Dent Wimmer
Dennis Omer “Dent” Wimmer (1908-1979) was one of nine children born to Thomas Fleming Wimmer and Hattie DeWeese Wimmer of Copper Hill in Floyd, County. Thomas Wimmer was a fiddle player, and he passed his
Sam Conner
BY MAC TRAYNHAM AND ALICE SLUSHER— Oldtime fiddler Samuel Henry Conner was born in 1909 in Franklin County and lived the majority of his life in the Copper Hill area of Floyd County, Virginia. Both Sam
Crossroads: The Story Behind Music of our Mountains
Since the early 1900s, the site of the Floyd Country Store has been a hub for people. Originally called Farmer’s Supply, it was a place where farmers, craftsmen, laborers and travelers all converged to trade wares and
Crossroads: The Story Behind Music of our Mountains Read More »
A Fertile Crescent — The Blue Ridge Plateau and the Birth of Country Music
By KINNEY RORRER— The term mountain music first appeared on phonograph records in 1933 as recorded by such country singers as Elton Britt, Ken Landon, James Brown, Jr. and the Kelly Brothers. Mountain music came
A Fertile Crescent — The Blue Ridge Plateau and the Birth of Country Music Read More »
Henry Whitter: The First-Recorded Country Musician and Spark That Set the Bristol Sessions Aflame
THE WRECK OF THE OLD ’97 was an American rail disaster involving the Southern Railway mail train — officially known as the Fast Mail (train number 97). While en route from Monroe, Virginia to Spencer,
Ernest Stoneman: The Unlikely Key to Releasing the Sound of Country to a Worldwide Audience
When we think of the machine that is recorded country music, it’s important to recognize the fact that much of the momentum that propelled the origin of the industry originated in the hills and valleys
Posey Rorer: The Sound of Pre-Depression Fiddle Culled in the Heart of Southwest Virginia
Imagine the world of the late 1920’s and every country store in America houses a series of necessities; feed and farm supplies, milk, cheese and other trade goods, perhaps even the mail and local newspaper.
Blind Alfred Reed: Roots That Rippled Across Oceans
There is a timelessness to the music of Appalachia that is undeniable. For many, this music served as the bedrock of blooming careers in the world of early recorded country music. For others, the fiddle
Blind Alfred Reed: Roots That Rippled Across Oceans Read More »
A Distinction Between Musical Motivations — Entertainment or Heritage in Everyday Life?
BY JOSH BECKWORTH— When considering early country music recordings it is often difficult to discern the impact of the commercial recording industry. After all, most of the songs recorded during the first decade of country
A Distinction Between Musical Motivations — Entertainment or Heritage in Everyday Life? Read More »
Beyond the Shellac – Aural Transmission and the Boundless Music of Appalachia
While it’s easy to get lost in the heralding romanticism of Henry Whitter’s journey to spearhead the recording of early country music, it would be a vast disservice to limit our assessment of Southwest Virginia’s
Beyond the Shellac – Aural Transmission and the Boundless Music of Appalachia Read More »
On “The Myth of Isolation”
The history of popular culture has often painted a unidimensional perspective of Southern Appalachia, and with it a statement about the region’s musical heritage. It is without a doubt easiest to compare early country music
Rector’s General Store – Fries, VA
BY JOSH BECKWORTH— The jam session has become a common event in modern Southwest Virginia. Community centers, general stores, and libraries regularly hold jam sessions as a way of both bringing together local musicians and