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["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. 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/"]%

601. Artist profile of Xavier Oglesby


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602. Oral history of Aaron Parsons

["Aaron Parsons, 20 years old at the time of this interview, is a native of Jackson County, WV. He makes turkey calls with materials (slate, native woods, bone, etc.) found on his familys land in Jackson County. He is also a hunter, trapper, fisher, and hide tanner. I met Aaron Parsons at the Community Interest Fair at Gilmore Elementary School in Sandyville, WV, back in the spring of 2016."]%

603. Transcript of oral history of Aaron Parsons

["Levi Phillips, 68 at the time of the interview, is a former basketball player from Charleston, West Virginia. He grew up in public housing in the Triangle District neighborhood and currently lives on Charlestons West Side. Levi was on the first all-Black integrated basketball team at West Virginia University, and played professional basketball with the Baltimore Bullets and the Philadelphia 76ers (his teammates were Wes Unseld and Julius Erving).Justin Phillips, 39, is Levis son, who was also a high school basketball player in West Virginia. He owns Fun Fitness and lives in the South Hills neighborhood of Charleston, WV. Justins son was a high school state champion West Virginia basketball player like his grandfather.Levi and Justin Phillips were interviewed by producer Aaron Henkin with 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/Learn more about Levi Phillips career at WVU:https://wvusports.com/news/2020/12/1/mens-basketball-phillips-basket-a-part-of-wvu-coliseums-golden-history.aspxhttps://wvusports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/levi-phillips/12290"]%

604. Transcript of oral history of Levi Phillips and Justin Phillips


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605. Oral history of Levi Phillips and Justin Phillips


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606. Oral history of Elaine Purkey, 1 of 2


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607. Oral history of Elaine Purkey, 2 of 2

["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."]%

608. Oral history of transcript of Elaine Purkey


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609. Three songs by Elaine Purkey

["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. Elaine performed a concert at Yasou Greek Restaurant in McDowell County on July 8, 2017. The concert was sponsored by the West Virginia Folklife Program at the West Virginia Humanities Council and McArts."]%

610. Elaine Purkey plays her original song "Keepers of the Mountains" at Yasou Greek Restaurant

["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. Elaine performed a concert at Yasou Greek Restaurant in McDowell County on July 8, 2017. The concert was sponsored by the West Virginia Folklife Program at the West Virginia Humanities Council and McArts."]%

611. Elaine Purkey plays her original song "One Day More" at Yasou Greek Restaurant


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612. Oral history of Henry Rice