- Grade Levels:
- 7-adult
- Length:
- 60 minutes
- Taping Rights:
- Unlimited
- MARC Record:
- Downloadable
- Web Site:
- KET Online
- Teaching Materials:
- See Below
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For as long as anyone can remember, the Ritchie family of Viper, Kentucky has been singing songs handed down through generations, not just for entertainment, but also to accompany chores and other everyday activities. As a social worker in 1940s New York City, daughter Jean starting using this wealth of traditional material to entertain the children she worked with—and soon found herself a central figure in the folk music revival of the time.
Since then, Jean Ritchie has built a national reputation as a singer, songwriter, author (Singing Family of the Cumberlands), and folk music collector. Musicians like Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, and Doc Watson cite her as an influence and a model. All three are interviewed in Mountain Born, and Ritchie shares her own memories and insights into her long and varied career. Archival photos and film footage round out the portrait and trace the influence of traditional Appalachian music on many other performers, from Johnny Cash to Bob Dylan.
This KET production also has aired nationally on PBS.
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