This collection of pictures of the Great Depression offers a glimpse into the lives of Americans who suffered through it.

They now are thinking only of themselves.

Scott Matthews examines the documentary work John Cohen (August 2, 1932–September 16, 2019) produced in eastern Kentucky from the late 1950s into the 1960s, particularly the image he created of singer-musician Roscoe Halcomb, who is prominently featured in Cohen's 1963 film The High Lonesome Sound (made in collaboration with Joel Agee). Cohen, a musician, photographer, and member of the group The New Lost City Ramblers, met Halcomb in Eastern Kentucky in 1959, when the area was in the grip of an economic depression. Through sound recordings, photography and film, Cohen spread Halcomb's music and image throughout the folk revival scene of the early 1960s, making him an iconic embodiment of artistic authenticity based in the grinding poverty of Appalachia (and turning his recognized name to Roscoe Holcomb along the way). The article shows how Cohen's representation of the depressed conditions that shaped Halcomb's existence contributed to the power of Halcomb's mythic image during this time. Matthews also explores the differences between the two men's views on the relationship of art, work, poverty, and survival. Based upon several extended interviews with John Cohen as well as other historical materials, the article examines Cohen's friendship with Halcomb and his relationship to Halcomb's personal life and musical career, with special attention to the production and reception of The High Lonesome Sound.

A collection of 20 photos depicting life in Kentucky during the Great Depression, highlighting the struggles and resilience of its

In the midst of the Great Depression, in a community crushed by the collapse of coal, and isolated by the very mountains they call home, a group of determined librarians take to their horses to reach the people of Eastern Kentucky. With a dedication equal to the US Postal Service, these “Book Women'' deliver more than the books and magazines they carry in their saddlebags. They bring hope. They bring dreams. They bring the promise that if we support one another, tomorrow will be better.

Scott Matthews examines the documentary work John Cohen (August 2, 1932–September 16, 2019) produced in eastern Kentucky from the late 1950s into the 1960s, particularly the image he created of singer-musician Roscoe Halcomb, who is prominently featured in Cohen's 1963 film The High Lonesome Sound (made in collaboration with Joel Agee). Cohen, a musician, photographer, and member of the group The New Lost City Ramblers, met Halcomb in Eastern Kentucky in 1959, when the area was in the grip of an economic depression. Through sound recordings, photography and film, Cohen spread Halcomb's music and image throughout the folk revival scene of the early 1960s, making him an iconic embodiment of artistic authenticity based in the grinding poverty of Appalachia (and turning his recognized name to Roscoe Holcomb along the way). The article shows how Cohen's representation of the depressed conditions that shaped Halcomb's existence contributed to the power of Halcomb's mythic image during this time. Matthews also explores the differences between the two men's views on the relationship of art, work, poverty, and survival. Based upon several extended interviews with John Cohen as well as other historical materials, the article examines Cohen's friendship with Halcomb and his relationship to Halcomb's personal life and musical career, with special attention to the production and reception of The High Lonesome Sound.

During the Great Depression, the creek beds of eastern Kentucky weren’t known for their hospitality. Cut Shin, Troublesome and Hell for Certain Creek — the level of their compassion was reflected in their names. Still, the muddy mark of horse hooves in the creek beds pointed to their use as last-effort roadways, particularly by a...

Fifty years after LBJ declared a War on Poverty in America, LIFE presents a series of photos by John Dominis from eastern Kentucky in 1964.

