Wayne Howard

From his birth in Owensboro, Kentucky, in 1947, to his 2020 album featuring the music of Lee Hammons, Wayne Howard has lived an exceptionally creative life. He seemed to be eternally present at fiddle festivals, involved in the creative forces working to preserve Southern Mountain music. In 1969, he relocated to West Virginia and was introduced to the Hammons family by Dwight Diller. Howard then recorded Lee, Sherman, Burl, and Maggie Hammons playing music and telling stories. Howard then became a professional computer programmer, a vintage book collector, and a woodworker, before turning to writing about the Hammons family, and producing CDs of their stories and music. This biography follows the threads of music and folklore through Howard’s life, celebrating his profound knowledge that does much to sustain the interest of those who seek out Appalachian tunes, songs, and stories.

Clawhammer banjo player Lewis M. Stern has written about traditional musicians including Dwight Diller, Tommy Malbeouf, and Jim Scancarelli. He lives in Durham, North Carolina.

Lewis M. Stern
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 195
Bibliographic Info: 40 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2021
pISBN: 978-1-4766-8426-0
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4270-3
Imprint: McFarland
Series: Contributions to Southern Appalachian Studies

Acknowledgments ix
Preface 1
One. Family History, Early Life, Education, Aspirations 11
Two. Life in West Virginia 33
Three. Back to Kentucky, Pursuing Folklore 60
Four. Wayne’s Creative Trajectory 92
Appendix 1. Burl Hammons’ Lost, and Found, Fiddle 129
Appendix 2. Two Dulcimers Made by Lee Hammons 139
List of Interviewees 145
Chapter Notes 149
Bibliography 173
Index 179