hazel dickens documentary

[5] In 1978, Dickens performed at the Vandalia Gathering in Charleston, West Virginia, both solo and then with the former coal-miner turned musician, Carl Rutherford. [12][13], Stating that "music saves mountains," fans and supporters of Dickens' activism announced a special memorial, Tribute to West Virginia Music Legend Hazel Dickens at the Charleston, West Virginia Cultural Center on June 5, 2011. Dickens was the eighth of 11 children in a family that struggled hard to make a living in an area where coalmining was the sole industry. Hazel Dickens’s compelling voice and eloquent songs first reached a large American public in the soundtrack ofHarlan County, USA,a 1976 Academy Award–winning documentary film that told of a protracted and dramatic strike in the eastern Kentucky coalfields. BIOGRAPHY: Hazel Dickens grew up in the coal-mining country of West Virginia, and the harsh conditions in which her family lived and worked deeply affected her and her art. She was married to Joseph S. Cohen. True to form, Appalshop has produced quite a line-up for the series—Sunny Side of Life, Sourwood Mountain Dulcimers, From Wood to Singing Guitar, Hazel Dickens: It’s Hard to Tell the Singer from the Song, Quilting Women, The Ralph Stanley Story, Strangers and Kin: A History of the Hillbilly Image, and His Eye is on the Sparrow. Remembering Hazel Dickens Born in West Virginia, Hazel Dickens recorded twice for Folkways Records and was a frequent participant of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, appearing some fifteen times. the filmmaker the distributor Appalshop, Inc., or Folkstreams. [14], Her name appears in the lyrics of the Le Tigre song "Hot Topic. Together, they recorded two additional albums on Rounder Records, but Hazel & Alice broke up in 1976 and Dickens pursued a solo career where her music and songwriting became more political. Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard discography and songs: Music profile for Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard. Born in Mercer County, West Virginia on June 1, 1935, Hazel Dickens is considered to be one of the more influential women in bluegrass and traditional folk music. Featuring a haunting soundtrack, with legendary country and bluegrass artists Hazel Dickens, Merle Travis, Sarah Gunning, and Florence Reece, the film is a heartbreaking record of the thirteen-month struggle between a community fighting to survive and a corporation dedicated to the bottom line. ^ Sources vary on birth date; see talk page discussion, American bluegrass musician, singer, and activist, Films in which Dickens contributes to the soundtrack, Hazel Dickens: It's Hard to Tell the Singer from the Song, International Bluegrass Music Association, "Remembering Hazel Dickens: A Feminist Bluegrass Voice", "Hazel Dickens Inspires New Generation of Musicians", "Harlan County, USA | Big Sky Documentary Film Festival", "Hazel Dickens dies at 75; bluegrass pioneer and social activist", "Strange Creek Singers: Get Aquatinted Waltz - Strange Creek Singers - Songs, Reviews, Credits", "57 Champions of Queer Feminism, All Name-Dropped in One Impossibly Catchy Song", Dickens Discography at Smithsonian Folkways, Criterion Films Collection Harlan County, USA, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hazel_Dickens&oldid=999307128, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, "They'll Never Keep Us Down" (Rounder Records, 1976) – for the film, "Busted" / "Old Calloused Hands" (Rounder Records, 1980) – from the album. The documentary film Hazel Dickens: It’s hard to tell the singer from the song (Appalshop, 1987), and Dickens recent autobiography, co-written with country music scholar Bill Malone, Working Girl Blues: the life and music of Hazel Dickens (University of Illinois Press, 2008), provide remarkable insight into the creative life of an artist as Hazel reflects on her own career. In the same year her story was told in the documentary Hazel Dickens: It's Hard to Tell the Singer from the Song. The New York Times extolled her as "a clarion-voiced advocate for coal miners and working people and a pioneer among women in bluegrass music." She didn’t just have a great singing voice or natural talent: she was incredibly observant and intelligent, and it showed. Biography. She appeared in the Oscar winning documentary Harlan County, USA, about the struggle of the county's miners union against scab workers, wage rights, and health conditions; sung about on the picket line in her folk songs as well as contributing those four songs to the soundtrack of the film. [18][2], a. [4] Dickens started to write more about the lives of miners and wrote a song titled "Black Lung" about her brother, Thurman, who died from the disease. Biography of Hazel Dickens on OLDIES.com. Protest and folksinger Hazel Dickens grew up the eighth of 11 children in a large, poor mining family in West Virginia, and she used elements of country