1. Roscoe Holcomb The High Lonesome Sound Rarity

The poignant songs of church-goers, miners, and farmers of eastern Kentucky express the joys and sorrows of life among the rural poor. This classic and universally praised documentary evocatively illustrates how music and religion help Appalachians maintain their dignity and traditions in the face of change and hardship.

This 1963 National Archives film is not in the greatest shape. National Archives description: 'Documentary: Explores the lives of Appalachian mountain people. The High Lonesome Sound Smithsonian Folkways Recordings The legendary Roscoe Holcomb performs 21 powerful songs shaped by the hard times and conflict between old and new that marked his life in the Kentucky mountains. A hard-hitting singer and banjo-player, he also performs unaccompanied ballads, banjo and harmonica solos, and with a guitar. The film features the noted Appalachian banjo picker Roscoe Holcomb and places him firmly in the context of the land and the people with whom he spent his life. The High Lonesome Sound Roscoe Holcomb Singer/Songwriter 1965 Preview Editors’ Notes Though this album was released in 1965, Kentucky singer/banjo man Holcomb plays tunes that reach back to—and sometimes even predate—the earliest days of country and folk. His rough-edged tenor is a master marksman’s bullet tearing straight into the. Roscoe Holcomb, (born as Roscoe Halcomb September 5, 1912 - died February 1, 1981) was an American singer, banjo player, and guitarist from Daisy, Kentucky. A prominent figure in Appalachian folk music, Holcomb was the inspiration for the term 'high, lonesome sound,' coined.

The film features the noted Appalachian banjo picker Roscoe Holcomb and places him firmly in the context of the land and the people with whom he spent his life.

'The sense of reality the film generates, its comprehensiveness, and its powerful photography make it good and useful; what makes it a great film is its great theme, the awe-inspiring dignity, beauty, and art of the common man in the face of adversity and hardship.' — Journal of American Folklore

'From the standpoint of pure film, John Cohen´s The High Lonesome Sound is the best folk music film I have yet seen. It is the only film that can stand on its own two feet, independent of the viewer´s interest in folk music. The filmmaker and editor are well aware of the possibilities of their medium and have structured each scene in a logical, common sense, yet highly artistic manner…. A genteel and a rollicking church service are balanced against each other with some incisive camera work on children and the American flag in the more emotional service. The film is a real achievement, both as a film and as a serious study of a folksinger and his region.' — Paul Nelson, in Sing Out! Magazine

Licensing

For licensing, film rights and permissions, contact John Cohen, the distributor , or Folkstreams.

Roscoe Holcomb The High Lonesome Sound Rarity