The Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center’s Trunk of Traditional Tunes continues Sunday, March 6 at 2 p.m. with West Virginia musician and National Endowment for the Humanities Heritage Fellow, John Morris. A Trunk of Traditional Tunes is a series dedicated to celebrating the traditional music of West Virginia, funded by the West Virginia Humanities Council through a CARES Act Emergency Relief Grant.
Morris is a fiddler, banjo player, guitarist and songwriter from Clay County, West Virginia. During his presentation, he will discuss Clay County musicians and demonstrate music derived from his Clay County roots.
Morris has been playing music since the age of seven, and formed the Morris Brothers band with his brother David in 1965. Since then, he has taught both the fiddle and the banjo at Allegheny Echoes, the Augusta Heritage Center, Dwight Diller’s Yew Pine Mountain Retreats and the 4-H Mountain Heritage weekends. As part of the Morris Brothers, John Morris was recognized by the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame and received the West Virginia Heritage Fiddler Award.
“These musical traditions have been shaped by the unique experiences of this region’s people,” said Fairmont State University President, Mirta M. Martin. “We look forward to welcoming John Morris home to Fairmont State to share these stories, allowing us to preserve the state’s rich cultural heritage and help keep these traditions alive for generations to come.”
The Trunk of Traditional Tunes will continue through the spring semester with guests including Sarah Sullivan on March 13 at 2 p.m. and Emily Hillard on March 16 at 7 p.m.
The events are open for free in-person public attendance at the Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center. In addition, each event will be livestreamed on the Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center’s Facebook page. Recordings of these events will be added to an online curriculum available to teachers, schools and other community organizations.
The Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center is in a historic barn on the campus of Fairmont State University. The Center’s mission is to preserve and perpetuate West Virginia’s rich cultural heritage. For further information, contact 304-367-4403.
