John Cohen's documentary 'The High Lonesome Sound'
John Cohen is a founding member of the New Lost City Ramblers as well as a musicologist, photographer and filmmaker. He has been one of the most important "discoverers" of traditional musicians and singers, finding and recording Dillard Chandler, Roscoe Holcomb, and many banjo players, most notably on the album High Atmosphere. Beyond the United States, Cohen traveled extensively to Peru, driven by a fascination for the weaving and lifestyle of the native Andean population. His field recording of a Peruvian wedding song is included on the Voyager Golden Record, attached to the Voyager spacecraft. The Library of Congress acquired John Cohen's archive, which includes his films, photographs, music recordings and other historic ephemera in 2011. The artist's work can also be found in the permanent collections of the following museums: Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY; Morgan Library and Museum, New York, NY; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX; Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; Nasher Museum of Art, Duke University, Durham, NC; National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC; Neuberger Museum, Westchester, NY;New York Public Library, New York, NY; Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK; Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT. Cohen currently resides in the lower Hudson Valley of New York. He frequently performs with the Down Hill Strugglers.
for more from John Cohen go here johncohenworks.com
Introduction from John Cohen's site:
Songs of church-goers, miners, and farmers of eastern Kentucky express the joys and sorrows of life among the rural poor. This classic film evocatively illustrates how music and religion help Appalachians maintain their dignity and traditions in the face of change and hardship. 30 min. 1963. B&W
"The sense of reality the film generates, its comprehensiveness, and its powerful photography make it good and useful; what makes it a great film is its great theme, the awe-inspiring dignity, beauty, and art of the common man in the face of adversity and hardship." -- Journal of American Folklore
National Archives description:
"Documentary: Explores the lives of Appalachian mountain people in a depressed area of Kentucky through spiritual and folk music. Presents songs by revivalist church congregations, coal miners, an unemployed worker, and members of a miner's family (Roscoe). Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys, and the Shepherd Family perform. Explains that these poverty-stricken people maintain their traditions and dignity through their music." Copyright status (at the National Archives) is unspecified.