Appalachias Music Documentary 

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My mother and my wife’s mother have both gone on some 25 years ago. We’ve been married 47 years and we’re still using hand made quilts that they made for our wedding. We’re still sleeping in the bed my father and I built a couple weeks before we got married. Traditions run deep in Appalachia, thank God!

Had to pause at the beginning for my coffee was ready. Yum yum and now for another great video! Music from the mtns inspired me to get up & move. My mom made a quilt for me when I joined the Air Force when I came home to NC, she gave it to me for Christmas, still have it 45 yrs later... Thanks for sharing JD

Well, you did it again. You took me home for 13 minutes. This means so much.

Saturday mornings are my favorite time of the week thanks to you, JD! Another fine video friendand you take care. See ya next week, Lord willing.

Loved this video brother. It speaks to my soul. When I was younger I use to help an old man make molasses using his mule, block and cane. He paid me one jar of molasses which I thought was too much. He also played the banjo and guitar when he would preach. Loved this video

An amazing place with a history like no other! Thanks JD. 👍🏻

Yes sir this was a goodn capturing our years of history from here in Appalachia I'm an artist and crafts man to thank you so much for paying tribute to our amazing home

Good morning JD! I love the mountains, they are in my soul. When I was little my parents moved to Chicago. We would move back to Tennessee a couple of times, but jobs did not pay as well and we would move back to Chicago. My father was a master mechanic and was a shop forman for many years. Finally my parents moved back to Tennessee and stayed. I stayed in Chicago for a little while, but moved back myself and have never left again. You couldn’t pay me to live in a big city now. Have a blessed weekend!

I enjoyed the echoes of the past , people and different types of music, Of the appalachia . The scenery is especially beautiful in the autumn.

I live in western NC. Love our Appalachian Mountains and our heritage. Your stories are inspiring and hope my children will cherish their heritage and pass it down to their children. Some of the heritage is being lost to technology and developments. The bluegrass music brings back many memories of my parents who sat on the porch with family and friends and played many instruments into the night. Family time is precious and these gatherings brought our family together. Thank you for posting. Love your stories and music

Love the music and the scenery. Our son lives in Tennessee and we would always go visit in the spring or fall. We'd rent a cabin and just loved sitting on the porch watching the sun set over the mountains. The people were so nice when we'd go watch craftsmen and women work. They were always willing to answer your questions. We loved it. Tennessee is a beautiful state and this video brought back a lot of happy memories. Thank you.

The music is just what I grew up on. My family is from the hills and I am proud of where I am from. Jenkins Hollar was a challenge but made us who we are. The only thing missing in the video was some buck dancing

Beautiful!!!!! We do take pride in our mountain life and heritage! 🙏

The music matches so well with the scenery. It takes us out of this troubled world for a few minutes and let us feel the serenity of times and days gone by. Our nation needs to return to this way of life and morals. We have lost our way. God is waiting for us to repent and return to Him.

This looks so beautiful. The scenery is awsome. It would be nice to get a handmade quilt. Nothing could compare. Thank you JD.

This is by far one of my favorites. Keep this stuff coming, it's what needs to be kept alive.

My favorite channel on RU-vid. I am Appalachian. #Popcorn Sutton #Raymond Fairchild #Hattie Caldwell Davis #Alaska Pressley RIP

Loved this video. I could hear my ancestors calling to me from long ago.❤

Thank you for a fitting tribute to us hillbillies. Love the music, quilting and crafts. Can you do a documentary on our storytelling traditions? Blessings on you for all your hard work on these videos.

Good music, good coffee and a great story makes for an easy and enjoyable way to start the day. As always thanks JD for these Saturday morning videos I so much look forward to.

My nephew, (my brother's son) taught himself to play the banjo. He used to play blue grass with a band that played all over the South. Haven't heard him play in a long time, but I remember he was really good. He made that banjo cry.

Good morning from Wisconsin, JD your voice is music to my ears and your stories always remind me of family and friends. Y'all stay safe out there 🙏

Good morning!!☕ Nothing is quite like a great story with coffee in the early Saturday dawn!!🌄

I agree. I loved it!