Scott Matthews examines the documentary work John Cohen (August 2, 1932–September 16, 2019) produced in eastern Kentucky from the late 1950s into the 1960s, particularly the image he created of singer-musician Roscoe Halcomb, who is prominently featured in Cohen's 1963 film The High Lonesome Sound (made in collaboration with Joel Agee). Cohen, a musician, photographer, and member of the group The New Lost City Ramblers, met Halcomb in Eastern Kentucky in 1959, when the area was in the grip of an economic depression. Through sound recordings, photography and film, Cohen spread Halcomb's music and image throughout the folk revival scene of the early 1960s, making him an iconic embodiment of artistic authenticity based in the grinding poverty of Appalachia (and turning his recognized name to Roscoe Holcomb along the way). The article shows how Cohen's representation of the depressed conditions that shaped Halcomb's existence contributed to the power of Halcomb's mythic image during this time. Matthews also explores the differences between the two men's views on the relationship of art, work, poverty, and survival. Based upon several extended interviews with John Cohen as well as other historical materials, the article examines Cohen's friendship with Halcomb and his relationship to Halcomb's personal life and musical career, with special attention to the production and reception of The High Lonesome Sound.

Shelby Lee Adams spent four decades gaining the trust of the people in these images, sometimes photographing up to five generations of the same family

Helen is the second child born into a family of nine children in the hilly undeveloped region of Eastern Kentucky just before the great depression. She learned at an early age that her right leg had been affected by polio. She refuses to believe or allow polio to prevent her from doing all the things her peers and siblings do. Maggie, her older sister, is her idol. She follows her wherever she goes and attempts to do all the things Maggie does: even though many are very difficult for her. All the children are responsible for many chores on the farm their father Lee had inherited from his father. The children have no toys except the ones their parents make for them: such as board games, wooden sleds, sliding boards and bran stuffed dolls. At the age of six Helen enters school to begin first grade in a one room schoolhouse. They use an outdoor toilet and a well to draw water for drinking. The schoolhouse is heated in winter by burning coal in a pot belly stove. There is only one teacher for all eight grades of children ranging in ages six through sixteen. The children carry their lunch in a four pound lard bucket and sit on a rock or under a tree to eat. When the sawmill where Lee works closes down, most of the men are left with no way to earn money. A few men are still working in the coal mines, but Lee hates the mines and looks for other ways to survive the depression. Some of the men turn to making moonshine and selling it to survive even though it is against the law to make moonshine. Helen spends her junior and senior high school years away in boarding school. She spends all her spare time working in the kitchen to earn money to help pay her tuition and room and board. The teenagers in the neighborhood are always busy on the weekends. That''s when they go square dancing, bean stringing and to box suppers. It is at one of these square dances that Helen meets and falls in love with her best friend''s brother James. He gives her an engagement ring and they plan to

The Kentucky River is formed in eastern Kentucky at Beattyville, where the North, Middle and South Forks join together. The river then flows 260 miles to the Ohio River at Carrolton. The river drains much of the central region of the state. With the appearance of the early steamboats on the Kentucky River in the 1820s, the river became the primary artery for economic growth with trade with the lower south. This dominance lasted until the Civil War when the railroads surpassed the packetboats with freight traffic. After the war, river traffic shifted to towboats pushing barges of bulk commodities. However, steam packetboats, and later gasboats, continued to service the isolated river communities along the lower river until the Great Depression. In 1836-1842, the Commonwealth of Kentucky constructed five locks and dams, from Carrollton to Tyrone. These dams created pools of water which allowed year round "slackwater" navigation. The state operated these locks until after the Civil War. | Author: Charles H Bogart, William M Ambrose | Publisher: Lulu.Com | Publication Date: Aug 27, 2018 | Number of Pages: 236 pages | Language: English | Binding: Paperback | ISBN-10: 0359051901 | ISBN-13: 9780359051908

John Dominis' 1960s pictures show day-to-day life for the forgotten people of America's Appalachia who sustained themselves on a bare government subsistence level and lived in shacks.

