Unbroken Scottish, Irish, and English Ballad Traditions

Object Details

Collection Creator: Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

See more items in: Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 2017 Smithsonian Folklife Festival; Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 2017 Smithsonian Folklife Festival / Series 4: On The Move / 4.3: Audio

Collection Citation: Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 2017 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.

Collection Rights: Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.

Scope and Contents: Dan Sheehy (presenter); Sheila Kay Adams; Donna Rae Norton; Melanie Rice Perland ;NEA National Heritage Fellow Sheila Kay Adams is a seventh-generation ballad singer, storyteller, and musician born and raised in the Sodom Laurel community of Madison County, North Carolina. This region is renowned for its unbroken tradition of unaccompanied ballad singing that dates back to the early Scots-Irish and English settlers of the mid-seventeenth century. At the Festival, Adams performs with two of the mentees who have been learning songs from her.

Collection Restrictions: Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.