Synopsis

Bascom Lamar Lunsford, a pioneering folklorist of the 1920s, dedicated himself to the preservation of Appalachian music and dance. He elevated what was then dismissed as "hillbilly music," seeking to give it respectability. By visiting the homes of local banjo players and fiddlers, listening to their melodies, he assembled an unparalleled collection of songs, which he recorded for the Library of Congress and used to establish the first folk music festival.