Scott Matthews examines the documentary work John Cohen (August 2, 1932–September 16, 2019) produced in eastern Kentucky from the late 1950s into the 1960s, particularly the image he created of singer-musician Roscoe Halcomb, who is prominently featured in Cohen's 1963 film The High Lonesome Sound (made in collaboration with Joel Agee). Cohen, a musician, photographer, and member of the group The New Lost City Ramblers, met Halcomb in Eastern Kentucky in 1959, when the area was in the grip of an economic depression. Through sound recordings, photography and film, Cohen spread Halcomb's music and image throughout the folk revival scene of the early 1960s, making him an iconic embodiment of artistic authenticity based in the grinding poverty of Appalachia (and turning his recognized name to Roscoe Holcomb along the way). The article shows how Cohen's representation of the depressed conditions that shaped Halcomb's existence contributed to the power of Halcomb's mythic image during this time. Matthews also explores the differences between the two men's views on the relationship of art, work, poverty, and survival. Based upon several extended interviews with John Cohen as well as other historical materials, the article examines Cohen's friendship with Halcomb and his relationship to Halcomb's personal life and musical career, with special attention to the production and reception of The High Lonesome Sound.

It's 4:30 in the morning, and the "book woman" and her horse are already on their way. Hers is an important job, for the folks along her treacherous route are eager for the tattered books and magazines she carries in her saddlebags. During the Great Depression, thousands lived on the brin

An odd phenomenon has been at work in the past few years. Print book sales slope upward while eBook sales creep down.

https://amzn.to/2S0KzIo I'm reading The Book Woman Of Troublesome Creek this week, and although it is fiction, it is inspired by history. Both the history of the Pack Horse Librarians, and the history of the blue people of Kentucky. I do love a book that teaches me history! As often is the case with books like this, I wanted to do some research on my own. This is what I found on the Pack Horse Librarians. (JoJo Moyes new book, due to be released this October, is also about a Pack Horse Librarian The Giver Of The Stars.) The Pack Horse Library Project After the great depression, as part of Franklin D. Roosevelt's Work Progress Administration, librarians on horseback took books and periodicals to the remote hollows and hills of eastern Kentucky. More about the Works Progress Administration "I remember standing with my mother on the porch of a long-gone rural Kentucky school when I was a child and she was a school teacher" said Bill Elam. "She tried to explain to me the Pack Horse Library. She summed it up in words that I do remember: They brought us books" Some places were so remote that book women often had to go part of the way on foot. One carrier traveled a section of her route by rowboat. The Courier Journal, Nov 5 1995 The Courier-Journal Louisville, Kentucky 05 Nov 1995, Sun • Page 21 a 1995 article in the Courier -Journal includes an interview with 83 year old former pack horse librarian Grace Caudill Lucas. "Son, (times) was so hard you couldn't hardly crack 'em" she said. "It wasn't only one; it was about everybody. The only work there was around here besides grubbing and making moonshine was railroading, and there was only a few pensioners. They was the only ones that had a dollar. We had enough to eat, We had our own hogs, and our own cow. But many of a night my children and me went to bed with just milk and bread for supper, and its still good enough for me." Before becoming a Pack Horse Librarian, Grace worked for the Works Progress Administration Sewing Project. Around 1934, at age 22, she switched to the Pack Horse Library project. "I got paid $28 a month and worked three days a week. I had to hire my horse. I paid 50 cents a day for the horse and fed it." She recalls riding around cliffs, and through deep water, and sometimes her feet froze to the stirrups. (Try clicking on the photo to enlarge and read it, or right click and save as, then you should be able to enlarge it to read it) The Courier-Journal Louisville, Kentucky 17 Dec 1995, Sun • Page 3 Did you wonder if the librarians really did bind and repair the books? I did. And I found this article in a 1939 Kentucky newspaper: The Owensboro Messenger January 22 1939 St. Cloud Times Saint Cloud, Minnesota 13 Nov 1936, Fri • Page 9 And what about those Pack Horse Librarian Scrapbooks? Before there were bloggers sharing recipes and crafts and tips, there were Pack Horse Librarian Scrapbooks - full of magazine articles, recipes, quilt patterns and more. Some of them still exist today! “The librarians would go through these ragged magazines and dilapidated books and they would cannibalize them, deconstruct them, remix them and create these new scrapbooks.” -Jason Vance Additional Books About The Pack Horse Librarians: The Giver Of The Stars By JoJo Moyes (also fiction about a pack horse librarian!) Down Cut Shin Creek - The Pack Horse Librarians Of Kentucky Nonfiction That Book Woman (Childrens Book) Mary On Horseback (A Pack Horse Nurse) Where Green Meets Blue (Romance Novel) ===================== https://fieldsofhether.blogspot.com/p/reading.html More: More Packhorse Librarian Photos Listen To An NPR Broadcast on The Pack Horse Librarians The Courier-Journal Louisville, Kentucky 05 Nov 1995, Sun • Page 21

