HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JEAN RITCHIE

American folk singer Jean Ritchie (1922-2015) was often referred to as "The Mother of Folk."  The youngest of fourteen children who grew up in Viper, an unincorporated area in Kentucky's Cumberland Mountains, she came from a family dedicated to performing and preserving Appalachian music and tradition.  Her family provided many songs for noted musical collector Cecil Sharp, and Jean herself recoirded for Alan Loman  and, later, for The Library of Congress.  As a young child, she had already learned hundreds of traditional songs orally and later travelled extensively to research and add to her repertoire.  She performed on stage with the Weavers, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and Oscar Brand.  She had a significant influence on Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris, and Judy Collins among others.  Responsible for the re-emergence of the Appalachian dulcimer in folk music, she was also the person who popularized the song "Amazing Grace."  Although most associated with traditional music, she also wrote and performed topical songs.  Her clear, unvarnished voice has echoed over the decades to please fans young and old.  She was given the folk Alliance's Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998, and was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship -- the highest honor given for folk and traditional arts in the United States -- from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2002.

"Barbara Allen"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ihit0mpmz7o

"Come All You Fair and Tender Ladies"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1JhPX2M6nY

"Amazing Grace"  (with Doc Watson)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBBCDpYKV1g

"With Kitty I'll Go"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ch1EPCIKTuU

"Hangman"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnfNGmDiYt0

"One I Love"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hSXKhrmSHw

The L and N Don't Here Anymore"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1CNua_KWRM

"Nottamun Town"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGU1yR3wPlw

"Cherry Tree Carol"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AB0ItQFsZlQ

"Let the Sun Shine Down on Me"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdVH9eUL3HY

"Go Dig My Grave"  (with Doc Watson)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGrcOqcbzYk

"Cedar Swamp"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP4WiPlHL6A

"Careless Love"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBJJZ96epbg

"Old Virginny"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjj6CzxBRY8

"One More Mile"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9b78HHhYm8