HE BLUE R ID SS T GE RO M AC O S E’
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S” IN TA N U
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IL NER NOTES © BLUE RIDGE MUSIC TRAILS OF NORTH CAROLINA
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songbook song titles
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ach chapter in this Songbook is paired with a kindred song drawn from the region’s rich traditions of songwriting, song transmission, and artistry.
CONTENTS “Sing Me a Song” Ola Belle Reed Ola Belle Reed hails from Lansing, NC. One of thirteen children, she learned guitar and clawhammer banjo and started her first band, The North Carolina Ridge Runners, with her brother, Alex. The Ola Belle Reed Festival is held in Lansing in August. Olabellefest.com
INTRODUCTION “Before I Met You” Flatt & Scruggs Earl Scruggs came from Cleveland County, NC. He pioneered a three-finger style of playing the banjo and introduced it to the world on the Grand Ol’ Opry as part of Bill Monroe’s band. Earl helped to create the sound that became known as “Bluegrass.” In Shelby, visit the Earl Scruggs Center. Earlscruggscenter.org
MEET YOUR MARKET “Hello Stranger” The Carter Family The Carter Family, from southwest Virginia, contributed a whole catalog of songs to the traditional music of North Carolina. Most folks in Western North Carolina heard the Carter Family over the radio on XERA, “The Sunshine Station Between the Nations,” which was broadcast from the border town of Del Rio, Texas. XERA was the brainchild of Jackson County, NC, native Dr. John Romulus Brinkley. Western North Carolina radio stations WPAQ and WNCW
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