I have always loved driving through Appalachia. The beauty is incomparable! I love to visit a little spot called Tamarack in West Virginia (I think) and wander around looking at all the beautiful craftsmanship! We usually stop around Christmas time, and it's so beautiful! Appalachia has always been filled with not just strong and determined people, but talented, artistic people also!

I grew up on all of that. Starting playing fiddle at 12 years old. My favorites were the same as my Grandpas, Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, and Mac Wiseman. He was the last of that old bunch to pass on. I remember Grandpa out in the yard and it was a full moon and i played for him until he got ready to go to bed. I remember going to Alabama to see my grandmothers sister on Saturday Nights and we would listen to the Grand Ole Opry. My Dads mom came from over in Rhea County Tennessee and she sang and old mountain hymn, "Come On My Loving Brother."..wont you come and go with me. For Heaven is my aim. He can heal the cripple. And give sight to the blind. He can teach out neighbor how to walk. He can raise them up from deep under the ground..And send them away to their God..And send them away to their God." It had a haunting melody. My Grandpa was from East Tennessee and played the fiddle and claw hammer banjo. His favorite fiddle tune was, "Smoke Behind The Clouds" an old time mountain fiddle tune i haven't heard anyone else played. An with every old fiddler that died back in those mountains I know there were fiddle tunes that died with them. We will never get to hear.

Always so enjoyable! Thank you for all you do for us. We appreciate you and your channel! 👍🏻❤️

Thanks for the Saturday morning story. Goes well with the days first coffee and smoke 😊

My mother and her family would gather on grandma's porch and play guitars, banjos, harmonica, accordion and the spoons. It was beautiful music.

My family and our ancestors, all the way back to Daniel Boone, settled in Southeastern Kentucky in the late 1700s and are every bit as magical as these folks! I grew up with bluegrass music, my daddy was an outstanding banjo player. When I hear our music, I get cold chills because it is living history

Thank you sooo much. I am going thru a very rough season in my life. I cannot begin to tell you how much this video relaxed, inspired and restored my hope that there are still kind and loving ppl in the world, past and present. Thank you soo much!

It is no wonder you folks are so proud of your heritage. The scenery is stunningly beautiful, the craftsmanship makes my head explode, the music touches your soul, and the storytelling is the icing on the cake. Wow. What a wonderful piece of Appalachia you shared today. Cheers from your northern sister🇨🇦❤🇺🇸

With things going so well in America lately, you might wonder why people haven’t returned to a simple yet hard living. Some of us are. Love that you tell these stories and enjoy them. But this here mountain ain’t done yet! ❤️

From the time we spent a summer in Boone, North Carolina in 1968, I always wanted to move there, but was unable because my mom wouldn't move and I didn't want to leave her. Now I am 69 and think that I am too old for another big move. But watching your videos makes me happy. Take care❤️👩‍🦳🌺

When there was no cotton to pick ,My Great Granny and my Papa and brothers and sister's made wicker chairs .

I have an old friend and long ago co-worker, who was trained by one of the last Hammonds of West Virginia We worked as a crew in southern West Virginia and when he was hosting a session I was invited. Quite an experience, some of the best of the best of the northern Appalachians in their prime all in one room!

I love learning about history and I love listening to you talk about The Appalachian Mountains. I'm Canadian so learning about the deep south and how it once was and how it started is absolutely beautiful. Your voice makes it even better too, thank you for sharing your rich history.

As always another fine story about Appalachia.

To bad much of the history has been forgotten. The younger generation has other things on their minds. My son is 51yrs old and he was raised around Morristown and Newport TN and as he has gotten older he is asking about our history and I story telling. He grew up around his great grandparents Ma and Pa Holt. He taught him about moonshining (by the way he served prison time for moonshining in Tallahassee FL). Keep up the good work on keeping our history alive. Thank you God Bless everyone and keep you safe.

I absolutely loved this video!!! It reminds me of my Papa. My Papa, William "Bill" Gifford, was from Alabama and played the guitar like no other. I've got lots of old photos and paper clippings of him and his band mates playing on the radio. He played with Chuck Harding and the Colorado Cowhands but also had a 2 man band called The Barefoot Boys from Alabama. He was a great guitar player and an even better man. My Papa sadly passed away at 91 yrs old in 2017..

