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View. Jean Simmons Jennings passed away in 2005 after a battle with cancer. George Looney and Richard Stoltz still continue the McSpadden building craft at The Dulcimer Shoppe. Elliott Hancock is retired from The Ozark Folk Center and continues to live in Mountain View. He eventually returned that first dulcimer to Lynn, who still has it today. Larry Conger is a player and teacher of the mountain dulcimer. He makes his home in Paris, Tennessee, a small town halfway between Memphis and Nashville. There he operates a private music studio, teaching piano, guitar and drums as well as mountain dulcimer.
Hill Country Acoustic Music Camp
Pope John Paul II, Soviet-American dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov and singer/ songwriter Cyndi Lauper. While Lynn has been honored many times by being asked to build dulcimers for notable people, a more important accomplishment is the number of lives he has touched through the dulcimers he has made. Think of how many people might not be playing a musical instrument today if they had not been introduced to one of the thousands of McSpadden dulcimers that were built over the years. Many of those people will eventually pass down the same instruments to their children and grandchildren, impacting more and more lives along the way. It is hard to imagine anyone else in the dulcimer community who has impacted so many lives. That is a monumental accomplishment, given the humble beginnings of Lynn McSpadden’s mountain dulcimer. Lynn retired in 2001, leaving the legacy of McSpadden dulcimers in the competent hands of Jim & Betty Woods, who continue to build from his design and carry on the name that has become so familiar with a generation of mountain dulcimer enthusiasts. Lynn and Mary Catherine are enjoying their retirement years by researching family history and traveling. Lynn has restored a classic car or two and has built a few guitars while Mary Catherine has focused on pastoring several Methodist churches. The next time you pick up your dulcimer to play it, pause for just a minute to consider the time, effort and skill that went into building the instrument. Dulcimers are pieces of art; however, they would not exist if not for the labor put forth by builders such as Lynn McSpadden. *Author’s note: I first met Lynn at the Ozark Folk Center in the early 1990s. He stopped me outside the Folk Center auditorium to comment on how much he liked the sound of the dulcimer I had been playing on stage earlier in the evening, which is one I had indeed built myself. We talked about dulcimer choices, various woods, tunings and music in general. I was immediately impressed with his humble and unassuming nature. That conversation sparked a friendship that continues to this day. Larry McSpadden has retired from The Dulcimer Shoppe and lives in Mountain
Teaching June 7th – 11th, 2011 at HCAMP, Kerrville, TX Sue Carpenter Sue is known for her challenging, organized and intensive teaching methods, nurturing patience, and energetic enthusiasm that make learning fun. A favorite workshop leader and performer at dulcimer festivals. Her many awards include 2003 2nd place and 2005 1st place National Mountain Dulcimer Champion at Walnut Valley. Karen aShbrooK Karen teaches and performs Celtic, contra dance, and Jewish music and works teaching Flemish, French, Irish, Appalachian and classical melodies for the instrument. Karen is considered one of the finest Irish hammered dulcimer players anywhere.
HCAMP details & registration are available on line at
www.hcamp.org or call 830-459-2120
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