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["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."]

1. 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:: Clay County (W. Va.), Gospel music, Country music, Folk music--West Virginia, Working class--Songs and music, Women lyricists, and Old-time music
Location:: Seville (Ohio)

["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/"]

2. 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. and Iskow, Jen
Contributor:: Hilliard, Emily
Subject:: Clay County (W. Va.), Folk music--West Virginia, Fiddling, Apprenticeship programs, Fiddle tunes, and Old-time music
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/"]

3. Artist profile of John Morris and Jen Iskow

Identifier:: 4224.MorrisJohnIskowJenn.ArtistProfile.6.16.18
Title:: Artist profile of John Morris and Jen Iskow
Date:: 2018-06-16
Creator:: Iskow, Jen and Morris, John D.
Subject:: Banjo, Fiddling, Old-time music, Folk music--West Virginia, Fiddle tunes, Clay County (W. Va.), and Apprenticeship programs
Location:: Clay County (W. Va.) and Tucker County (W. Va.)