Menu Close
Back to Top
Filter Search Expand Close Filter
Search Expand Search Close
["Doris A. Fields, aka Lady D, known as West Virginias First Lady of Soul is an R&B, soul, and blues musician and songwriter living in Beckley. She is the founder and organizer of West Virginias Simply Jazz and Blues Festival and previously hosted the weekly Simply Jazz and Blues radio show on Groovy94 in Beckley. In 2008, Fields original song Go Higher won an online contest sponsored by the Obama Music Arts and Entertainment Group. She performed the song as a headliner at the Obama for Change Inauguration Ball with President Obama and the First Lady Michelle Obama in attendance."]%

49. Transcript of oral history of Doris Fields aka Lady D

Identifier:
4224.FieldsDorisIntTranscript4.8.16
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Doris Fields aka Lady D
Date:
2016-04-08
Creator:
Fields, Doris
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Jazz vocals, African Americans--Appalachian Region, Beckley (W. Va.), Soul music, Rhythm and blues music, Gospel music
Location:
Beckley (W. Va.)
["Doris Fields aka Lady D of Beckley led an apprenticeship in blues and Black gospel with Xavier Oglesby of Beckley as part of the 2018 West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program, supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. Doris Fields aka Lady DBeckley, WVDoris A. Fields, also known as Lady D, is a West Virginia native born in Kayford in Kanawha County. She is a graduate of East Bank High School and West Virginia State University with a bachelors degree in communications. She is also a graduate of Phillips College in Gulfport, MS with an associate degree in travel and tourism. She is known as West Virginias First Lady of Soul.Lady D has been singing since the age of three years old. She is also an actress, songwriter, director, and promoter. Since 2003, she has toured her one-woman show, The Lady and the Empress, a musical stage play based on the life and music of blues legend, Bessie Smith. Her acting experience also includes a five-year stint with Theater West Virginias productions of Honey In the Rock, Hatfields and McCoys, and various other shows. On the local scene, Lady D was very active in productions with the Charleston Stage Company, Childrens Theater and Kanawha Players.As a professional vocalist, highlights of Lady Ds career include being the opening act for the legendary soul group, the OJays at Charlestons 2007 FestivALL. In 2008, her original song, Go Higher, was chosen as the best Obama Inaugural Song and earned her a trip with her band, MI$$ION, to Washington, D.C. to perform at the 2009 Obama for Change Inaugural Ball. In 2010, Lady D was honored to perform at the live recording of the HistoryMakers: An Evening With Henry Louis Gates, Jr. at the Cultural Center in Charleston. In August 2014, she was inducted into the All Black Schools Sports & Academic Hall of Fame (ABSSA) with a Lifetime Achievement Award.Xavier OglesbyBeckley, WVXavier Oglesby, a Beckley native, was raised in the black Pentecostal church, learning gospel music from his family. From 1997 to 2003, he hosted 545 Live, a gospel music radio show on Beckleys WJLS in Beckley. From 1997 to 2002 he was an actor and singer at Theatre West Virginia. He recently narrated voice-overs for the National Park Service New River Gorge African American Heritage Auto Tour. He currently works as a corrections officer.See our feature on Fields apprenticeship with Oglesby here: https://wvfolklife.org/2018/12/03/2018-master-artist-apprentice-feature-doris-fields-aka-lady-d-xavier-oglesby-blues-black-gospel/"]%

50. Transcript of oral history of Doris Fields aka Lady D and Xavier Oglesby

Identifier:
4224.FieldsDorisOglesbyXavier.IntTranscript.5.15.18
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Doris Fields aka Lady D and Xavier Oglesby
Date:
2018-05-15
Creator:
Oglesby, Xavier, Fields, Doris
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
African Americans--Appalachian Region, Apprenticeship programs, Soul music, Rhythm and blues music, Gospel music
Location:
Beckley (W. Va.)
["Mark Fields (b. 1975, Columbus, Ohio) is a resident of Columbus, OH and Fallout 76 gamer. He was inspired to visit West Virginia with his son, both prior to the games release. After the games release, Fields, his girlfriend, and son made another trip to West Virginia to experience the Fasnacht celebration in the Randolph County Swiss community of Helvetia, which is featured in Fallout 76.This interview is part of a series of interviews conducted with Fallout 76 gamers, some of whom are from West Virginia, and some of whom were inspired to visit West Virginia because of the game."]%