John Dominis' 1960s pictures show day-to-day life for the forgotten people of America's Appalachia who sustained themselves on a bare government subsistence level and lived in shacks.

Scott Matthews examines the documentary work John Cohen (August 2, 1932–September 16, 2019) produced in eastern Kentucky from the late 1950s into the 1960s, particularly the image he created of singer-musician Roscoe Halcomb, who is prominently featured in Cohen's 1963 film The High Lonesome Sound (made in collaboration with Joel Agee). Cohen, a musician, photographer, and member of the group The New Lost City Ramblers, met Halcomb in Eastern Kentucky in 1959, when the area was in the grip of an economic depression. Through sound recordings, photography and film, Cohen spread Halcomb's music and image throughout the folk revival scene of the early 1960s, making him an iconic embodiment of artistic authenticity based in the grinding poverty of Appalachia (and turning his recognized name to Roscoe Holcomb along the way). The article shows how Cohen's representation of the depressed conditions that shaped Halcomb's existence contributed to the power of Halcomb's mythic image during this time. Matthews also explores the differences between the two men's views on the relationship of art, work, poverty, and survival. Based upon several extended interviews with John Cohen as well as other historical materials, the article examines Cohen's friendship with Halcomb and his relationship to Halcomb's personal life and musical career, with special attention to the production and reception of The High Lonesome Sound.

During the Great Depression, a New Deal program brought books to Kentuckians living in remote areas

The documentary chronicles the history of Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky. Through two world wars and other military conflicts, the Great Depression, the Civil Rights Movement and integration, the film touches on the historical events and cultural and societal issues that helped shape the campus and the students, faculty and staff who have called it home.

John Dominis' 1960s pictures show day-to-day life for the forgotten people of America's Appalachia who sustained themselves on a bare government subsistence level and lived in shacks.

Scott Matthews examines the documentary work John Cohen (August 2, 1932–September 16, 2019) produced in eastern Kentucky from the late 1950s into the 1960s, particularly the image he created of singer-musician Roscoe Halcomb, who is prominently featured in Cohen's 1963 film The High Lonesome Sound (made in collaboration with Joel Agee). Cohen, a musician, photographer, and member of the group The New Lost City Ramblers, met Halcomb in Eastern Kentucky in 1959, when the area was in the grip of an economic depression. Through sound recordings, photography and film, Cohen spread Halcomb's music and image throughout the folk revival scene of the early 1960s, making him an iconic embodiment of artistic authenticity based in the grinding poverty of Appalachia (and turning his recognized name to Roscoe Holcomb along the way). The article shows how Cohen's representation of the depressed conditions that shaped Halcomb's existence contributed to the power of Halcomb's mythic image during this time. Matthews also explores the differences between the two men's views on the relationship of art, work, poverty, and survival. Based upon several extended interviews with John Cohen as well as other historical materials, the article examines Cohen's friendship with Halcomb and his relationship to Halcomb's personal life and musical career, with special attention to the production and reception of The High Lonesome Sound.

John Dominis' 1960s pictures show day-to-day life for the forgotten people of America's Appalachia who sustained themselves on a bare government subsistence level and lived in shacks.

