Photos Courtesy of Bascom Lamar Lunsford Scrapbook, Southern Appalachian Archives, Mars Hill University

Bascom Lamar Lunsford was affectionately known as "The Minstrel of the Appalachians." He was a folklorist who also performed traditional music and worked as a lawyer. He was born on the campus of Mars Hill University into a family of musicians. He was quite young when his dad gave him a fiddle and he began performing at weddings and other events.

In the early 1900s, he began traveling the state to collect folklore and songs. He said he spent "nights in more homes from Harpers Ferry to Iron Mountain than anybody but God."

Bascom Lamar Lunsford knew that when he traveled, he was speaking to people who likely knew more of the stereotypes of Appalachia than anything based in reality. Because of this, he accepted that he was an ambassador for the region, and made sure to behave accordingly. He self-censored his songs, never allowing any sort of profanity, skipping verses when needed. He always dressed in a starched white shirt and black bow tie and certainly appeared to be a gentleman.

In 1922, Bascom worked with Frank Brown, a song collector, to record thirty-two songs on wax cylinders. He also participated in recordings for the Archive of American Folk Song at the Library of Congress. His recordings were vital to the preservation of traditional music.

He also organized the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival, which continues to this day and is widely considered the first Folk Music Festival. Additionally, he was invited to perform for King George VI at the White House by President Roosevelt.

Bascom Lamar Lunsford kept an enormous scrapbook full of pictures of his life and performers of the day. Mars Hill University holds this treasure, and has been kind enough to share it with us. We have pulled out some of his photographs to share, and we've labeled them with the notes that were originally in his handwriting.