51. Transcript of oral history of Mark Fields

Identifier:
4224.FieldsMark.IntTranscript.3.18.20
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Mark Fields
Date:
2020-02-18
Creator:
Fields, Mark
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Video games, Tourism and the arts, Video games--Design, Apocalyptic art, West Virginia--History, West Virginia--Fiction, Video gamers
Location:
Charleston (W. Va.), Columbus (Ohio)
["Sarah Fletcher (b. Canaan Valley) is a weaver, retired nurse, and the owner of Bens Old Loom Barn in Davis, WV. She is the daughter of Barbra Dorothy Mayor Thompson (August 5, 1920-October 1, 2008), a weaver and National Heritage Fellow who learned to weave at the Arthurdale Homestead. Learn more about Bens Old Loom Barn: https://www.facebook.com/bensoldloombarn/"]%

52. Transcript of oral history of Sarah Fletcher

Identifier:
4224.FletcherSarah.IntTranscript.7.25.18
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Sarah Fletcher
Date:
2018-07-25
Creator:
Fletcher, Sarah
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Looms, Weaving, Fiberwork, Textile crafts, Augusta Heritage Center
Location:
Canaan Valley (W. Va.)
["Ray Fought is a self-taught fiddler and fiddle maker living in Parkersburg, West Virginia."]%

53. Transcript of oral history of Ray Fought

Identifier:
4224.FoughtRay.IntTranscript.9.25.17
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Ray Fought
Date:
2017-09-25
Creator:
Fought, Ray
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Old-time music, woodworking, Byrd, Robert C., Bowed stringed instruments, Fiddling, Fiddle tunes
Location:
Parkersburg (W. Va.)
["Tammy Fowler and her husband Bob are the owners of Trophy Antiques and Hair at Five Corners on the West Side of Charleston. They manage estate sales, sell antiques, and cut hair out of their shop. Fowler grew up on a farm in Mason County, where her mother taught her the antiques business. In this interview, Fowler talks about her two trades, gives a tour of her shop, shares her hairstyling philosophy, and reflects on her relationships with her customers. Fowler was interviewed by WYPR producer Aaron Henkin with state folklorist Emily Hilliard as part of the Out of the Blocks podcasts two episodes on Charlestons West Side. Learn more: https://wvfolklife.org/2020/01/17/out-of-the-blocks-podcast-highlights-charlestons-west-side-west-virginia-folklife-hosts-listening-party-february-12/"]%

54. Transcript of oral history of Tammy Fowler

Identifier:
4224.FowlerTammy.IntTranscript.11.22.19
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Tammy Fowler
Date:
2019-11-22
Creator:
Fowler, Tammy
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily, Henkin, Aaron
Subject:
Beauty operators, Charleston (W. Va.), Glass manufacture, Collectors and collecting, Art glass, Antiques--United States
Location:
Charleston (W. Va.)
["Roxane Garland (b. July 20, 1960, Point Marion, PA) has been a Kroger worker for 42 years and is currently the drug general merchandise department leader at store 813 in Morgantown, WV. She also serves as a United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400 shop steward. In this interview she speaks about recent contract negotiations with Kroger, union actions shes been involved in in the past, her experience as a grocery store essential worker during the COVID-19 pandemic, and her concerns for the future of Kroger workers.This interview is part of a collection of interviews with UFCW member Kroger workers conducted remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic."]%

