The Mountain Dulcimer Renaissance Lois Hornbostel

THE MOUNTAIN DULCIMER "RENAISSANCE" - 1950s-1970s, BY LOIS HORNBOSTEL
This is a listing of developers of the mountain dulcimer who were especially active in this time period and had impact on today's dulcimer players. These were dulcimer builders, playing technique developers, well known performers and recording artists, authors of books about dulcimers, and well-known teachers. Some have also organized dulcimer events that recruited and helped build subsequent "generations" of new dulcimer players. As big as this list is, it is difficult for one person to acknowledge all the developers, and we apologize to any we may have missed. I would welcome additions, updates and corrections to this list. Thank you. Lois Hornbostel at Ldulc@gte.net. You can also send them to Dwain Wilder, Sweet Music Index editor. My guestbook has excellent anti-spam features for your protection as well as mine. Please write me there at Guest Book

1950's:
Jean Ritchie, KY, NYC (best known, player, builder, teacher, collector, author)
JEAN RITCHIE, Port Washington, NY. Perhaps no one has done more to popularize the mountain dulcimer than the great Jean Ritchie. Born and raised in Viper, Kentucky, Jean was the youngest in a musical family of fourteen children born to Bailis and Abigail Ritchie. During the '60s folk revival through her appearances at the Newport, Philadelphia, and other folk festivals, Jean introduced this gentle mountain instrument and the ballads and play-party games of her family's Scottish English and Irish ancestors to a new audience. This triggered the revival of the mountain dulcimer. For a time, the only instruction book widely available for the instrument was her classic, The Dulcimer Book, which taught the basics of playing to many who followed. Jean has been the recipient of countless honors and awards, was featured in Bill Moyers' PBS documentary, "Amazing Grace", and is the subject of "Mountain Born: The Jean Ritchie Story," produced by Kentucky Educational Television.

Edna Ritchie Baker (dec.), KY, Jean's older sister (player, teacher, collector)

In addition to the Ritchie family, there were veteran traditional mountain dulcimer players from various parts of the country who carried on their families' dulcimer traditions, notably the Melton family from Galax and the Hicks family in Watauga County, NC, and others who came to the instrument and were especially active in sharing their music and knowledge with others. Some of them were:

Stanley Hicks (dec.), NC (player, builder, teacher)
Nettie Presnell (dec.), NC (player, builder, teacher)
Edd Presnell(dec.), NC (builder, teacher)
Homer Ledford, KY (builder, player, teacher)
Frank Proffitt, Sr. (dec.), NC (player, builder, song collector/writer)
Frank Proffitt, Jr., NC (player, builder, teacher)
Raymond Melton (dec.), VA (player, builder, teacher)
Jacob Ray Melton, VA (player, builder, teacher)
Bonnie Russell, VA (player)
Roscoe Russell (dec.), VA (player, builder, teacher)
Anne Grimes, OH (player, teacher, instrument collector)
Chet Hines (dec.), OH (builder, player, teacher, author)
Jean Schilling, TN (player, builder, teacher, festival organizer, author)
Bill Davis (dec.), TN (player, builder, teacher, festival organizer)
Ken Hamblin, VA (builder, player)
A. W. Jeffreys (dec.), VA (builder, player, author)
Leonard & Clifford Glenn, NC (builders, players)
Bob Harman, NC (player, builder)
Ken Ward, OH (player, builder, teacher)

1960's: Ralph Lee Smith, VA, NYC (player, collector, historian, teacher, author)
Richard Farina (dec.), NY/CA (player, builder)
Howie Mitchell, VA (player, builder, teacher, author)
John Pearse, England (player, builder, author)
Paul Clayton (dec.), NY (player)
Chet Hines (dec.), OH (player, builder, teacher, author)
Len & Sue(dec.) MacEachron, MN (player, builder, teacher, author)
Lynn McSpadden, AR (builder, author)
Jean Simmons Jennings, AR (player, teacher)
Pam Simmons Kirby, AR (player, teacher)
Betty Smith, NC (player, balad collector, teacher, author)
Margaret Winters, Asheville, NC (player, author)
Margaret MacArthur, VT (player, teacher, song collector)
Roger Nicholson, England (player, author, teacher)
Caroline Paton, CT (player, music collector, teacher, author, festival organizer)
Lorraine Lee Hammond, CT (player, teacher, author, festival organizer)
Richard Wilkie, NY (player, teacher, author)
Virgil Hughes, CO (player, teacher, author, builder)
Bob Mize, TN (builder, teacher)
Dorsey Williams (dec.), TN (player, builder, teacher)
Len & Su (dec.) MacEachron, Here, Inc. (builders, authors)

