Women in Kentucky - Music
The Reel World String Band: The Reel World String Band, which includes Sue Massek on banjo, Bev Futrell on guitar, Karen Jones on fiddle, Elise Melrood on piano and Sharon Ruble on bass, was born out of the same Kentucky tradition that bore the Coon Creek Girls. This all-girl band plays renditions of songs by mentors such as Lily May Ledford, Sarah Ogan Gunning and Jean Ritchie. Ledford is a particular favorite because "she tried to raise children and play music at the same time," observes Futrell, who did the same thing. They not only borrow from their role models, but Futrell and Massek write some of their songs as well.
The Reel World String Band has used their music for many purposes. They have restored the spirits of demonstrators on picket lines and on strikes. They played for former president Jimmy Carter's "Hammering in the Mountains," a public service gig to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. They have used their music to raise money for a community center in Virginia and for women's causes that included crisis centers and the Women's National Coal Miners Conference. Listeners are deeply indebted to the Reel World String Band for their dedicated service to making the world a better place through their love of music. Whether on fiddle, guitar, or mandolin this band of women plays songs that tell audiences that human beings are more important than corporate profits and that we must protect the environment for the children of the future.
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