Berea College has been hosting an annual folk music festival, Celebration of Traditional Music (CTM), since 1974. As an Appalachian College Association member the college presents Appalachian traditional culture, and as the first college in the South to welcome African Americans in the 1850s, having representations from that community was part of the festival's agenda.
The report below examines the repertoires and styles of 17 African American musicians who performed at the festival over the years and it muses on the factors that might have influenced the festival's choice of performers and the musicians' choice of repertoire for the folk festival stage.
The report below examines the repertoires and styles of 17 African American musicians who performed at the festival over the years and it muses on the factors that might have influenced the festival's choice of performers and the musicians' choice of repertoire for the folk festival stage.
Photo: Examining the archives of Raymond K. McLain and the McLain Family Band, who were the focus of my original fellowship proposal.
Photo courtesy of: Harry Rice, Supervisor, Sound Archivist, Berea College.
Photo courtesy of: Harry Rice, Supervisor, Sound Archivist, Berea College.