About this blog:
These are the Appalachian ramblings of Malcolm Smith, a recovering college professor, goat farmer, clawhammer banjo player, author and ventriloquist. Welcome to my holler. Take your shoes off, sit a spell. Listen to the sounds of the Blue Ridge. This is my little corner of the internet, right here on my front porch at 3,000 feet in Laurel Fork, VA on the Big Reed Island Creek.
Drop by anytime.
Latest from the Blog
A New Legend is Born in SW Virginian
The First “Legends of Grayson County Gathering in Independence During the first weekend of April, 2022, a new kind of celebration of the rich musical heritage surrounding Grayson County, Virginia was born. The “Legends of Grayson County” was a unique musical gathering, including historic and educational presentations, storytelling, music and dancing, discussions and master led jams.…
Rhythm and Genes: The Moonshining and Old Time Music of SW Virginia’s Boyd Family
It’s a beautiful early spring afternoon in Southwest Virginia and I’m deep in Franklin County. One of the things that everyone seems to know about Franklin County (named for Benjamin Franklin) is that the writer, Sherwood Anderson, once dubbed it “The wettest county in the world.” I am on Boyd land, just off Dry Hill Road. The…
The Fiddler’s Jam!
Earl White is driving the jam. It’s 2am at the far end of his 75 acre lush farm in the heart of the Blue Ridge mountains on a mid-July Saturday night, and he and his wife, Adrienne Davis, have just hosted 300 of their friends and new acquaintances since Wednesday. Not only have they provided…
Hear the Holler!
A Voice from the Holler: Dispatches from The Blue Ridge 