Scott Matthews examines the documentary work John Cohen (August 2, 1932–September 16, 2019) produced in eastern Kentucky from the late 1950s into the 1960s, particularly the image he created of singer-musician Roscoe Halcomb, who is prominently featured in Cohen's 1963 film The High Lonesome Sound (made in collaboration with Joel Agee). Cohen, a musician, photographer, and member of the group The New Lost City Ramblers, met Halcomb in Eastern Kentucky in 1959, when the area was in the grip of an economic depression. Through sound recordings, photography and film, Cohen spread Halcomb's music and image throughout the folk revival scene of the early 1960s, making him an iconic embodiment of artistic authenticity based in the grinding poverty of Appalachia (and turning his recognized name to Roscoe Holcomb along the way). The article shows how Cohen's representation of the depressed conditions that shaped Halcomb's existence contributed to the power of Halcomb's mythic image during this time. Matthews also explores the differences between the two men's views on the relationship of art, work, poverty, and survival. Based upon several extended interviews with John Cohen as well as other historical materials, the article examines Cohen's friendship with Halcomb and his relationship to Halcomb's personal life and musical career, with special attention to the production and reception of The High Lonesome Sound.

Scott Matthews examines the documentary work John Cohen (August 2, 1932–September 16, 2019) produced in eastern Kentucky from the late 1950s into the 1960s, particularly the image he created of singer-musician Roscoe Halcomb, who is prominently featured in Cohen's 1963 film The High Lonesome Sound (made in collaboration with Joel Agee). Cohen, a musician, photographer, and member of the group The New Lost City Ramblers, met Halcomb in Eastern Kentucky in 1959, when the area was in the grip of an economic depression. Through sound recordings, photography and film, Cohen spread Halcomb's music and image throughout the folk revival scene of the early 1960s, making him an iconic embodiment of artistic authenticity based in the grinding poverty of Appalachia (and turning his recognized name to Roscoe Holcomb along the way). The article shows how Cohen's representation of the depressed conditions that shaped Halcomb's existence contributed to the power of Halcomb's mythic image during this time. Matthews also explores the differences between the two men's views on the relationship of art, work, poverty, and survival. Based upon several extended interviews with John Cohen as well as other historical materials, the article examines Cohen's friendship with Halcomb and his relationship to Halcomb's personal life and musical career, with special attention to the production and reception of The High Lonesome Sound.

Scott Matthews examines the documentary work John Cohen (August 2, 1932–September 16, 2019) produced in eastern Kentucky from the late 1950s into the 1960s, particularly the image he created of singer-musician Roscoe Halcomb, who is prominently featured in Cohen's 1963 film The High Lonesome Sound (made in collaboration with Joel Agee). Cohen, a musician, photographer, and member of the group The New Lost City Ramblers, met Halcomb in Eastern Kentucky in 1959, when the area was in the grip of an economic depression. Through sound recordings, photography and film, Cohen spread Halcomb's music and image throughout the folk revival scene of the early 1960s, making him an iconic embodiment of artistic authenticity based in the grinding poverty of Appalachia (and turning his recognized name to Roscoe Holcomb along the way). The article shows how Cohen's representation of the depressed conditions that shaped Halcomb's existence contributed to the power of Halcomb's mythic image during this time. Matthews also explores the differences between the two men's views on the relationship of art, work, poverty, and survival. Based upon several extended interviews with John Cohen as well as other historical materials, the article examines Cohen's friendship with Halcomb and his relationship to Halcomb's personal life and musical career, with special attention to the production and reception of The High Lonesome Sound.

Scott Matthews examines the documentary work John Cohen (August 2, 1932–September 16, 2019) produced in eastern Kentucky from the late 1950s into the 1960s, particularly the image he created of singer-musician Roscoe Halcomb, who is prominently featured in Cohen's 1963 film The High Lonesome Sound (made in collaboration with Joel Agee). Cohen, a musician, photographer, and member of the group The New Lost City Ramblers, met Halcomb in Eastern Kentucky in 1959, when the area was in the grip of an economic depression. Through sound recordings, photography and film, Cohen spread Halcomb's music and image throughout the folk revival scene of the early 1960s, making him an iconic embodiment of artistic authenticity based in the grinding poverty of Appalachia (and turning his recognized name to Roscoe Holcomb along the way). The article shows how Cohen's representation of the depressed conditions that shaped Halcomb's existence contributed to the power of Halcomb's mythic image during this time. Matthews also explores the differences between the two men's views on the relationship of art, work, poverty, and survival. Based upon several extended interviews with John Cohen as well as other historical materials, the article examines Cohen's friendship with Halcomb and his relationship to Halcomb's personal life and musical career, with special attention to the production and reception of The High Lonesome Sound.

