Episode 27 - "Ola Belle Reed: An Enduring Legacy"

It’s a chilly Saturday afternoon at a little old post-office-turned-antique-shop in Elkton, Maryland.  Inside, five musicians sit in a circle on wooden benches. They’re the friends and family of a late great American legend, and they’ve gathered together this day to pay tribute. Her name was Ola Belle Reed. Born in the mountains of North Carolina back in 1915, she and her family headed to northeastern Maryland during the Great Depression, looking for new horizons and a better way to make a living. Ola Belle couldn’t know it at the time, but she was destined to become a legend. This matriarch of mountain music may be gone now, but her spirit lives on. This special episode of Tapestry of the Times presents a series of one-of-a-kind original recordings made recently on-site in Elkton, Maryland, with the family and friends of Ola Belle: Her son Dave Reed, her nephews Zane and Hugh Campbell, and her friends Burton Debusk and Linda Weaver. One of Ola Belle’s old signature tunes was called “I’ve Endured,” and the music and testimonials shared during this special broadcast prove those words to be prophetically true. Real music, real people, and the stories behind the sounds.

Special companion video to this show produced by Shane Carpenter.

This episode of Tapestry of the Times owes a debt of gratitude to special liaison Cliff Murphy, folklorist at The Maryland State Arts Council. Learn more about the traditional arts in Maryland.