Jean Ritchie Singing the Traditional Songs of Her Kentucky Mountain Family

Album: Singing the Traditional Songs of Her Kentucky Mountain Family

Artist: Jean Ritchie

Year: 1952

Genre: Folk

Grade: A-

Hailing from the Cumberland Mountains, Jean Ritchie was the youngest of 14 siblings, born into a family with a long and deep-rooted musical tradition. Over the years — over the centuries, maybe — the Ritchies had amassed a large collection of folk songs either written or adapted by their ancestors. Daughter Jean took it upon herself to bring their well-practiced Appalachian folk music to Greenwich Village, recording her debut LP on Elektra Records in 1952, self-explanatorily titled Singing the Traditional Songs of Her Kentucky Mountain Family.

It’s a very interesting listen; one of the most authentic folk albums of the decade. Some of these songs are older than dirt, tracing their origins back to England and Scotland. Thanks to Jean’s abilities as a troubadour and the universal appeal of these rhymes, the music still hits after all this time. Her clear soprano voice is both warm and haunting, full and lonely, always pleasing to the ear. Likewise, her decision to split the tunes between á cappella and Appalachian dulcimer accompaniment is an artistic choice that consistently holds our attention. This isn’t just a history lesson; this is a bridging of the old with the contemporary.

Whether she’s recounting nursery rhymes or solemn ballads, Ritchie transports us to a time long forgotten, making it feel closer than can be remembered. No surprise the likes of Woody Guthrie, Pete Seger, Joan Baez and Bob Dylan were all inspired by her performances.

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