Sheila Kay Adams comes from a long line of ballad singers from Madison County in the remote mountains of western North Carolina. As a young girl she sat “knee-to-knee” with her great aunt, Dellie Norton, learning old Scots Irish ballads verse by verse. These old Scots Irish ballads were passed down like this in the oral tradition from one generation to the next. They were brought to America by early settlers from the British Isles and were known as love songs. Part of everyday life, they were sung by people as they worked in the fields and at home around the fire and told stories of love and loss.
In this episode we’ll learn about Sheila’s remarkable life and visit her daughter, Melanie Rice, cousin Donna Ray Norton, and hear them, and other singers, perform a variety of unaccompanied ballads. We’ll also visit a ballad swap where singers share their songs with the public at the Old Marshall Jail Hotel in Marshall, NC, and meet owner Josh Copus.
You’ll learn how Sheila carries on the tradition of passing down these songs and how she is the living bridge between past singers and those interested in learning them today. It’s reassuring to know that there are folks who are learning these ballads to share with others, both now and for the future.
Be sure to check out our books, The Face of Appalachia, On Earth's Furrowed Brow, Hands in Harmony, Blue Ridge Parkway Vistas, Great Smoky Mountains Vistas, Tide Runners, Faces & Places of Cashiers Valley, and Jewels of the Southern Coast on our website.
www.barnwellphoto.com
www.thefaceofappalachia.com
Links:
Sheila Kay Adams: www.arts.gov/h...
Donna Ray Norton: donnaraynorton...
Melanie Rice: www.nestofsing...
Old Marshall jail: oldmarshalljai...
Ballad swap on NC Music Trails: www.blueridgem...
Asheville Citizen-Times article on singers:
www.citizen-ti...
Olive Dame Campbell: www.ncpedia.or...
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