and bluegrass to spread truth about two causes close to her heart: the plight of non-unionized mineworkers and feminism, born not of the '60s movement but traditional values. She no doubt helped pave the way for other female musicians, whether in bluegrass, pop, punk, and beyond. She appeared in the films Matewan and The Songcatcher as well as in the documentary Harlan County USA. Her … I was watching the documentary "Harlan County, USA" last night with my in-laws because my wifes mother lived in Harlan County and remembers the strike in the '30's. Dickens was born liero July 23, 1900, tho daughter ot Mr. and Mre. Hazel Dickens (June 1, 1935, - April 22, 2011, born Mercer County, West Virginia) an American bluegrass singer. Hazel Dickens was born in downstate West Virginia in coal country- her family members were coal miners. She had 1 sister and 9 brothers, all of whom were miners. She died on April 22, 2011 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. [2] She met Mike Seeger, younger half-brother of Pete Seeger and founding member of the New Lost City Ramblers and became active in the Baltimore-Washington area bluegrass and folk music scene during the 1960s. Directed by Barbara Kopple. Documentary by Mimi Pickering. Folksinger Hazel Dickens, a pioneer for women in bluegrass music, died Friday. In the early 1950s she moved to Baltimore. Dickens and Gerrard discovered they harmonized well together, and they started playing shows together, quickly developing a loyal following in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. During a graphic description of the ravages wrought by pneumoconiosis midway through the documentary, Hazel is heard singing her … From the coalfields of West Virginia to the factories of Baltimore, Hazel Dickens has lived the songs she sings. She was herself the subject of a documentary, Hazel Dickens: It’s Hard to Tell the Singer from the Song (2001). In the early 1950s she moved to Baltimore. Alice is particularly known for her groundbreaking collaboration with Appalachian singer Hazel Dickens during the 1960s and ’70s. Many of Hazels's relatives were miners, including her brothers, cousins, and, eventually, her brothers-in-law.[1][2]. Hazel Dickens, a troubadour of hard times whose raw, heartfelt songs about coal miners and the life of the downtrodden made her a revered figure in country and bluegrass music, died April 22 at the Washington Home hospice in the District. Genres: Bluegrass, Appalachian Folk Music. A pioneering woman in Bluegrass and hardcore country music, Hazel has influenced generations of songwriters and musicians. In this rare video from 1978, she sings one of her most treasured songs. View their obituary at Legacy.com In her 20’s she moved to the Baltimore area and became very active in the folk- bluegrass music scene in the Baltimore -Washington, D.C. area. Her music was characterized not only by her high, lonesome singing style, but also by her provocative pro-union, feminist songs. Hazel Jane Dickens (June 1, 1925 – April 22, 2011) was an American bluegrass singer, songwriter, double bassist and guitarist. Her music was characterized not only by her high, lonesome singing style, but also by her provocative pro-union, feminist songs. Protest and folksinger Hazel Dickens grew up the eighth of 11 children in a large, poor mining family in West Virginia, and she used elements of country and bluegrass to spread truth about two causes close to her heart: the plight of non-unionized mineworkers and feminism, born not of the '60s movement but traditional values. Earl Gilmore, The Rices and Hazel Dickens at Highlander's Coal Mining Music Workshop Anna Johnson, Darlington rond. Hazel Dickens was a musical pioneer for women and the working class. Please help us preserve films on American folklife. The obituary was featured in Legacy on April 25, 2011. Known for her high, piercing vocal quality and poignant, topical songwriting, she first gained recognition as one half of the pioneering female bluegrass duo, Hazel and Alice. --Goldenseal "All fans of traditional music and students of feminism, southern culture, and labor movements, should read and revel in Working Girl Blues.--PopMatters She appeared in the documentary Harlan County USA in 1970- four of her songs including Mannington Mine Disaster are on that outstanding … [6] Dickens began to be seen as an activist and a voice for the working people.