1970's: Holly Tannen CA, (player, teacher)
Mary Faith Rhoads, PA (player, teacher)
Sam Rizzetta, VA (player, builder, teacher)
Joellen Lapidas, CA (player, author, builder)
Chuck Kline, NYC (player, teacher)
Kevin Roth, PA (player, teacher, author)
David Field, PA (builder, player)
Bonnie Carol, CO (player, builder, teacher, author, festival organizer)
Albert d'Ossche'(dec.) & Robert Force, WA (players, teachers, authors, festival organizers)
Neal Hellman, CA (player, teacher, author, record company "mini-mogul")
Lori Cole, CA (player, teacher)
Peter Tommerup, CA (player, teacher, author)
Michael Rugg, CA (player, builder, teacher, author)
Keith Young, VA (player, builder, teacher)
Leo Kretzner, OH (player, teacher, author)
Jay Liebovitz, OH (player, teacher)
Eileen Rains, SC (player, teacher)
Andy & Sue Kardos, NC (builders, players, teachers)
Elaine Silver, CO (player, teacher)
Jerry Rockwell, VT/OH (player, builder, teacher, author, festival organizer)
Phillip Mason, VA/KY (publisher, player, teacher, author, builder)
Madeline MacNeil, VA (player, teacher, author, publisher of DULCIMER PLAYERS NEWS)
David Schnaufer, TX/TN (player, teacher, author, builder)
Lois Hornbostel, NJ/LA/NC (player, teacher, author, festival organizer)
Walter P. Martin, PA (builder, teacher, festival organizer)
Sally Rogers, MI/CT (player, teacher)
Ron Ewing, OH (player, builder, teacher, author)
Mark Nelson, OR (player, teacher, author)
Janita Baker, CA (player, builder w/husband Bob, teacher, author) Larkin Bryant Cohen, TN (player, teacher, author, festival organizer)
Randy Wilkinson, AZ (player, teacher, author)
Mark Blair, D.C. area (builder, player, teacher)
Warren May, KY (builder, player, teacher)
Cyntia Smith, CA (player, builder w/husband Dale Foye, teacher, festival organizer)
Ruth Barrett, CA (player, teacher, festival organizer)
David Beede, CA (player, teacher)
Barbara Truex, CT/ME (player, teacher, festival organizer)
Alan Freeman, WV (player, teacher, festival organizer)
Dick Albin, KY/TN (player, teacher, festival organizer)
Anne MacFie, KY (player, teacher, festival organizer)
Nancy Johnson Barker, KY (player, teacher, festival organizer)
Sally George (dec.), KY (player, teacher)
Mary Ann Samuels, VT (player, teacher, festival organizer)
Willie Jaeger, CO (player, teacher)
Neal Walters, VA (player, teacher, author)
Doug Berch, NY/CO/MI (player, builder, teacher)
Fred Meyer, IN (player, teacher)
Baila Dworsky, CA (player, teacher)
Peter Cooney, IN (builder)
Rodger Harris, OK (player, builder, teacher, author)
Linda Russell, NY (player, teacher)
Don Pedi, MA/NC (player, teacher, festival organizer)
Phyllis Gaskins, VA (player, teacher)
Masato Inoue, Japan (player, teacher)
John Molineux, France (player, builder)
Carrie Crompton, NC/CA/PA/CT (player, teacher, author)
David Marks, CT (builder, player, teacher)
Mark Biggs, MO (player, teacher, author)
Bob "Hutch" Hutchinson, PA (player, builder, teacher, author)
Gail Larsen, CA (player, builder, teacher)
Robin Mohun, CA (player, teacher)
Steve Smith, TX/NC (player, teacher)
Bud & Donna Ford, CO (players, builders, teachers, authors)
Mark Gillston, PA (player, teacher--Eastern European music)

1970s to 80s:
Steve Mayfield, OK (player, teacher)
Neil Gaston, OK (player, teacher, author)
Anna Barry, NC (teacher, author)
Dana Hamilton, TX (player, teacher, author, festival organizer)
Gary Gallier, MO (player, teacher)
Mark Tindle, ME/CO (player, builder, teacher)
Wayne Seymour, NC (player, teacher, author)
Kendra Ward, OH (player, teacher)
Susan Trump, NY (player, teacher)
Ed Stephens (dec), OH (player, teacher)

Lois Hornbostel is a key figure in the world of Appalachian music and the mountain dulcimer. Do you have comments or questions about her article? Contact Lois directly by e-mail. To learn more about her, see the Contributors section of Sweet Music Index.

A web site of interest: dausenkunz
Sections of this German-language site discuss the epinette and the scheitholz, precursors to the mountain dulcimer. Photos are included.