Roscoe Holcomb

Roscoe Holcomb
Roscoe Holcomb in 1962
Roscoe Holcomb in 1962
Background information
Birth nameRoscoe Halcomb
Born(1912-09-05)September 5, 1912
Daisy, Kentucky, U.S.
DiedFebruary 1, 1981(1981-02-01) (aged 68)
Perry County, Kentucky, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)Miner, construction worker, farmer, musician
Instrument(s)Banjo, guitar, harmonica
Years active1958–1978

Roscoe Holcomb (born Roscoe Halcomb;[1] September 5, 1912 – February 1, 1981) was an American singer, banjo player, and guitarist from Daisy, Kentucky. A prominent figure in Appalachian folk music,[2] Holcomb was the inspiration for the term "high, lonesome sound", coined by folklorist and friend John Cohen. The "high lonesome sound" term is now used to describe bluegrass singing, although Holcomb was not, strictly speaking, a bluegrass performer.[citation needed]

  1. ^ Matthews, Scott L. (July 27, 2008). "John Cohen in Eastern Kentucky: Documentary Expression and the Image of Roscoe Halcomb During the Folk Revival". Southern Spaces. 2008. doi:10.18737/M74W3W.
  2. ^ Stephen Petrus; Ronald D. Cohen (8 June 2015). Folk City: New York and the American Folk Music Revival. Oxford University Press. pp. 183–. ISBN 978-0-19-023103-3.