Staff

2013 Family Folk Week Staff
This will be our 36th year!

Harvey Amburgey loves teaching woodcarving to young and old. A native of Knott County, Kentucky, his easy-going personality and big smile make him one of the week’s special staff members. Bring a sharp knife, plenty of Band-Aids and come prepared to learn.

Aubrey Atwater & Elwood Donnelly are a highly praised husband-wife duo who blend gorgeous vocals with an astounding array of instruments including the mountain dulcimer, old-time banjo, tin whistle, guitar, mandolin, harmonica, limberjacks, feet and more. They have performed widely in the United States and beyond and their 12 recordings have received international airplay.

Chris Bischoff is a dance-caller, storyteller and banjo picker who has been organizing, performing and calling dances since 1986. He began attending Family Folk Week when he was in his teens. He has called dances in 27 states, Canada, Denmark and Norway for groups of all ages.

Sonny Houston is a folk musician and Letcher County, Kentucky native. Known for the haunting power of his singing and his dexterity as an instrumentalist, Sonny has been lead singer for several Bluegrass bands and is in demand as a teacher and lecturer on folk music. He plays the guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin and bass.

Rich Kirby is a musician, scholar and founder of June Appal Recordings. He is affiliated with Appalshop and WMMT Radio. Rich plays several instruments and his repertoire includes ballads, hoedowns, religious pieces, mining songs and frolics. He performs regularly with Rich & the Po’ Folk.

Eli Kleinsmith is a veteran of Family Folk Week, having attended numerous times with his family. This will be his first year on staff. Eli is an accomplished fiddle  player, as well as a film and video aficionado and student at Western Kentucky University. He will be teaching some of the younger participants and capturing the essence of the week through his video lens.

Raymond W. McLain, director of Morehead State University’s Kentucky Center for Traditional Music, has played on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry More than 1,000 times! His 40+ years of playing traditional and bluegrass music have taken him to all 50 states and 62 foreign countries. Raymond is at home on the Settlement School campus, having spent a good part of his youth at the Forks of Troublesome Creek. 

Ted Olson is an Appalachian studies scholar and a professor at East Tennessee State University. Perhaps best known as editor of The Hills Remember: The Complete Short Stories of James Still, he is an accomplished author, poet, producer and musician. Ted is joining us for the first time this year as one of our Appalachian Seminar presenters.

Don Pedi has been playing dulcimer for 35 years and is known for his timeless and fluid mountain style that can match a fiddler note-for-note. He is in great demand at festivals and workshops and appeared in the film Songcatcher. Don performed at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival this past July.

Ron Pen is a performer and scholar of Appalachian music. A founding member of the Appalachian Association of Sacred Harp Singers, he is also professor of music and director of the John Jacob Niles Center for American Music at the University of Kentucky.

Terry Ratliffis a very creative woodworker, with more than 30 years experience. His chairs, tables, bowls and benches are not only functional but true works of art. His class offers some very challenging and rewarding opportunities during Family Folk Week.

Mary Reed is a master corn shuck doll and flower maker. For more than 35 years she has produced, marketed, taught and demonstrated her art at numerous shows, festivals and schools. Her goal is to share and preserve this traditional Appalachian folk art.

Sparky & Rhonda Rucker deliver toe-tapping music spiced with humor, history and tall tales. Their repertoire consists of original songs, blues, spirituals, Southern Appalachian traditional songs and African American Ballads. Their music has been prominently featured on National Public Radio and television.

Lee Sexton is a legendary old-time banjo player from Letcher County, Kentucky. Besides being a master musician, he is a teller of tales. Lee has traveled all over this country sharing his music and stories. He and his wife, Opal, have been part of this gathering for more than 30 years.

Ruth McLain Smith, with her bass-slappin’ can-do attitude, has only missed a McLain Family Band show when she delivered her children. Her enthusiastic stage presence coupled with her talent provides a contagious energy for every performance.

Mike Stevens’ talent is as unorthodox as his career trajectory. As a groundbreaking performer, educator and author, he continues to expand the paradigms of harmonica, balancing tradition with cutting-edge innovation. Mike has received the Entertainer of the Year award at the Central Canadian Bluegrass Awards multiple times.

Michael Ware, master potter and assistant professor of art at Alice Lloyd College, has been part of the Hindman Settlement School family for more than 35 years. His beautiful pottery sells as fast as he can make it.

Nancy Ann McLain Wartman soaked up mountain dancing and singing as a child. The youngest of the five McLain children she often helped close out the McLain Family concerts with her very spirited clogging. She will be helping with the children’s program during the week.

Jesse R. Wells is the education coordinator for the Kentucky Center for Traditional Music at Morehead State University and host of "Pickin' Parlor" on Morehead State Public Radio. He performs regularly with the Clack Mountain String Band, Kentucky Wild Horse and others. He is a regular staff member of the Cowan Creek Mountain Music School in Cowan, Kentucky.

Frances Whitaker is a master basket maker and teacher from Letcher County, Kentucky. She is especially known for her reed baskets. She has taught basket making at Hazard Community & Technical College and is a regular member of our Family Folk Week staff.

Randy Wilson is director of the Folk Arts Education program at Hindman Settlement School. He has worked in folk arts in Eastern Kentucky schools and the surrounding communities for more than 25 years, sharing music, songs, stories and dance.