Scott Matthews examines the documentary work John Cohen (August 2, 1932–September 16, 2019) produced in eastern Kentucky from the late 1950s into the 1960s, particularly the image he created of singer-musician Roscoe Halcomb, who is prominently featured in Cohen's 1963 film The High Lonesome Sound (made in collaboration with Joel Agee). Cohen, a musician, photographer, and member of the group The New Lost City Ramblers, met Halcomb in Eastern Kentucky in 1959, when the area was in the grip of an economic depression. Through sound recordings, photography and film, Cohen spread Halcomb's music and image throughout the folk revival scene of the early 1960s, making him an iconic embodiment of artistic authenticity based in the grinding poverty of Appalachia (and turning his recognized name to Roscoe Holcomb along the way). The article shows how Cohen's representation of the depressed conditions that shaped Halcomb's existence contributed to the power of Halcomb's mythic image during this time. Matthews also explores the differences between the two men's views on the relationship of art, work, poverty, and survival. Based upon several extended interviews with John Cohen as well as other historical materials, the article examines Cohen's friendship with Halcomb and his relationship to Halcomb's personal life and musical career, with special attention to the production and reception of The High Lonesome Sound.

Scott Matthews examines the documentary work John Cohen (August 2, 1932–September 16, 2019) produced in eastern Kentucky from the late 1950s into the 1960s, particularly the image he created of singer-musician Roscoe Halcomb, who is prominently featured in Cohen's 1963 film The High Lonesome Sound (made in collaboration with Joel Agee). Cohen, a musician, photographer, and member of the group The New Lost City Ramblers, met Halcomb in Eastern Kentucky in 1959, when the area was in the grip of an economic depression. Through sound recordings, photography and film, Cohen spread Halcomb's music and image throughout the folk revival scene of the early 1960s, making him an iconic embodiment of artistic authenticity based in the grinding poverty of Appalachia (and turning his recognized name to Roscoe Holcomb along the way). The article shows how Cohen's representation of the depressed conditions that shaped Halcomb's existence contributed to the power of Halcomb's mythic image during this time. Matthews also explores the differences between the two men's views on the relationship of art, work, poverty, and survival. Based upon several extended interviews with John Cohen as well as other historical materials, the article examines Cohen's friendship with Halcomb and his relationship to Halcomb's personal life and musical career, with special attention to the production and reception of The High Lonesome Sound.

Scott Matthews examines the documentary work John Cohen (August 2, 1932–September 16, 2019) produced in eastern Kentucky from the late 1950s into the 1960s, particularly the image he created of singer-musician Roscoe Halcomb, who is prominently featured in Cohen's 1963 film The High Lonesome Sound (made in collaboration with Joel Agee). Cohen, a musician, photographer, and member of the group The New Lost City Ramblers, met Halcomb in Eastern Kentucky in 1959, when the area was in the grip of an economic depression. Through sound recordings, photography and film, Cohen spread Halcomb's music and image throughout the folk revival scene of the early 1960s, making him an iconic embodiment of artistic authenticity based in the grinding poverty of Appalachia (and turning his recognized name to Roscoe Holcomb along the way). The article shows how Cohen's representation of the depressed conditions that shaped Halcomb's existence contributed to the power of Halcomb's mythic image during this time. Matthews also explores the differences between the two men's views on the relationship of art, work, poverty, and survival. Based upon several extended interviews with John Cohen as well as other historical materials, the article examines Cohen's friendship with Halcomb and his relationship to Halcomb's personal life and musical career, with special attention to the production and reception of The High Lonesome Sound.

