OHR Presents: Banjo Billy Mathews

Ozark Highlands Radio

This week, Ozark original old-time fiddler, banjo maker and legendary fiddle tune collector Banjo Billy Mathews recorded live at Ozark Folk Center State Park in Mountain View, Arkansas. Dave Smith is joined in hosting this week by expert musicologist and Banjo Billy’s most prolific protege, Emily Lawless. Billy Mathews is known far and wide across this land for his musical skill and old time fiddling ability. He has traveled extensively throughout the Midwest for over 40 years. Thoughtful musical kinships, maintained throughout these many years, have earned him a considerable amount of notoriety and recognition in Old Time music circles. True to his name, Billy continues to play and record a vast amount of Old Time Clawhammer Banjo tunes. Billy has released a recording of Original Banjo Tunes, The Ghost of Banjo Billy. Billy still resides in the Ozark Mountains, continuing work on music projects. Billy keeps busy by traveling throughout the country for workshops, concerts and other special events, playing his huge repertoire of old time fiddle and banjo tunes. Billy has literally become the embodiment of his Scot-Irish ancestors by continuing their traditional approach to life. Billy continues to collect and play a huge repertoire of old-time fiddle tunes. He has already made a sizeable and significant contribution to our American musical culture and there is no end in sight! Billy has shared the stage with such noteworthy musicians as Joe Burke, John Koener, John Hartford, The Fiddle Puppets, Mike Seeger, De Dannan, Bill Monroe and more! - http://www.banjobilly.net/about-us/ In this week’s “From the Vault” segment, OHR producer Jeff Glover offers a 1974 archival recording of Ozark original Larry Poff performing the tune “900 Miles,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives. In his segment “Back in the Hills,” writer, professor, and historian Dr. Brooks Blevins examines the gradual disappearance of traditional Ozarkian language in the modern Ozark region through the lens of his friendship and conversations with Ozark scholar Dr. Audrey Thompson.