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Hazel Dickens

 
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Hazel Dickens (born June 1, 1935, Mercer County
Mercer County, West Virginia

Mercer County is a county located in West Virginia since that U.S. state was formed in 1863. The county was originally established in the state of Virginia by act of its Virginia General Assembly on 17 March 1837, using lands taken from Giles County, Virginia and Tazewell County, Virginia counties....
, West Virginia
West Virginia

West Virginia is a U.S. state in the Appalachian, Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia on the southeast, Kentucky on the southwest, Ohio on the northwest, and Pennsylvania and Maryland on the northeast....
) is an American bluegrass
Bluegrass music

Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and is a sub-genre of country music. It has its own roots in Folk music of Ireland, Music of Scotland, Music of Wales and Folk Music of England traditional music....
 singer. She was the eighth child of an eleven-child mining
Coal mining

Coal mining is the extraction or removal of coal from the earth by mining. When coal is used for fuel in power generation it is referred to as steaming or thermal coal....
 family in West Virginia
West Virginia

West Virginia is a U.S. state in the Appalachian, Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia on the southeast, Kentucky on the southwest, Ohio on the northwest, and Pennsylvania and Maryland on the northeast....
. Her music is characterized by not only her high lonesome singing style, but also by her provocative pro-union
Trade union

A trade union or labor union is an organization run by and for workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages, hours, and working conditions....
, feminist
Feminism

Feminism is the belief that women should have equal political, social, sexual, intellectual and economic rights to men. It involves various movements, Theory, and philosophies, all concerned with issues of gender difference, that advocate equality for women and that campaign for women's rights and interests....
 songs.

rty drove the Dickens family to move to the Baltimore
Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore is an independent city and the largest city in the U.S. state of Maryland in the United States. Baltimore is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay....
, Maryland
Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic States of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the Washington, D.C. to the south and west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Delaware to the east....
 area when Hazel was nineteen. There she met Mike Seeger
Mike Seeger

Mike Seeger is an United States folk music and folklorist.He was exposed to traditional music through his mother and father , who worked with Musicology John Lomax and Alan Lomax....
, younger brother of Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger

Peter "Pete" Seeger is an United States folk singer, and a key figure in the mid-20th century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 50s as a member of The Weavers, most notably the 1950 recording of Leadbelly's "Goodnight, Irene" that topped the charts f...
 and founding member of the New Lost City Ramblers
New Lost City Ramblers

The New Lost City Ramblers is a contemporary Old-time music string band that formed in New York City in 1958 during the Roots revival. The founding members of the Ramblers, or NLCR, are Mike Seeger, John Cohen , and Tom Paley....
 and became active in the Baltimore-Washington
Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the Capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790....
 area bluegrass
Bluegrass music

Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and is a sub-genre of country music. It has its own roots in Folk music of Ireland, Music of Scotland, Music of Wales and Folk Music of England traditional music....
 and folk music
Folk music

Folk music can have a number of different meanings, including:* Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous with the term "Traditional music", also often including World Music and Roots music; the term "Traditional music" was given its more specific meaning to distinguish it from the other definition...
 scene during the 1960s.






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Hazel Dickens (born June 1, 1935, Mercer County
Mercer County, West Virginia

Mercer County is a county located in West Virginia since that U.S. state was formed in 1863. The county was originally established in the state of Virginia by act of its Virginia General Assembly on 17 March 1837, using lands taken from Giles County, Virginia and Tazewell County, Virginia counties....
, West Virginia
West Virginia

West Virginia is a U.S. state in the Appalachian, Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia on the southeast, Kentucky on the southwest, Ohio on the northwest, and Pennsylvania and Maryland on the northeast....
) is an American bluegrass
Bluegrass music

Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and is a sub-genre of country music. It has its own roots in Folk music of Ireland, Music of Scotland, Music of Wales and Folk Music of England traditional music....
 singer. She was the eighth child of an eleven-child mining
Coal mining

Coal mining is the extraction or removal of coal from the earth by mining. When coal is used for fuel in power generation it is referred to as steaming or thermal coal....
 family in West Virginia
West Virginia

West Virginia is a U.S. state in the Appalachian, Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia on the southeast, Kentucky on the southwest, Ohio on the northwest, and Pennsylvania and Maryland on the northeast....
. Her music is characterized by not only her high lonesome singing style, but also by her provocative pro-union
Trade union

A trade union or labor union is an organization run by and for workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages, hours, and working conditions....
, feminist
Feminism

Feminism is the belief that women should have equal political, social, sexual, intellectual and economic rights to men. It involves various movements, Theory, and philosophies, all concerned with issues of gender difference, that advocate equality for women and that campaign for women's rights and interests....
 songs.

Life & Career

Poverty drove the Dickens family to move to the Baltimore
Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore is an independent city and the largest city in the U.S. state of Maryland in the United States. Baltimore is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay....
, Maryland
Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic States of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the Washington, D.C. to the south and west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Delaware to the east....
 area when Hazel was nineteen. There she met Mike Seeger
Mike Seeger

Mike Seeger is an United States folk music and folklorist.He was exposed to traditional music through his mother and father , who worked with Musicology John Lomax and Alan Lomax....
, younger brother of Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger

Peter "Pete" Seeger is an United States folk singer, and a key figure in the mid-20th century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 50s as a member of The Weavers, most notably the 1950 recording of Leadbelly's "Goodnight, Irene" that topped the charts f...
 and founding member of the New Lost City Ramblers
New Lost City Ramblers

The New Lost City Ramblers is a contemporary Old-time music string band that formed in New York City in 1958 during the Roots revival. The founding members of the Ramblers, or NLCR, are Mike Seeger, John Cohen , and Tom Paley....
 and became active in the Baltimore-Washington
Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the Capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790....
 area bluegrass
Bluegrass music

Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and is a sub-genre of country music. It has its own roots in Folk music of Ireland, Music of Scotland, Music of Wales and Folk Music of England traditional music....
 and folk music
Folk music

Folk music can have a number of different meanings, including:* Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous with the term "Traditional music", also often including World Music and Roots music; the term "Traditional music" was given its more specific meaning to distinguish it from the other definition...
 scene during the 1960s. During this time she also established a collaborative relationship with Mike Seeger
Mike Seeger

Mike Seeger is an United States folk music and folklorist.He was exposed to traditional music through his mother and father , who worked with Musicology John Lomax and Alan Lomax....
's wife, Alice Gerrard
Alice Gerrard

Alice Gerrard is an United States bluegrass music singer. She performed in a duo with Hazel Dickens and as part of The Back Creek Buddies with Matokie Slaughter....
, and as "Hazel & Alice" recorded two albums for the Folkways
Folkways

Folkways can refer to:*Folkways ?theory by the sociologist William Graham Sumner.*Folkways Records?a record label founded by Moe Asch....
 label: "Who's That Knocking (And Other Bluegrass Country Music) (1965)" and "Won't You Come & Sing for Me (1973)". In this regard, Dickens and Gerrard were bluegrass
Bluegrass music

Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and is a sub-genre of country music. It has its own roots in Folk music of Ireland, Music of Scotland, Music of Wales and Folk Music of England traditional music....
 bandleaders at a time when the vast majority of bluegrass
Bluegrass music

Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and is a sub-genre of country music. It has its own roots in Folk music of Ireland, Music of Scotland, Music of Wales and Folk Music of England traditional music....
 bands were led by men.

Dickens appeared in the documentary "Harlan County, USA
Harlan County, USA

Harlan County, USA is a 1976 documentary film covering the efforts of 180 coal miners on Strike action against the Duke Power Company in Harlan County, Kentucky in 1973....
" and also contributed four songs to the soundtrack of the same film. She has also appeared in the films Matewan
Matewan

Matewan is an United States drama film by John Sayles, illustrating the events of a coal Mining-workers' Strike action and attempt to unionize in 1920 in Matewan, West Virginia, a small town in the hills of West Virginia....
 and Songcatcher
Songcatcher

Songcatcher is a 2000 in film drama film, directed by Maggie Greenwald. It is about a musicologist researching and collecting Old-time music in the mountains of western North Carolina....
.

Dickens continues to record and perform to this day. Her voice is still among the most powerful and moving of all bluegrass
Bluegrass music

Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and is a sub-genre of country music. It has its own roots in Folk music of Ireland, Music of Scotland, Music of Wales and Folk Music of England traditional music....
 singers, male or female.

Of the songs she's written, "Hills of Home" and "A Few Old memories" are regarded by fans and critics as her most moving and powerful.

Discography


With Alice Gerrard

  • Who's That Knocking (1965)
  • Won't You Come & Sing for Me (1973).
  • Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard - Hazel & Alice (1973)
  • Hazel Dickens/Alice Gerrard - Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard (1975)
  • Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard - Pioneering Women of Bluegrass (Smithsonian Folkways,1996)


With Carol Elizabeth Jones, Ginny Hawker

  • Heart of a Singer (1993)


Solo albums

  • Hard Hitting Songs for Hard Hit People (1981)
  • By the Sweat of My Brow (1984)
  • It's Hard to Tell the Singer From the Song (1986)
  • A Few Old Memories (1987)


Compilations

  • Rounder Old-Time Music (1987)
  • Mountain Music Played on the Autoharp (Folkways Records
    Folkways Records

    Folkways Records is a record label that documents folk and world music. It is owned by the Smithsonian Institution....
    ,1962)
  • American Banjo: Three-Finger and Scruggs Style (Smithsonian Folkways, 1990)
  • Don't Mourn-Organize!: Songs of Labor Songwriter Joe Hill (Smithsonian Folkways, 1990)
  • Blue Ribbon Bluegrass (1993)
  • The Old Home Place: Bluegrass and Old-Time Mountain Music (1993)
  • Live Recordings 1956-1969: Off the Record Volume 1 (Smithsonian Folkways, 1993)
  • Old-Time Music on the Air, V. 1 (1994)
  • Hills of Home: 25 Years of Folk Music on Rounder Records (1995)
  • Hand-Picked: 25 Years of Bluegrass on Rounder Records (1995)
  • Songs of the Louvin Brothers (1997)
  • They'll Never Keep Us Down: Women's Coal Mining Songs. Re-issued under the title: Coal Mining Women (1997)
  • Blue Trail of Sorrow (2001)
  • There is No Eye: Music for Photographs (Smithsonian Folkways, 2001)
  • Classic Mountain Songs from Smithsonian Folkways (Smithsonian Folkways, 2002)
  • Bluegrass Mountain Style: Over 60 Minutes of Classic Bluegrass from Rounder Records (2002)
  • Mama's Hand: Bluegrass and Mountain Songs about Mother (2002)
  • Classic Bluegrass from Smithsonian Folkways (Smithsonian Folkways, 2002)
  • Mountain Journey: Stars of Old Time Music (2005)
  • Classic Bluegrass Vol. 2 from Smithsonian Folkways (Smithsonian Folkways, 2005)
  • Harlan County USA: Songs of the Coal Miner's Struggle (2006)
  • Classic Labor Songs from Smithsonian Folkways (Smithsonian Folkways, 2006)
  • Masters of Old-time Country Autoharp (Smithsonian Folkways, 2006)


Films


Films in which Dickens appears

  • (2001). Directed by Mimi Pickering (Appalshop
    Appalshop

    Appalshop is a media, arts, and education center located in Whitesburg, Kentucky, Kentucky, in the heart of the southern Appalachian region of the United States....
    ).
  • Matewan
    Matewan

    Matewan is an United States drama film by John Sayles, illustrating the events of a coal Mining-workers' Strike action and attempt to unionize in 1920 in Matewan, West Virginia, a small town in the hills of West Virginia....
     (1987). Directed by John Sayles
    John Sayles

    John Thomas Sayles is an United States independent film film director and screenwriter who frequently plays small roles in his own and other indie films....
    .
  • Songcatcher
    Songcatcher

    Songcatcher is a 2000 in film drama film, directed by Maggie Greenwald. It is about a musicologist researching and collecting Old-time music in the mountains of western North Carolina....
     (2000). Directed by Maggie Greenwald.


Films in which Dickens contributes to the soundtrack

  • Coalmining Women (1982). Directed by Elizabeth Barret. Whitesburg, Kentucky: Appalshop.
  • Harlan County U.S.A. (1976). Directed by Barbara Kopple
    Barbara Kopple

    Barbara Kopple is an American film film director primarily known for her work in documentary film. She has won two Academy Awards; the first was in 1976, for Harlan County, USA about a Kentucky miners' Strike action, and the second was in 1991, for American Dream , the story of the Hormel Foods Corporation Foods strike in Austin, Min...
    .


External links

  • at Smithsonian Folkways