The photographers like you said brother try to catch the magical moments of the beautiful colors but there’s nothing like going there and seeing the colors in person trust l

I’m caregiving my 91 year old father and we have been reminiscing a lot! Your intro video showed a Forest Ranger Tower. Growing up, we would stop at the towers & climb up. My Mom would always stay in the car so it was just Daddy, my brother & me. The last time we climbed one to talk to the Ranger a thunderstorm came up…quickly! We were all leaning against stuff talking but Mom could see us from the car. Suddenly a bolt of lightening came thru the open window and hit the radio. We all recoiled from it & Mom thought we all got hit. It was funny until we heard her screaming hysterically. That was the last time we stopped at one, but we have the memory 😂

I remember my grandmothers and others having a quilting bee and in the fall making Apple Butter and pies. Those are the great things I remember from being a kid. And always the harvest time in Late October and November. I also remember carrying in either firewood or coal for heat and cooking. Having to go down over the hill to fetch 5 gallons of water from a spring because we had no well. Using a outhouse in the winter and the cold air coming up the hole hitting Me in the ass. I remember my dad and mom bitching about the electric bill being to high, and it was only $12.00 a month. We didn't have a car and we sat in the back of a pickup truck even if it was cold outside. Walking about 2 miles to catch a school bus for school no matter if it was freezing or hot as hell outside.Sometimes we didn't have enough money to buy school shoes. So we stuffed them with old cardboard and newspaper. I was so poor that is I hadn't been born a boy I wouldn't of had nothing to play with.. No phone, No TV, all we had was a old Atwater Kent Radio we listened to before we went to bed about 9PM. I remember the bedroom that I shared with two brothers was so cold there would be ice on the inside of the window. And we had what was called a pee-pot to use at night. And you know what? I kind of miss those days because life meant more than the dollar. As long as we had each other and something to eat we were happy. Therefore I am Appalachian. PS I wonder how many kids could do this nowadays. I would bet very few could.

This was so beautiful and I love this ❤️ God bless you 🙏❤️

Thank you! I needed that today.❤ from a middle Tennessean who longs to live in the mountains. At 66 I doubt I ever will. But I can still dream.

Love all scenes and your wonderful voice telling about the Mountain people

Moved to The Bluegrass 30 years ago, ~ 25 years old. The music from the mountains is by far the best part. Better than barbecue, better than Bourbon, better than horses.

Retired in the mountains of North Carolina from the south west..i ❤ it here

That was one of the best docs i believe ive ever saw

I have lived my whole life here in Appalachian mountains No other place like it. Virginia born and bred About 40 miles from Tennessee line

Some of these landcapes remind me of the hills in my backyards at the highlands here in Cape Breton, very beautiful. I cant wait to have a stay down there, there is a connection deep down with these folks history and culture, i long to experience before i move on.

West Virginia boy here. Love this video. Thank you.

I believe Appalachia was home to my mother's people. Even though my grandma was born in Ohio and grandpa in Indiana. Grandma especially spoke in an Appalachian "style"--fur for fire, warsh for wash, etc. I did manage to find out her dad was born in West Virginia. I love all of Appalachia--always have--it has called to me for years but now I am too old to move. But, I do think I have some Appalachian modes. Thank you for this great video. I loved it!

Good morning and thank you JD.

Thank you. I came to learn a bit from the history of this beautiful music from the great movie Songcatcher. 🙏🎶

A story beautifully told and celebrated !!🎉

Love to hear these stories. My family has been in the NC Appalachian mountains since the mid 1600s. My grandfather made banjos and my grandmother made quilts. On my dad's side my grandfather made baskets and mined for mica and my grandmother was only good at making babies haha. 11 kids on my dad's side and 12 kids on my moms side..

Love all your stories and the scenery wow amazing keep them coming love the history of it all I’m from the Uk

What a beautiful video, one cannot miss love in the Appalachia.

Enjoyed replay thanks for sharing your channel with us 😀 😊 👍🏼

Thank you JD! I love the Appalachia mountains. My husband & I are looking to move to the Eastern Tennessee mountains in a couple of years. I feel so at home there!

