Show Me Folk
A Tribute to Joe Wilson, 1938-2015
We are very sad to learn of the death of Joe Wilson–folklorist, advocate, producer, legend. His wisdom, actions, and wit guided so many in our field. https://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage/fellows/joseph-wilson An obituary for Joe Wilson can be found…
Thinking Out Loud: Missouri’s Folk Arts History, via KBIA, Mid-Missouri Public Radio
Thinking Out Loud brings you an intimate look into some of Missouri’s oldest folk-art traditions: from blacksmithing to jazz, traditional song, and dance.
A Tribute to Glenn Ohrlin, 1926-2015
We are sad to learn that the great cowboy poet and singer Glenn Ohrlin of Mtn. View, Arkansas has died. In the late 1990s, Mr. Ohrlin participated in a tour organized by Julie Youmans, then…
Artists Blaze the Way Into Creative Old Age, via Missouri Arts Council
In this essay from 2014, Barbara MacRobie, Missouri Arts Council’s Public Information Coordinator, shared profiles of a few Missouri artists who are aging creatively. Master old-time fiddler Cliff Bryan (b. 1927; d. 2017) told MacRobie…
A Tribute to Johnny Lee Vincent, 1940-2014
Our condolences to the friends and family of Johnny Lee Vincent, founder of the Sally Mountain Show and Sally Mountain Park Bluegrass Festival. R.I.P. An obituary for Mr. Vincent can be found here: https://bluegrasstoday.com/johnny-vincent-remembered/
A Tribute to Judith McCulloh, 1935-2014
We were sad to learn yesterday that Judith McCulloh has died. Dr. McCulloh was an exemplary leader in the field of folklore. For 35 years, she worked at the University of Illinois Press, where she…
A Tribute to Ellen Gray Massey, 1921-2014
We were sad to learn that Ellen Gray Massey, the inimitable Ozarks teacher and author, has died. If she were known for nothing else but editing “Bittersweet, the Ozark Quarterly Magazine,” that would be plenty….
A Tribute to Don Lipovac, 1935-2014
R.I.P. Don Lipovac, of Kansas City, Kansas–polka musician extraordinaire and member of the Tamburitza Association Of America‘s Hall of Fame. Mr. Lipovac moved easily across the Kansas/Missouri state line, regularly performing at the Sugar Creek…
A Tribute to Luther Medley, 1932-2013
We were very sad to learn yesterday that Luther Medley of Poplar Bluff passed away in October 2013. Mr. Medley was an apprentice in the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program with master luthier Bernard Allen in…
A Tribute to Donald Graves, 1942-2014
Don Graves, a master artist of old-time dulcimer and a dulcimer luthier from Lebanon, Missouri, died on Monday, April 14, 2014. Below is a PDF of the tribute we wrote at that time. Master Artist…