[7]. Hazel Dickens, a troubadour of hard ... received a National Heritage fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and was the subject of a documentary. Hazel Dickens? "Hazel Dickens is an icon, and it is about time a book-length biography was published about her. Dickens was the first woman to receive the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Merit Award. Well, in this documentary there is a ton of really great rural music and raw, from-the-soul singing throughout. Her piercing vocals power the soundtracks for Harlan County USA and Matewan. I enjoyed reading it, but was left wanting more background, analysis, and comparisons with other musicians similar to her, either historical or contemporary. She grew up near Montcalm, West Virginia, one of 11 children, and moved away in … 1987 By the Sweat of My Brow. Hazel Jane Dickens (June 1, 1925 – April 22, 2011) was an American bluegrass singer, songwriter, double bassist and guitarist. WASHINGTON (AP) - Hazel Dickens, a folk singer and bluegrass musician who advocated for coal miners, has died at age 75. Hazel Dickens, Soundtrack: Gifted. Other outlets for Hazel’s music were found in the 1986 film Matewan; a 2002 documentary about her life titled for her most recent Rounder release, It’s Hard to Tell the Singer from the Song; and a 1996 trio recording, Heart of a Singer, that paired her with tradition-based performers Carol Elizabeth Jones and … Her songs on coal mining caught the attention of producer-director Barbara Kopple, who asked her to provide material for HARLAN COUNTY USA’s … Biography During the early to mid-1960s, Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard, two friends living in the Baltimore/Washington DC area started to play bluegrass music together-a heretofore almost exclusively male bastion-creating a style, a repertoire, and a consciousness … Dickens was featured in a number of films, including Songcatcher; Matewan, about the West Virginia mine wars; and the Oscar-winning Harlan County, U.S.A., for which she wrote original music. Hazel Dickens. Hazel Dickens performing in 2009. Hazel Dickens : a brief biography by Bill C. Malone --Songs and Memories by Hazel Dickens. Her music is characterized by not only her "high lonesome" singing style, but also by … Three years later, she contributed to the soundtrack for With Babies and Banners and began a solo career five years later. In this intimate portrait, interviews with Hazel and fellow musicians such as Alison Krauss, Naomi Judd, and Dudley Connell are interwoven with archival footage, recent performances, and 16 powerful songs including “Mama’s Hand,” “ Working Girl Blues,” and “Black Lung.”. This is an excerpt from the documentary Hazel Dickens: It’s Hard to Tell the Singer from the Song directed by Mimi Pickering. Dickens died Friday morning at a Washington hospice of complications from pn Protest and folksinger Hazel Dickens grew up the eighth of 11 children in a large, poor mining family in West Virginia, and she used elements of country and bluegrass to spread truth about two causes close to her heart: the plight of non-unionized mineworkers and feminism, born not of the '60s movement but traditional values. For licensing, film rights and permissions, contact ?Harlan County USA? There is a short biography, followed by the lyrics of many of Hazel's songs with brief comments from Hazel herself. A treat for friends and fans." Dickens was born in Montcalm, Mercer County, West Virginia on June 1, 1925, the eighth of eleven siblings born to a mining family. The duo produced four classic LPs (recently reissued by Rounder on CD) and influenced scores of young women singers — even The Judds acknowledge Hazel and Alice as an important early inspiration. Interviews with Hazel and fellow musicians such as Alison Krauss, Naomi Judd, and Dudley Connell are interwoven with archival footage, recent performances, and 16 songs including “Mama’s Hand,” “ Working Girl Blues,” and “Black Lung.” 1998 A Few Old Memories. 1987 It's Hard to Tell the Singer From the Song. She was 75. Her … Hazel Dickens: It's Hard to Tell the Singer from the Song, 2001. Popular Hazel Dickens albums Heart of a Singer. . [2], Dickens used her music to try and make a difference in the lives of non-unionized mine workers and feminists. From this petite, wiry frame came an unexpectedly powerful voice. Hazel Dickens was born in Montcalm, Mercer County, West Virginia on June 1, 1925, the eighth of eleven siblings in a mining family of 6 boys and 5 girls. Hazel Dickens grew up the eighth of 11 children in a poor mining family in West Virginia. The songs in the clip are the powerful and moving “Mannington Mines” and “They’ll Never Keep Us Down.” Reel South -You Gave Me A Song "[17], Dickens received the Merit Award from the International Bluegrass Music Association in 1994 and was the first woman to do so. The Washington Post described her as "a living legend of American music, a national treasure," and in 2001, the National Endowment for the Arts awarded her a National Heritage Fellowship. Fresh Air remembers the feminist role model with excerpts from a 1987 interview. Her three solo … Starting in the early 1960s with singing partner Hazel Dickens, she helped open the doors for a host of up-and-coming women performers and entrepreneurs in the fields of bluegrass and old-time music. Usa and Matewan, West Virginia has lived the songs she sings one of the first woman to receive International! 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