Roscoe Holcomb

Roscoe Holcomb
Roscoe Holcomb
	Roscoe Holcomb in 1962
Background information
Birth name	Roscoe Halcomb
Born	September 5, 1912; Daisy, Kentucky,U.S.
Died	February 1, 1981(aged 68); Perry County, Kentucky,U.S.
Genres	Folk; bluegrass; country; gospel; old-time; blues;
Occupation(s)	Miner,construction worker,farmer,musician
Instrument(s)	Banjo,guitar,harmonica
Years active	1958–1978

Roscoe Holcomb(bornRoscoe Halcomb;^[1]September 5, 1912 – February 1, 1981) was an American singer,banjoplayer, andguitaristfromDaisy, Kentucky.A prominent figure inAppalachian folk music,^[2]Holcomb was the inspiration for the term "high, lonesome sound", coined by folklorist and friendJohn Cohen.The "high lonesome sound" term is now used to describebluegrasssinging, although Holcomb was not, strictly speaking, a bluegrass performer.^{[citation needed]}

Performance style

Holcomb's repertoire includedold-time music,hymns,traditional musicandbluesballads. In addition to playing the banjo and guitar, he was a competentharmonicaandfiddleplayer, and sang many of his most memorable songsa cappella.Holcomb stated: "Up till then the blues were only inside me;Blind Lemonwas the first to 'let out' the blues. "^[3]

Holcomb sang in a nasal style informed by theOld Regular Baptistvocal tradition.Bob Dylan,a fan of Holcomb, described his singing as possessing "an untamed sense of control".^[4]He was also admired by theStanley BrothersandEric Clapton,who cited Holcomb as his favorite country musician.^[4]

Life and career

Acoal miner,construction laborer and farmer for much of his life,^[5]Holcomb was not recorded until 1958, after which his career as a professional musician was bolstered by thefolk revivalin the 1960s. Holcomb gave his last live performance in 1978. Due to what he described as injuries he sustained during his long career as a laborer, Holcomb was eventually unable to work for more than short periods, and his later income came primarily from his music. Suffering from asthma andemphysemaas a result of working in coal mines, he died in a nursing home in 1981, at the age of 68.^[6]

Discography

Holcomb's discography includes the following albums released on LP during his lifetime:^[7]

The Music of Roscoe Holcomb and Wade Ward,Folkways Records,1962
The High Lonesome Sound,Folkways Records, 1965
Close to Home,Folkways Records, 1975

The following single-artist compilations have been released since his death:^[7]

The High Lonesome Sound,Smithsonian Folkways,1998
An Untamed Sense of Control,Smithsonian Folkways, 2003

Holcomb's work appears on many multiple-artist compilations, including the following released during his lifetime:

Mountain Music of Kentucky,Folkways Records, 1960 (6 of 29 tracks)^[8]
FOTM – Friends of Old Time Music,Folkways Records, 1964 (2 of 16 tracks)^[9]
Zabriskie Point (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack),MGM Records,1970 (1 of 11 tracks)^[10]
3rd Annual Brandywine Mountain Music Convention – '76 Music of Kentucky,Heritage Records [Virginia], 1977 (2 of 14 tracks)^[11]

References

^Matthews, Scott L. (July 27, 2008)."John Cohen in Eastern Kentucky: Documentary Expression and the Image of Roscoe Halcomb During the Folk Revival".Southern Spaces.2008.doi:10.18737/M74W3W.
^Stephen Petrus; Ronald D. Cohen (8 June 2015).Folk City: New York and the American Folk Music Revival.Oxford University Press. pp.183–.ISBN 978-0-19-023103-3.
^Giles Oakley (1997).The Devil's Music.Da Capo Press.p.116.ISBN 978-0-306-80743-5.
^^a ^bAn Untamed Sense of ControlatAllMusic
^Charles K. Wolfe (5 February 2015).Kentucky Country: Folk and Country Music of Kentucky.University Press of Kentucky.pp. 154–.ISBN 978-0-8131-4960-8.
^John Cohen (2012).The High & Lonesome Sound: The Legacy of Roscoe Holcomb.Steidl.ISBN 978-3-86930-254-6.
^^a ^bRoscoe Holcombdiscography atDiscogs
^Mountain Music of KentuckyatDiscogs(list of releases)
^FOTM – Friends of Old Time MusicatDiscogs(list of releases)
^Zabriskie Point (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)atDiscogs(list of releases)
^3rd Annual Brandywine Mountain Music Convention – '76 Music of KentuckyatDiscogs

External links

[1] Matthews, Scott L. (July 27, 2008)."John Cohen in Eastern Kentucky: Documentary Expression and the Image of Roscoe Halcomb During the Folk Revival".Southern Spaces.2008.doi:10.18737/M74W3W.

[PetrusCohen2015-2] Stephen Petrus; Ronald D. Cohen (8 June 2015).Folk City: New York and the American Folk Music Revival.Oxford University Press. pp.183–.ISBN 978-0-19-023103-3.

[3] Giles Oakley (1997).The Devil's Music.Da Capo Press.p.116.ISBN 978-0-306-80743-5.

[AllMusic_Untamed-4] An Untamed Sense of ControlatAllMusic

[Wolfe2015-5] Charles K. Wolfe (5 February 2015).Kentucky Country: Folk and Country Music of Kentucky.University Press of Kentucky.pp. 154–.ISBN 978-0-8131-4960-8.

[cohen2-6] John Cohen (2012).The High & Lonesome Sound: The Legacy of Roscoe Holcomb.Steidl.ISBN 978-3-86930-254-6.

[discogs-artist-7] Roscoe Holcombdiscography atDiscogs

[8] Mountain Music of KentuckyatDiscogs(list of releases)

[9] FOTM – Friends of Old Time MusicatDiscogs(list of releases)

[10] Zabriskie Point (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)atDiscogs(list of releases)

[11] 3rd Annual Brandywine Mountain Music Convention – '76 Music of KentuckyatDiscogs

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