Bascom Lamar Lunsford playing the banjo with his son Lamar Lunsford in 1967. (1)
When it was coordinated by Bascom L. Lunsford, the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival (MDFF) was primarily meant to display Southern Appalachian Culture. Tourists, who enjoyed the Rhododendron Festival and Parade, were also interested in the local community that surrounded Asheville and the Blue Ridge. This lively culture seemed to be best expressed through music and dance.
Lunsford, a brilliant musician himself, brought the local talent out of the hills and into the public eye. When he recorded seven volumes of American folk music with Columbia University, he played the entire 315 track collection all from memory. Lunsford once told Betty Smith, another prominent MDFF musician that “the way to save things was to commit them to memory… that’s what keeps it alive.” She adds, “you know it’s not really alive on a piece of paper (3).”
(5.)
The Stony Creek Boys are the house band for Shindig on the Green. Here they are pictured performing in 2008. (2)
Lunsford is now remembered as the Minstrel of the Appalachians. After his passing, the festival continued to support musicians from the local community. MDFF became a showcase of country, blue-grass, and American old-time music. Common instruments were the fiddle, banjo, dulcimer, and guitar. Even the occasional musical saw could be seen, represented in our playlist by Ken Harrison playing In The Garden. From the ranks, several musicians rose to prominence such as the Stoney Creek Boys who were the host-band of the festival after Lunsford’s death. They consisted of Mack Snoderly (fiddle), Leonard Hollifield (guitar), (Smiling) George Banks (banjo), and Roy Black (bass). They are also represented on our playlist in the Welcome to the Festival track (4.).
(6.)
One of the longest running traditions in the ‘Grandaddy Festival’ is the song Grey Eagle, represented here in our playlist as Welcome to the Festival by the Stoney Creek Boys. The song opens and closes every festival since its inception in 1928 (5. 60 Annual Mountain Dance and Folk Festival).
References
Images: 1: Asheville Citizen Times, 1967, Box 6, Folder 37, Mountain Dance and Folk Festival, D. H. Ramsey Library Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Asheville, Asheville, NC.
2: Asheville Citizen Times, 2008, Box 6, Folder 77, Mountain Dance and Folk Festival, D. H. Ramsey Library Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Asheville, Asheville, NC.
Header Image- Asheville Citizen Times, 1970, Box 6, Folder 40, Mountain Dance and Folk Festival, D. H. Ramsey Library Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Asheville, Asheville, NC.
Content: 3. A Mountain Heirloom Collection: Side 1. Laura Boosinger, Timmy Abell, Four of a Kind, Betty Smith, The Stoney Creek Boys, the Queen Family. WWNC 570 Radio. June 3, 1995.Tape. Mountain Dance and Music Festival Collection. Ramsey Library Special Collections. University of North Carolina at Asheville, Asheville, NC.
4. 60th Annual Mountain Dance and Folk Festival: Side 1. Joe Bly, Stoney Creek Boys, Ken Harrison, Elk River Band, Joe Wilson. Folk Heritage Committee, Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce. August 6,7, and 8, 1987.Tape. Mountain Dance and Music Festival Collection. Ramsey Library Special Collections. University of North Carolina at Asheville, Asheville, NC.
Music: 5. 60th Annual Mountain Dance and Folk Festival: Side 1. Joe Bly, Stoney Creek Boys, Ken Harrison, Elk River Band, Joe Wilson. Folk Heritage Committee, Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce. August 6,7, and 8, 1987.Tape. Mountain Dance and Music Festival Collection. Ramsey Library Special Collections. University of North Carolina at Asheville, Asheville, NC.
6. 60th Annual Mountain Dance and Folk Festival: Side 2. . Folk Heritage Committee, Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce. August 6,7, and 8, 1987.Tape. Mountain Dance and Music Festival Collection. Ramsey Library Special Collections. University of North Carolina at Asheville, Asheville, NC.
