Jean Ritchie, 'Mother of Folk,' Dead at 92; Kentucky Roots Shined in Music

Jean Ritchie, a musician that many have dubbed the "mother of folk" thanks to her huge impact on popularizing the form, has died at the age of 92.

Ritchie was born in Kentucky, the youngest of 14 children (this already sounds pretty legendary, we know). Her parents taught her and her siblings traditional Scottish and Irish ballads handed down from their ancestors, while they also learned the Appalachian standards and bluegrass tunes popular in the region. Ritchie attended the University of Kentucky and eventually moved to New York, and that massive population helped make her small performances into something much bigger.

Alan Lomax, a musicologist in employ with The Smithsonian and well known for his efforts to record the sounds of American roots music, caught wind of her performances. That led to Elektra Records offering Ritchie a record deal, and Jean Ritchie Singing the Traditional Songs of Her Kentucky Mountain Family was released during 1952. Her records introduced many listeners to "exotic" instruments such as the dulcimer and autoharp. Although her name may not resonate as widely with modern listeners such as that of the Carter Family, her work would eventually be covered by performers such as Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris and more.

So why does Ritchie get the title of "the mother of folk" when there were plenty of other performers of traditional Appalachian music around? Her popularity helps, but the political edge that she sometimes brought to her original songs resonated with the folk music of Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and others. Among her most noted tracks are "Black Waters," a song lamenting the effects of strip mining in her home state, as well as "West Virginia Mining Disaster," which also drew attention to the tough life of the mining community.

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Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger