Nimrod Workman
Encyclopedia
Nimrod Workman was an American singer, coal miner and trade unionist. His musical repertoire included traditional English and Scottish ballads, Appalachian folk songs and original compositions.
and was named for his grandfather, a Cherokee
Indian. At the age of 14 he went to work in the Howard Collieries coal mines in Mingo County WV, and he continued working as a coal miner for forty-two years until he was forced to retire due to black lung and a slipped disc.
Throughout his coal mining
career he was active in union politics and United Mine Workers of America organizing. In 1920-1921 he worked alongside Mary Harris "Mother" Jones in West Virginia, and participated in the Battle of Blair Mountain
uprising. In later years he advocated on behalf of black lung
victims, and was able to receive union compensation for his own health problems in 1971.
Following his retirement as a miner he became known as a folk singer, with frequent performances around Appalachia as well as the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and the 1982 World's Fair
. In 1986 he was a recipient of the National Heritage Fellowship
from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Workman recorded two albums, Passing Thru the Garden, with his daughter Phyllis Boyens, which was released by June Appal Recordings in 1975. In 1978 he released Mother Jones' Will on the Rounder Records
label. In addition he contributed songs to several albums of traditional and coal mining music.
He was the subject of a documentary Nimrod Workman: To Fit My Own Category, produced by Appalshop
Films, and appeared as himself in the documentaries Harlan County, USA
, Chase the Devil: Religious Music of the Appalachians, and The Grand Generation. He is heard leading the singing of "Amazing Grace" in the funeral scene in Coal Miner's Daughter
, which also featured Phyllis Boyens as Loretta Lynn
's mother.
He spent most of his life in Chattaroy, West Virginia
, though in later years he lived in Mascot, Tennessee
. He died in Knoxville, Tennessee
at the age of 99.
Biography
Nimrod Workman was born in Inez, Martin County, KentuckyMartin County, Kentucky
Martin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2010, the population was 12,929. Its county seat is Inez. The county is named for Congressman John Preston Martin...
and was named for his grandfather, a Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
Indian. At the age of 14 he went to work in the Howard Collieries coal mines in Mingo County WV, and he continued working as a coal miner for forty-two years until he was forced to retire due to black lung and a slipped disc.
Throughout his coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
career he was active in union politics and United Mine Workers of America organizing. In 1920-1921 he worked alongside Mary Harris "Mother" Jones in West Virginia, and participated in the Battle of Blair Mountain
Battle of Blair Mountain
The Battle of Blair Mountain was one of the largest civil uprisings in United States history and the largest armed insurrection since the American Civil War...
uprising. In later years he advocated on behalf of black lung
Black lung
Black lung can mean several things:* Black lung disease, the common name for coalworker's pneumoconiosis* Black Lung, an electronic and industrial music project by Australian musician David Thrussell...
victims, and was able to receive union compensation for his own health problems in 1971.
Following his retirement as a miner he became known as a folk singer, with frequent performances around Appalachia as well as the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and the 1982 World's Fair
1982 World's Fair
The 1982 World's Fair, formally known as the Knoxville International Energy Exposition, was held in Knoxville, Tennessee, in the United States. The theme of the exposition was "Energy Turns the World."...
. In 1986 he was a recipient of the National Heritage Fellowship
National Heritage Fellowship
The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award, the Fellowship is the United States' highest honor in the folk and traditional arts...
from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Workman recorded two albums, Passing Thru the Garden, with his daughter Phyllis Boyens, which was released by June Appal Recordings in 1975. In 1978 he released Mother Jones' Will on the Rounder Records
Rounder Records
Rounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
label. In addition he contributed songs to several albums of traditional and coal mining music.
He was the subject of a documentary Nimrod Workman: To Fit My Own Category, produced by Appalshop
Appalshop
Appalshop is a media, arts, and education center located in Whitesburg, Kentucky, in the heart of the southern Appalachian region of the United States....
Films, and appeared as himself in the documentaries Harlan County, USA
Harlan County, USA
Harlan County, USA is an Oscar-winning 1976 documentary film covering the "Brookside Strike" or "Bloody Harlan", an effort of 180 coal miners and their wives against the Duke Power Company-owned Eastover Coal Company's Brookside Mine and Prep Plant in Harlan County, Kentucky in 1973...
, Chase the Devil: Religious Music of the Appalachians, and The Grand Generation. He is heard leading the singing of "Amazing Grace" in the funeral scene in Coal Miner's Daughter
Coal Miner's Daughter
Coal Miner's Daughter is a 1980 American biographical film which tells the story of country music icon Loretta Lynn. It stars Sissy Spacek in her Academy Award for Best Actress winning role, Tommy Lee Jones, Beverly D'Angelo and Levon Helm, and was directed by Michael Apted.-Background:The film was...
