Folkways

Like any traditional song that has endured through generations, there are lots of versions of “John Henry.” There are also many different interpretations of the song. For some people who grew up in Black communities in Appalachia, the song elicits a variety of feelings.

This week on Inside Appalachia, we’re talking about traditional ballads -- how they tell stories and connect us to the past.

Appalachian old-time music is a confluence of many cultural traditions, including those of Africans and African Americans, Native Americans, and the Scots-Irish. Yet the contributions of Black and Indigenous musicians have often been denied and overlooked. In Floyd County, Virginia one man is working to amplify the participation of Black musicians in old-time music.

This week, we begin our journey throughout Appalachia in Floyd County, Virginia, home of Earl White. Then, we’ll travel back to the early 20th century, when nurse Mary Breckenridge launched a midwifery program in Eastern Kentucky. We’ll also meet two student reporters at the Fayette Institute of Technology, who bring us stories about Anstead, West Virginia, and finally, we meet journalist Kim Kelley, who recently authored “Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor,” to learn about the pro-Union history of Appalachian people.

This week, we’re airing an encore episode of Inside Appalachia. We’ll meet a man who makes wooden turkey calls, not ordinary turkey calls. We’ll also meet people who make wooden paddles by hand and custom-decorate each one, and a man who repairs cuckoo clocks. Finally, we’ll travel to some of the most beautiful spots in Appalachia to find wildflowers.

Inside Appalachia Folkways reporter Katie Myers travels to Lenoir City, Tennessee to speak with award-winning artist Hector Saldivar, and his apprentice Ariel, about bringing Mexican folk art to the hills of east Tennessee.

The banjo, an instrument closely associated with mountain music, originated in Africa and came to America with enslaved Africans. In the 1830s and 1840s, it was taken up by white musicians and became a staple of minstrelsy, a form of racist entertainment in which white performers—often in blackface—depicted stereotypes of Black Americans. Eventually the banjo crossed fully over into white public culture and was separated from its African roots and identity. Now, there’s an emerging movement of Black musicians who are reclaiming the banjo and taking the instrument—and its sound—in new directions.

One woman in Moorefield, West Virginia didn’t grow up eating pinto beans in her home country of Honduras, but has incorporated them into her cooking since moving to the Mountain State.

Bob Smakula of Elkins, West Virginia has made a career out of fixing old musical instruments so modern musicians can keep playing them. He tries to make repairs to fix an instrument’s problems while also staying true to its history.

On this West Virginia Morning, we learn about an upcoming feature-length film set in Beckley called “Ambrosia.” It’s a slapstick comedy that’s set in a quirky bed and breakfast. The film’s two directors are from West Virginia, and nearly the entire cast and crew are, too. This story is part of the Inside Appalachia Folkways project.