Chuck
July 20th, 2008, 01:53 PM
LILY MAY LEDFORD PERFORMER AT KENTUCKY GATEWAY MUSEUM CENTER
Sandy Harmon will portray Lily May Ledford on July 24th at 7:30 p.m. at the Kentucky Gateway Museum Center. Sandy’s performance is made possible by the Kentucky Humanities Council Kentucky Chautauqua program and is sponsored by Hayswood Foundation and the Limestone Youth Orchestra.
Sandy Harmon of Henderson, Kentucky will tell the story of Lily May Ledford with song and narration. She will tell the story of a young girl growing up in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge who traded her box of crayons for a broken down fiddle. She eventually became better known for banjo picking than fiddling, but that old fiddle helped launch a career that brought Lily May and her Kentucky mountain music to a national audience. In 1937 Lily May and two other women formed the Coon Creek Girls, the first all female string band was formed. In 1939 the group began an eighteen-year run on the Renfro Valley Barn Dance Radio show. The same year they played at the White House for President and Mrs. Roosevelt and their guests, the King and Queen of England.
In 1957 the group disbanded and Lily May became quite active in the developing folk music scene of the 1960s and 1970s. She became very popular at folk festivals and in 1985 she was awarded the highest honor give to traditional artists, the National Heritage Award. Come to the Kentucky Gateway Museum Center on July 24th at 7:30 for a free performance by Sandy Harmon and learn more about our own Kentucky musician and story teller, Lily May Ledford. Everyone is cordially invited.
Sandy Harmon will portray Lily May Ledford on July 24th at 7:30 p.m. at the Kentucky Gateway Museum Center. Sandy’s performance is made possible by the Kentucky Humanities Council Kentucky Chautauqua program and is sponsored by Hayswood Foundation and the Limestone Youth Orchestra.
Sandy Harmon of Henderson, Kentucky will tell the story of Lily May Ledford with song and narration. She will tell the story of a young girl growing up in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge who traded her box of crayons for a broken down fiddle. She eventually became better known for banjo picking than fiddling, but that old fiddle helped launch a career that brought Lily May and her Kentucky mountain music to a national audience. In 1937 Lily May and two other women formed the Coon Creek Girls, the first all female string band was formed. In 1939 the group began an eighteen-year run on the Renfro Valley Barn Dance Radio show. The same year they played at the White House for President and Mrs. Roosevelt and their guests, the King and Queen of England.
In 1957 the group disbanded and Lily May became quite active in the developing folk music scene of the 1960s and 1970s. She became very popular at folk festivals and in 1985 she was awarded the highest honor give to traditional artists, the National Heritage Award. Come to the Kentucky Gateway Museum Center on July 24th at 7:30 for a free performance by Sandy Harmon and learn more about our own Kentucky musician and story teller, Lily May Ledford. Everyone is cordially invited.