Ballad Hunting with Max Hunter – Stories of an Ozark Folksong Collector,
University of Illinois Press
Although not as well-known as the Southeastern United States, the Ozarks region of Missouri and Arkansas has long been a hotbed of fine old-time fiddling, folk ballad singing, and bluegrass music. One of the primary reasons that so many ballads and tunes from the Ozarks have been faithfully preserved over the decades is the meticulous and passionate work of song collector Max Hunter (1921-1999) from Springfield, Missouri.
A traveling salesman who enjoyed getting to know the musicians and singers as much as recording them, Max Hunter recorded nearly 1,600 traditional songs by more than 200 singers from the mid-‘50s through the mid-‘70s. Lyrics were carefully transcribed and typed out exactly as they were sung.
Originally from New Jersey, author/musician Sarah Jane Nelson discovered the Max Hunter Folk Song Collection online in 2014, years after Hunter’s death. Despite never having the opportunity to meet him in person, Nelson does a thorough and accurate job of capturing Max’s friendly, yet determined personality, many colorful stories of song collecting adventures, and the impressive breadth of his accomplishments. Although he never graduated from college, Max grew to be respected regionally and then nationally in the academic folklore world. He wanted the songs he collected to be accessible to the public, so the impressive resource at https://maxhunter.missouristate.edu became a joint project of the Missouri State University Department of Music and the Springfield-Greene County Library in Springfield, Missouri where the permanent collection is housed.
The book consists of 11 well-researched and documented chapters, plus extensive notes and a song index. Hunter’s family and musical history are covered, along with the story of how his work as a traveling salesman led to song collecting, his carefully outlined rules for song collection, and how his passion for song catching developed into something more than a hobby. The documentation and presentation of Ozarks songs led Max into emcee work and opportunities to produce concerts and festivals. Hunter produced the first 1975-76 Mountain Folks Music Festivals in Branson, Missouri, which have in more recent years become the popular, month-long Bluegrass & Barbecue Festivals at Silver Dollar City.
Readers familiar with the Ozarks music scene will enjoy reading behind-the-scenes stories about Silver Dollar City; the Eureka Springs, Arkansas folk festivals; and the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, Arkansas. Familiar names appear including Art Galbraith and Gordon McCann, Vance Randolph, Jimmy Driftwood, Cathy Barton and Dave Para, Judy Domeny Bowen, Kim Lansford, Fred High, Ollie Gilbert, Almeda Riddle, May Kennedy McCord, the Bilyeu family and more.
In 1989 Hunter received the Missouri Arts Council Award, and at the presentation ceremony then-governor Mel Carnahan stated, “When Max came calling, people sang, and a dying culture lived again.”
If you are curious about Child ballads that made it all the way to the Ozark Hills or you’re simply interested in the rich history of the music and culture of the region, this book is highly recommended.
