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Music Fans Reflect On Jean Ritchie's "Once-In-A-Lifetime Voice"

AP
Singer, songwriter, and musician Jean Ritchie

Music lovers in Eastern Kentucky and around the world are remembering the woman known as the “Mother of Folk.”

"I would describe Jean Ritchie's voice as a once-in-a-lifetime voice," Kentucky School of Traditional and Bluegrass Music director Dean Osborne says. "It would probably be the purest definition of the high lonesome sound."

Though Jean Ritchie’s name might not always come up alongside Woodie Guthrie, Doc Watson, and other folk icons, Osborne says she belongs on that list. Born in the Eastern Kentucky farm town of Viper in 1922, Ritchie went on to become an exporter of the Appalachian sound – one she never abandoned.

"In her entire career, she was never forced to change her music to keep up with the times," he observes.

And that career spanned seven decades and more than 30 albums, including 1977’s None But One, which earned a Rolling Stone Critics Award. Still, her impact was not one to be measured in trophies or celebrity.

"While we're used to an immediate and Facebook type of a culture where somebody is known overnight, I think her fame influence is very deep-seated, and I think she's probably a lot more famous than people think," Osborne says.

Jean Ritchie passed away Monday at her home in Berea at the age of 92.

Josh James fell in love with college radio at Western Kentucky University's student station, New Rock 92 (now Revolution 91.7). After working as a DJ and program director, he knew he wanted to come home to Lexington and try his hand in public radio.
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