You never can tell where you might run into music. In this
case I ran across the name of Sheila Kay Adams while reading about the murder
of a young VISTA volunteer in Marshall County, North Carolina. Curious as to
who she was I went to You Tube to find out. This was the very first thing I
watched and listened to.
North Carolina is rich in mountain music and folklore. Ms.
Adams has spent the better part of her lifetime chronicling that culture and
keeping it alive. In this film, from You Tube; of course; Ms. Adams is singing
a sad mountain ballad to a group of children. I’m sure that some people will
find the song inappropriate for children, but it speaks to the history of
mountain culture more than anything else. This kind of singing and storytelling
is the backbone of what Ms. Adams does.
Ms. Adams is also a skilled “claw hammer” style banjo picker
and composer, and her agility and expertise with her own “drop thumb” style of
playing have won her much acclaim. She has been featured on NPR’s “The Thistle
& Shamrock” program with Fiona Ritchie.
According to the information on Wikipedia, as well as her
own website; which is listed below; Ms. Adams hails from the town of Sodom
Laurel, located in Madison County, which is near Asheville. She comes from a
long line of traditional storytellers and balladeers.
She has actually learned;
and promulgates; the Irish, Scottish and English versions of just about every
ballad that arrived in our country from the late 1700’s and on. As such, she is
the repository for much of the culture which unites us all as the pioneers our ancestors
once were. In today’s world of division,
this is an awesome achievement.
Please take the time to visit Ms. Adams web site at; http://www.sheilakayadams.com/
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