Jean Ritchie
Jean Ritchie
Voice of Appalachia
Jean Ritchie (1922–2015) was one of America’s finest and most beloved traditional singers, considered a national treasure for her work in preserving folkways. The eastern Kentucky coal country where she was raised proved creative fodder for composing such songs as “Blue Diamond Mines,” “Black Waters,” and “The L&N Don’t Stop Here Anymore.” Ritchie is in large part responsible for the revival and popularization of the Appalachian dulcimer, which she often used to accompany her songs.