, which also featured Phyllis Boyens as Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn is an American country music singer-songwriter, author and philanthropist. Born in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky to a coal miner father, Lynn married at 13 years old, was a mother soon after, and moved to Washington with her husband, Oliver Lynn. Their marriage was sometimes tumultuous; he...
's mother.
He spent most of his life in Chattaroy, West Virginia
Chattaroy, West Virginia
Chattaroy is a census-designated place in Mingo County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 756 at the 2010 census.The name "Chattaroy" has been recorded in several variations since 1775...
, though in later years he lived in Mascot, Tennessee
Mascot, Tennessee
Mascot is a census-designated place in Knox County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,119 at the 2000 census.Mascot is the site of an underground zinc mine.-History:...
. He died in Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
at the age of 99.
Albums
- Passing Thru the Garden (with Phyllis Boyens) (1974, June Appal RecordingsJune Appal RecordingsJune Appal Recordings was established by Appalshop to record and distribute music of and from Central Appalachia. Artists with June Appal releases include Buell Kazee, Morgan Sexton, Lee Sexton, Carla Gover, Nimrod Workman and others. Over the last thirty years, June Appal has released more than...
JA0001) - Mother Jones’ Will (1978, Rounder Records) - this has been reissued, with an additional 7 tracks (2011, Musical Traditions Records MTCD512)
- I Want to Go Where Things Are Beautiful (2008, Twos & Fews / Drag CityDrag City (record label)Drag City is a Chicago-based independent record label. It was established with a Royal Trux release in 1990 in Chicago, Illinois by Dan Koretzky and Dan Osborn.Drag City specializes in experimental indie rock acts...
. Recorded by Mike SeegerMike SeegerMike Seeger was an American folk musician and folklorist. He was a distinctive singer and an accomplished musician who played autoharp, banjo, fiddle, dulcimer, guitar, mouth harp, mandolin, dobro, jaw harp, and pan pipes. Seeger, a half-brother of Pete Seeger, produced more than 30 documentary...
, 1982.)
Compilation Tracks
- The Land of Yahoe (1996, Rounder) “Way Out West in Kansas”
- Meeting's A Pleasure: Folk Songs of the Upper South, Vols. 2-4 (2005, Musical Traditions) "Dixon Said to Johnson" "Charlotte of Edinboro Town" "The House Carpenter" "I'm Drinking from the Fountain (with Mollie Workman)" "Day Is Breaking In My Soul" "Black Dress Blues"
- Traditional Music on Rounder (1981, Rounder) “Watergate Boogie”
- Come All You Coal Miners (1973, Rounder; Albatros) “Both Lungs is Broke Down” “The N and W (Don’t Stop Here No More) ” “Don’t You Want to Go to that Land”
- Harlan County USA: Songs of the Coal Miner's Struggle (2006, Rounder) “Coal Black Mining Blues”
Films
- Nimrod Workman: To Fit My Own Category (1975). Directed by Anthony Slone and Scott Faulkner. Whitesburg, Kentucky: AppalshopAppalshopAppalshop is a media, arts, and education center located in Whitesburg, Kentucky, in the heart of the southern Appalachian region of the United States....
. - Harlan County USA (1976). Directed by Barbara KoppleBarbara KoppleBarbara Kopple is an American film director, primarily known for her work in documentary film.-Biography:She grew up in Scarsdale, New York, the daughter of a textile executive and studied psychology at Northeastern University, after which she worked with the Maysles Brothers.Kopple has won two...
- American Patchwork: Appalachian Journey (1991). Directed by Alan LomaxAlan LomaxAlan Lomax was an American folklorist and ethnomusicologist. He was one of the great field collectors of folk music of the 20th century, recording thousands of songs in the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, the Caribbean, Italy, and Spain.In his later career, Lomax advanced his theories of...
- American Patchwork: Dreams and Songs of the Noble Old (1991). Directed by Alan LomaxAlan LomaxAlan Lomax was an American folklorist and ethnomusicologist. He was one of the great field collectors of folk music of the 20th century, recording thousands of songs in the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, the Caribbean, Italy, and Spain.In his later career, Lomax advanced his theories of...
- Coal Miner's Daughter (1980). Directed by Michael AptedMichael AptedMichael David Apted, CMG is an English director, producer, writer and actor. He is one of the most prolific British film directors of his generation but is best known for his work on the Up Series of documentaries and the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough.On 29 June 2003 he was elected...
- Chase the Devil: Religious Music of the Appalachians (1990). Directed by Jeremy Marre
- The Grand Generation (1993). Directed by Marjorie Hunt, Paul Wagner, and Steven Zeitlin