MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Like many Appalachian traditions, folk music was born from a blend of cultures – Scots-Irish ballads, West African banjo rhythms, Native American drumming, and more. Over time, those influences merged into a sound that became distinctly Appalachian, a living record of the region’s stories and spirit.
For Morgantown-based musician Mary Linscheid, keeping that musical tradition alive is both a passion and a responsibility.
“Tradition is dynamic and continues to change and grow with the people,” Linscheid said. “I often like to say that the traditions sustain me, so I will, in turn, sustain the traditions. That’s why you’ll see me doing a lot of Appalachian folk music, old-time fiddle tunes, ballad singing — just to keep the tradition alive.”
Appalachian folk is a broad term that encompasses subgenres such as blues, bluegrass, Cajun, gospel, jug bands, and old-time music. The variety, Linscheid said, is part of what makes it so special to the region.
At West Virginia University, professor and musician Chris Haddox has spent years researching early West Virginia folk songs from the Louis Chapman Collection, a large archive of folk music from the 1920s and 1930s.
Haddox is currently documenting the musicians behind them. Many of these individuals were ordinary blue-collar workers whose voices helped shape American music by inspiring famous musicians across the globe.
“Dick Justice is singing a song called “Henry Lee” — and Bob Dylan sings “Henry Lee” that he learned off that recording of this coal miner from Logan,” Haddox said. “Ralph Stanley, Nick Cave… so many people point to these recordings of these unknown people who were just really good singers and pickers who weren’t really trying to be professional musicians.”
Before radio or newspapers reached remote mountain towns, Haddox says songs served as a way to share news and preserve memories. Folk music chronicled labor strikes, floods, family stories, and lessons about love and loss.
For Linscheid, that storytelling remains the heart of the music — but so does the community it creates.
“The whole goal of the music is to come together, have fun playing it, make connections with each other while playing,” she said. “If it becomes too much about the music that we’re forgetting the people surrounding us, then maybe we need to reevaluate that.”
As she continues to perform across West Virginia, Linscheid says she hopes to be just one of many musicians passing down the stories of Appalachian people to the next generation through song.
This article was adapted from a television news story using AI. All reporting, facts and quotes from sources are original. AI was only used to assist with formatting and style for a digital platform.