A few years ago, I put together a four-part series about Appalachians in the silent film era entitled, “Appalachians in Moving Pictures.” Every actor’s story provides an interesting insight into the dawn of motion pictures and a place called Hollywoodland. Enjoy the following story about silent film actress Ethlyne Clair.Continue Reading

A few years ago, I visited the Coal Creek Miners Museum in Rocky Top (formerly Lake City, formerly Coal Creek), Anderson County, Tennessee. The facility provides a historical glimpse into the lives of coal miners in the Fraterville and Briceville mines, particularly from the late 1800s to the 1930s. TheContinue Reading

Welcome to Part 2 of our three-part series about the Extraordinary Tanners. Today’s post centers on Henry and Carlton Tanner, sons of Benjamin and Sarah Tanner. We’ll meet younger son, Carlton, first. Though he wasn’t technically born in Appalachia, his parents were, and his story is significant to present theContinue Reading

I was born with a love for music – a gift from my parents. It runs throughout both sides of my family with music of one kind or another ever-present in our home, on records, tapes, CDs, the radio, or my dad’s singing. As a matter of fact, I inheritedContinue Reading

Please enjoy these Honorable Mentions – the very, very last of this series. **BEST enjoyed in landscape view, if you’re on a smartphone. Chester A. Alexander   I found no pictures of Chester Alexander. He was born in Piedmont Alabama, August 7, 1885. Alexander was an ordained minister. He playedContinue Reading

Welcome to the third installment in the series “Appalachians in Moving Pictures,” a post about silent film actors born in Appalachia. The first and second parts focused only on actresses, while the third and fourth sections are designated for actors. You’ll notice Part III and Part IV are a littleContinue Reading

Welcome to the second part of “Appalachians in Moving Pictures.” This endeavor is a four-part series in our “Resurrecting Forgotten Artists” section. The first and second, as you have seen, are devoted to silent film actresses who were born in Appalachia. I chose the term, actress, because the denotation wasContinue Reading

I love classic movies. Absolutely love them. They hold some kind of spell over me – a longing, perhaps, for grace or glamour or social etiquette or fashion. I mean, who wouldn’t want to watch a stunning Grace Kelly in Rear Window or gander at a suave Cary Grant inContinue Reading

It is wonderful to live and sing. It is a great thing to feel that one is able to help other people with one’s voice. I want to play in a new opera where the heroine does not die in the last scene or go mad. That is why IContinue Reading