Music of West Virginia

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Clifftop Masters - two generations of old time music masters Clifftop Masters.jpg
Clifftop Masters - two generations of old time music masters

West Virginia's folk heritage is a part of the Appalachian folk music tradition, and includes styles of fiddling, ballad singing, and other styles that draw on Ulster-Scots music.

Contents

West Virginia consists of a mostly rural region, although its few relatively urban centers are prominent spots of musical innovation. The Capitol Music Hall, in Wheeling, is the oldest performing place of its kind in the state, and has hosted a wide variety of acts, from national tours to the local Wheeling Symphony Orchestra.

Other music institutions in West Virginia include the Mountaineer Opera House in Milton. The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1939, as the Charleston Civic Orchestra, before becoming the Charleston Symphony Orchestra in 1943. The first conductor was William R. Wiant, followed by the prominent conductor Antonio Modarelli, of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra. [1]

The town of Glenville has long been home to the annual West Virginia State Folk Festival.

Music history

West Virginia's historical contributions to musical development include WWVA Jamboree , a radio show that began in 1933 and soon became a very prominent regional show, based out of the Capitol Music Hall in Wheeling. WWVA, the radio station that has long broadcast WWVA Jamboree, hosts the Jamboree in the Hills every July in St. Clairsville, Ohio, just across the border from Wheeling. [2]

The town of Oak Hill was the site of country legend Hank Williams' death, which is commemorated by a plaque in front of the public library in Oak Hill. [3]

Daniel Johnston, born in California, grew up in New Cumberland.

Music festivals

Notable musicians

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West Virginia is a landlocked state in the Southern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. It is bordered by Pennsylvania to the north and east, Maryland to the east and northeast, Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, and Ohio to the northwest. West Virginia is the 10th-smallest state by area and ranks as the 12th-least populous state, with a population of 1,793,716 residents. The capital and most populous city is Charleston with a population of 49,055.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWVA (AM)</span> Radio station in Wheeling, West Virginia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBBD</span> Radio station in West Virginia, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capitol Theatre (Wheeling, West Virginia)</span> Theatre in West Virginia, United States

The Capitol Theatre is the largest theatre in West Virginia and a landmark building in the national historic district of downtown Wheeling. For many years, it has served as the home of Jamboree USA and the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra. Jamboree USA, a Saturday night live country music show broadcast on WWVA 1170 AM from 1926 until 2007, was the second-longest running radio show in the United States, second only to the Grand Ole Opry. The live music show annually drew hundreds of thousands of country music fans to Wheeling, where both local acts and nationally known celebrities such as Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Merle Haggard and Charley Pride would perform.

Skeeter Bonn was a singer and guitar player on several national country music radio programs and had several singles on RCA Victor in the 1950s. He was known as the "pickin' and singing' boy".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Mazer</span> American conductor

Henry Simon Mazer, was an American and later Taiwanese conductor, recording artist and music educator who was the founding principal conductor and music director of Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra from 1985 until suffering a stroke in February 2001. Prior to his move to Taiwan, he was the conductor and associate conductor of major American symphonies including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He contributed greatly to the refinement of the performances of classical music in Taiwan, leading local musicians to gain recognition overseas. There is a cultural center dedicated to him in Taipei.

French (Curley) Mitchell was a well-known American fiddler from Buffalo, West Virginia. French played the fiddle for more than 60 years and was a regular at the annual Vandalia Gathering on the statehouse grounds in Charleston.

Richard Edmond Hartley, mostly known by his stage names Slim Lehart or "The Wheeling Cat," was an American country music singer and entertainer. Lehart is best known for his tenure as a member of the original Wheeling Jamboree (WWVA), the second oldest country music radio broadcast in the United States. Lehart first appeared on the Jamboree as a guest in 1965 alongside fellow musicians Charlie Moore and Bill Napier.Up until his death in 2023, he maintained status as a lifetime member of the Jamboree, with a star bearing his name outside of the Capitol Theatre in Wheeling.

References

Notes

  1. Archived December 17, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
  2. Byron, pgs. 323 - 324
  3. Byron, pg. 324
  4. "All Good Music Festival". Allgoodfestival.com. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  5. "Appalachian String Band Festival". Wvculture.org. 2015-08-02. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  6. Archived February 13, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  7. Ray, Leann (September 23, 2016). "Looking at 70 years of the Gazette-Mail Kanawha County Majorette Festival". Charleston Gazette-Mail . Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  8. 永久脱毛とは、本当に一生毛が生えてこなくなるものなのか (1999-02-22). "永久脱毛とは、本当に一生毛が生えてこなくなるものなのか". Elkhenge.com. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  9. "FestivALL: A City Becomes A Work of Art". Festivallcharleston.com. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  10. "Gardner Winter Music Festival". Gwmf.org. 2014-04-11. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  11. "Heritage Music BluesFest". Heritagemusicfest.com. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  12. "NewSong Music | Where Great Artists Are Discovered". Newsongfestival.com. 2014-06-20. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  13. "Pattyfest". Pattyfest.org. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  14. "Robin Kessinger Festival & WorkshopsRobin Kessinger Festival & Workshops". Robinkessingerfestival.org. 2015-02-21. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  15. Archived September 26, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  16. Archived April 27, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  17. "Vandalia Gathering". Wvculture.org. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  18. "Welcome etc4u.com - BlueHost.com". Etc4u.com. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  19. "West Virginia Independent Music Festival". Facebook.com. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  20. "Andy Boarman". Wvculture.org. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  21. "Carl Rutherford". Musicmaker.org. Retrieved 3 March 2019.