55. Transcript of oral history of Roxane Garland

Identifier:
4224.GarlandRoxane.IntTranscript.12.15.20
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Roxane Garland
Date:
2020-12-15
Creator:
Garland, Roxane
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Supermarkets, Labor union members, foodways, Labor union locals, Women service industries workers, Morgantown (W. Va.), Collective bargaining--Service industries, Labor disputes--West Virginia, COVID-19 (Disease), Food habits
Location:
Morgantown (W. Va.), Charleston (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. "]%

56. 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.)
["Nicholas A. Ghaphery, Jr.Nick Ghaphery, 73, is a member of Wheelings Lebanese community. He is a retired hospital administrator. I was put in touch with him by Mary Monseur, my former Smithsonian Folkways colleague whose parents grew up in the Wheeling Lebanese community. In this interview, Ghaphery speaks about his parents immigration to the United States from Lebanon, growing up in the Lebanese community in Wheeling, and Lebanese foodways, music, and dance."]%

57. Transcript of oral history of Nicholas A. Ghaphery, Jr.

Identifier:
4224.GhapheryNick.IntTranscript.6.22.16
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Nicholas A. Ghaphery, Jr.
Date:
2016-06-22
Creator:
Ghaphery, Nick
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Wheeling, W.Va., Cooking, Lebanese, Lebanese Americans
Location:
Wheeling (W. Va.)
["Joanna Gusta (November 13, 1931-March 9, 2020) was a Wheeling, WV native and elder in Wheelings Greek community. She was an alumni of Bethany College a member of St. John, The Divine Greek Orthodox Church. In this interview, she speaks about her memories of the Greek community in Wheeling, and the Wheeling immigrant community in general. Her obituary is pasted below. Joanna Gusta, 88, resident of Wheeling, WV, passed away Monday, March 9, 2020 at Good Shepherd Nursing Home.She was born in Wheeling on November 13, 1931, daughter of the late Gero and Helen Papazoglou Gusta George. After her fathers passing, Joanna and her mother resided with the John Anast family in Wheeling until Mrs. Gustas marriage to Mike George.Joanna was a graduate of Bethany College and a member of Zeta Tau Alpha, Theta Chapter. She retired in 1988 with 30 years of service with the WV Department of Occupation working in the Employment Security and Unemployment Compensation Department. Prior to her employment with the State of WV, Joanna was employed at Bloch Brothers Tobacco Company in the Export Department. She was a member of St. John, The Divine Greek Orthodox Church where she was a longtime member and former director of the church choir and was a volunteer for church activities. She was a member of the Wheeling Civic Garden Center and a volunteer for the tax preparation group at the Ohio County Library. Most of all, Joanna was a beloved neighbor and friend.In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her stepfather, Mike George. Surviving are two cousins, Rev. and Mrs. Stephan Knight of Santee, CA and Desi Gallmeister of Los Gatos, CA."]%

58. Transcript of oral history of Joanna Gusta

Identifier:
4224.GustaJoanna.IntTranscript.6.21.16
Title:
Transcript of oral history of Joanna Gusta
Date:
2016-06-21
Creator:
Gusta, Joanna
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
Orthodox Eastern Church, Wheeling, W.Va., Cooking, Greek, Greek American women
Location:
Wheeling (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. This interview is a follow-up to Emily Hilliards September 10, 2019 interview with Hairston. In this interview, Hairston discusses his participation in the last segregated Black 4-H Camp at Camp Washington-Carver, and the first integrated 4-H Camp at Jacksons Mill. He also speaks about his summer job with the Department of Natural Resources and his involvement in the United Methodist Youth Fellowship when he was young."]%

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

Identifier:
4224.HairstonBill.AudioInt.12.15.20
Title:
Transcript of oral history of W.I. Bill Hairston
Date:
2020-12-15
Creator:
Hairston, Bill
Contributor:
Hilliard, Emily
Subject:
4-H clubs, Racism, Storytelling, Segregation in education, School integration, African Americans--Appalachian Region, Folklore
Location:
Charleston (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."]%

60. 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.)