Scott Matthews examines the documentary work John Cohen (August 2, 1932–September 16, 2019) produced in eastern Kentucky from the late 1950s into the 1960s, particularly the image he created of singer-musician Roscoe Halcomb, who is prominently featured in Cohen's 1963 film The High Lonesome Sound (made in collaboration with Joel Agee). Cohen, a musician, photographer, and member of the group The New Lost City Ramblers, met Halcomb in Eastern Kentucky in 1959, when the area was in the grip of an economic depression. Through sound recordings, photography and film, Cohen spread Halcomb's music and image throughout the folk revival scene of the early 1960s, making him an iconic embodiment of artistic authenticity based in the grinding poverty of Appalachia (and turning his recognized name to Roscoe Holcomb along the way). The article shows how Cohen's representation of the depressed conditions that shaped Halcomb's existence contributed to the power of Halcomb's mythic image during this time. Matthews also explores the differences between the two men's views on the relationship of art, work, poverty, and survival. Based upon several extended interviews with John Cohen as well as other historical materials, the article examines Cohen's friendship with Halcomb and his relationship to Halcomb's personal life and musical career, with special attention to the production and reception of The High Lonesome Sound.

A Who's Who of '60s pop culture: Marilyn, Sinatra, Brando, the Beatles, Liz Taylor, Elvis, Brigitte Bardot, Natalie Wood and more.

"William Gedney made two trips to eastern Kentucky. In the summer of 1964, he traveled to the Blue Diamond Mining Camp in Leath...

Scott Matthews examines the documentary work John Cohen (August 2, 1932–September 16, 2019) produced in eastern Kentucky from the late 1950s into the 1960s, particularly the image he created of singer-musician Roscoe Halcomb, who is prominently featured in Cohen's 1963 film The High Lonesome Sound (made in collaboration with Joel Agee). Cohen, a musician, photographer, and member of the group The New Lost City Ramblers, met Halcomb in Eastern Kentucky in 1959, when the area was in the grip of an economic depression. Through sound recordings, photography and film, Cohen spread Halcomb's music and image throughout the folk revival scene of the early 1960s, making him an iconic embodiment of artistic authenticity based in the grinding poverty of Appalachia (and turning his recognized name to Roscoe Holcomb along the way). The article shows how Cohen's representation of the depressed conditions that shaped Halcomb's existence contributed to the power of Halcomb's mythic image during this time. Matthews also explores the differences between the two men's views on the relationship of art, work, poverty, and survival. Based upon several extended interviews with John Cohen as well as other historical materials, the article examines Cohen's friendship with Halcomb and his relationship to Halcomb's personal life and musical career, with special attention to the production and reception of The High Lonesome Sound.

Scott Matthews examines the documentary work John Cohen (August 2, 1932–September 16, 2019) produced in eastern Kentucky from the late 1950s into the 1960s, particularly the image he created of singer-musician Roscoe Halcomb, who is prominently featured in Cohen's 1963 film The High Lonesome Sound (made in collaboration with Joel Agee). Cohen, a musician, photographer, and member of the group The New Lost City Ramblers, met Halcomb in Eastern Kentucky in 1959, when the area was in the grip of an economic depression. Through sound recordings, photography and film, Cohen spread Halcomb's music and image throughout the folk revival scene of the early 1960s, making him an iconic embodiment of artistic authenticity based in the grinding poverty of Appalachia (and turning his recognized name to Roscoe Holcomb along the way). The article shows how Cohen's representation of the depressed conditions that shaped Halcomb's existence contributed to the power of Halcomb's mythic image during this time. Matthews also explores the differences between the two men's views on the relationship of art, work, poverty, and survival. Based upon several extended interviews with John Cohen as well as other historical materials, the article examines Cohen's friendship with Halcomb and his relationship to Halcomb's personal life and musical career, with special attention to the production and reception of The High Lonesome Sound.