American folk singer, songwriter and musician (1922–2015)
Jean Ritchie
Ritchie playing the dulcimer, c. 1950s
Born
Jean Ruth Ritchie
(1922-12-08)December 8, 1922
Viper, Kentucky, U.S.
Died
June 1, 2015(2015-06-01) (aged 92)
Berea, Kentucky, U.S.
Education
University of Kentucky
Occupation
Folk musician
Labels
Folkways,
Elektra,
Sire,
Greenhays,
Flying Fish,
Riverside,
Warner Bros.,
Tradition
Spouse
George Pickow
(m. 1950; died 2010)
Jean Ruth Ritchie (December 8, 1922 – June 1, 2015) was an American folk singer, songwriter, and Appalachian dulcimer player,[1] called by some the "Mother of Folk".[2] In her youth she learned hundreds of folk songs in the traditional way (orally, from her family and community), many of which were Appalachian variants of centuries old British and Irish songs, including dozens of Child Ballads.[3][4] In adulthood, she shared these songs with wide audiences,[5] as well as writing some of her own songs using traditional foundations.[4]
She is ultimately responsible for the revival of the Appalachian dulcimer, the traditional instrument of her community, which she popularized by playing the instrument on her albums and writing tutorial books.[4]
She also spent time collecting folk music in the United States and in Britain and Ireland,[6][7] in order to research the origins of her family songs and help preserve traditional music.[4]
She inspired a wide array of musicians, including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Shirley Collins, Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris and Judy Collins.[5][2][8]
^Colin Larkin, ed. (2002). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music (Third ed.). Virgin Books. pp. 359/60. ISBN 1-85227-937-0.
^ abDerienzo, Paul (June 18, 2015). "Jean Ritchie, 92, the Village's 'Mother of Folk'". amNewYork. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
^"Jean Ritchie: Ballads from her Appalachian Family Tradition". Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
^ abcd"Jean Ritchie obituary". The Guardian. June 3, 2015. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
^ ab"Jean Ritchie Obituary (1922–2015) – The Columbian". obits.columbian.com. June 3, 2015. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
^Cite error: The named reference education.ket.org was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Jean Ritchie Folk Music of Ireland and Scotland Recordings | Berea College Special Collections and Archives Catalog". berea.libraryhost.com. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
^"Jean Ritchie served as inspiration for Bob Dylan, Shirley Collins and". The Independent. June 4, 2015. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
Jean Ruth Ritchie (December 8, 1922 – June 1, 2015) was an American folk singer, songwriter, and Appalachian dulcimer player, called by some the "Mother...
Perryman – "Home on the Range" Dog Cheryl Poole – Gilded Cage Chicken JeanRitchie – Mother Opossum Scuffy Shew – Convict Fox Betty Taylor – Bill Bailey...
folk musicians became scholars and advocates themselves. For example, JeanRitchie (1922–2015) was the youngest child of a large family from Viper, Kentucky...
the work of JeanRitchie, a Kentucky musician who performed with the instrument before New York City audiences. In the early 1960s, Ritchie and her husband...
obtained renown during the folk revival of the 1950s and 1960s, including JeanRitchie, Roscoe Holcomb, Ola Belle Reed, Lily May Ledford, Hedy West and Doc...
Some well-known folk singers, including Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, and JeanRitchie, also participated in these concerts. At this time, younger brother Bobby...
Prescription for Murder, a 2000 book by journalists Brian Whittle and JeanRitchie, suggested that Shipman forged the will either because he wanted to be...
other countries. He was married to the well-known Kentucky folk musician JeanRitchie. Pickow was born in Los Angeles but grew up in Brooklyn, New York. In...
singing a traditional version. The influential Appalachian folk singer JeanRitchie had her family version of the ballad, called "Little Musgrave", recorded...
Appalachian musicians recorded the ballad; JeanRitchie sang the Ritchie family version on the album JeanRitchie: Ballads from her Appalachian Family Tradition...
of the Alan Lomax archive. Ritchie later recorded the song on her album 'Carols of All Seasons' (1959). Whilst JeanRitchie's family version is the only...
the arrangement was by veteran folksinger JeanRitchie. Unknown to Dylan, the song had been in Ritchie's family for generations, and she wanted a writing...
Lee Bascom Lamar Lunsford New Lost City Ramblers Uncle Charlie Osborne JeanRitchie Sam Rizzetta Loraine Wyman Doc Watson Uncle Dave Macon Charlie Poole...
Renaissance (US/Canada) Reveille Rhinoceros Charlie Rich Zachary Richard JeanRitchie Lee Ritenour Hargus "Pig" Robbins Linda Ronstadt Dick Rosmini Mark Ronson...
Guthrie, Lead Belly, Big Bill Broonzy, Richard Dyer-Bennet, Oscar Brand, JeanRitchie, John Jacob Niles, Susan Reed, Paul Robeson, Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey...
in 1932 and 1946, whilst Sarah Ogan Gunning sang a version in 1974. JeanRitchie sang her family's version of the ballad twice, one of those times recorded...
Martin's extra lyrics to "complete" the song. The Kentucky folk singer JeanRitchie sang a different traditional version of the song to Lomax in 1949, which...
"Bury Me Beneath the Willow" is a traditional ballad folk song, listed as number 410 in the Roud Folk Song Index. It is also known as "Bury Me Beneath...
following four verses are the beginning of the Ritchie family version of "Gypsy Laddie", as sung by JeanRitchie: An English lord came home one night Inquiring...
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