Love,love this music 🎶

I love Blue Grass.. everytime I hear it .. I get this feeling like I gotta stand up and start dance'n.. it's funny cause I from up North but somehing about Appalachia ...the music etc. I feel like its in me.

My Fairbanks Senator banjo dates to 1902... I have it set up for clawhammer! Especially Bluegrass jamming. Thanks again!🎶🎵🎶

I enjoyed this video. I was not born nor raised in the mountains, I’m from the Piedmont Triad part of NC, but my heart belongs in the mountains! Especially the Blue Ridge, Smokey parts of it! I love it there! Some of these scenes are very familiar.

Love your work. Love from Australia. Stay safe. Love you all. Xxx

Morning!

I can remember growing up not much differently than those that lived the mountain life. I'm from Erie County, Pa.

Its 2023 and I am sleeping on a 100 year old bed given to me by my grandma, and have two blankets on top of it, that she made. In fact there isn't a bed in my house that doesn't have a blanket or bedspread on it, that she made. The traditions aren't gone, But they aren't practiced as openly as they once were.

Thanks brother enjoyed this video. Tex from lexington n c

Wonderfully made video pretty much covered the way of life in the hills and hollers. Thanks JD 😎👍

My favorite RU-vidr. Reminds me of papaw telling me the old stories of our kinfolks.

Some wonderful photos you showed here. Thank you.

JD, thank you for sharing this story. Brings back so many great memories for me. My little daddy could play about any instrument he picked up. He bought his 1st guitar when he was 14, by picking tomatoes. I have alot of his instruments to this day. I have his 1st guitar, I'm hoping I can get it redone. Of course he painted it green like he did everything lol. I got his white eagle banjo. about 7 fiddles and their cases and bows. I just cant make myself do anything with them yet. I can't play anything or even carry a tune😅. I'll pass them down to my grandkids and some of my nephews and great nephews. My daddy could flat play the French harp also. He played all by ear. I sure do miss my daddy, he's been gone for about 12 years. I miss my little mama also she's been gone for almost 6 years. The boys in our family could play and they still do. But none of us girls can play anything or carry a tune. My daddy played Bluegrass with my great uncle and alot of good friends. The good ole days. Thank you again JD for all the great stories you have told us so far.❤

I love the "high tenors of the hills". As a woodworker l bow to the artisans of the hollers that used shaving horse. Drawknife and riven wood seldom sawn.

Beautiful 🇨🇦 ❤

❤️

I LOVE LOVE LOVE your podcasts! I grew up on Copper Ridge and use to get bootleg booze from the Powell airplane. You said it been a still. Yeah, no.

Yeah it amazes me some of the stuff local craftsman and women can produce. Please everyone we should support our local crafts people more and get away from cheap made in china crap , its not worth it in the long run. Have a good one story teller 👍

I absolutely love your vlog. My heritage from the east Appalachians in North Carolina. I am also a Phillips.

Howdy JD. Perfect timing. I was on lunch break at work. So I got to enjoy the video while on break. Stunning scenery there in the Appalachian mountains. Nice story line too.

I've hand quilted many blankets. No machine, the old fashioned way.

My great grandparents came from North Carolina. Love your channel

Good morning Storyteller

I grew up in a time of one phone in a home.. everyone knew who called and who you was chatting with.. after breakfast you got sent out for chores.. or go fishing or fetch a rabbit with your b.b. gun…and don’t come back till supper.. ohhh the good times

Howdy from Appalachia in Pennsylvania. Great channel

Beautiful lives and location!!

Happy music making Appalachians❤

I hope yall are having a great time on your trip.

Grew up on Bluegrass music here in Florida. My Daddy's side came from Tennessee. Of course I didn't appreciate it until older😊

Music beautiful

Loved this awesome video and story

Wow so beautiful

Great video Brother, thank you.

I like very much like the music that encapsulates your stories

Love this! All of it! :))

I bet I just saw 20 or more places in this video that I'm familiar with. JD is taking a lot of the same roads I do apparently. Lol.

Excellent episode!!!

I was born and raised in Harriman, TN but my momma was born and raised in Paint Rock. Growing up I spent a lot of time in Paint Rock running up and down the creek by the old Paint Rock school house. I sure do wish you’d do a a story about the old Paint Rock community.