Read more
From his birth in Owensboro, Kentucky, in 1947, to his 2020 album featuring the music of Lee Hammons, Wayne Howard has lived an exceptionally creative life. He seemed to be eternally present at fiddle festivals, involved in the creative forces working to preserve Southern Mountain music. In 1969, he relocated to West Virginia and was introduced to the Hammons family by Dwight Diller. Howard then recorded Lee, Sherman, Burl, and Maggie Hammons playing music and telling stories. Howard then became a professional computer programmer, a vintage book collector, and a woodworker, before turning to writing about the Hammons family, and producing CDs of their stories and music. This biography follows the threads of music and folklore through Howard's life, celebrating his profound knowledge that does much to sustain the interest of those who seek out Appalachian tunes, songs, and stories.
List of contents
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Preface
One.¿Family History, Early Life, Education, Aspirations
Two.¿Life in West Virginia
Three.¿Back to Kentucky, Pursuing Folklore
Four.¿Wayne's Creative Trajectory
Appendix 1. Burl Hammons' Lost, and Found, Fiddle
Appendix 2. Two Dulcimers Made by Lee Hammons
List of Interviewees
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the author
Clawhammer banjo player Lewis M. Stern has written for The Banjoists Broadsheet, The Old Time Herald and Banjo Newsletter. He lives in Durham, North Carolina.
