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A multi-instrumentalist from the Piedmont, Nick Hallman is a life-long devotee of old-time country music indigenous to the South Carolina. As founding member of the Nickpickers, Hallman assembled one...Digital Traditions
General - Traditional Arts
Home to a wealth of folk traditions, South Carolina is culturally and geographically diverse. From the Appalachian Mountains to the Sea Islands and from rural crossroads to urban centers, the state boasts rich sources of traditional culture and folklore. Rooted in family and community activities, folklife involves expressive forms of many kinds that are communicated verbally and by observation or imitation. Folk artists can learn through apprenticeships, but most often are taught informally by family members or close friends. This sharing of information can occur in many different group settings - familial, occupational, religious, social, and educational. Folklife is dynamic by nature, a part of a community's history that continues to develop every day, with every generation.
Digital Traditions was developed to provide access to the Folklife Resource Center (FRC) at McKissick Museum. For thirty years, deeply rooted traditions like quilting, pottery, basketry, communal foodways, and folk music have been documented through audio, video, and photography. For further information about any of the artists featured on Digital Traditions, send your questions and comments to hallagan@mailbox.sc.edu.
Within this Series
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Loyd “Slick” McGaha epitomized the essence of a traditional performer and nicely encapsulated the traditions of South Carolina as well. Slick learned to play “bones,” a traditional rhythmic technique...Photo
McCormick (McCormick County) realtor who was a musician prior to WWII. Interview conducted by Anne Kimzey.Photo
Master fiddler J.C. Owens learned from the best musicians in the South Carolina Upstate, his brother, Lonnie Owens, and the legendary Pink Cassels. Owens is a master of various fiddling styles native...Photo
Harold Vernon Riddle played the fiddle for well over fifty years. He was first exposed to the rural folk music of upstate South Carolina in the mill village of Glendale where he was born. He heard...Photo
Born and raised in a mill village in Converse, South Carolina, Gene Wyatt, or “Colonel Gene” as he was known on the music scene, first picked up the guitar when he was 10. From a musical family, Wyatt...Photo
Fernando Costro is a musician from Mexico, currently residing in Newberry County. He plays guitar and mariachi music with a local band, Mariachi Cabos. He learned how to play violin and guitar from...Photo
This native of Enoree claimed to have “been born with music in my blood.” He formed his first band at the age of 18 - “Claude Casey and The Pine State Playboys.” By 1938 they had recorded 10 songs for...Photo
Fiddler from Troy, SC (Greenwood County). Many of the songs he plays are short, so several are included here in their entirety. He is accompanied by Fred Watson on guitar and sister Fannie Creswell...Photo
Ashley Carder grew up in a home surrounded by music. His mother Shirley is a talented country singer and guitar player who performed often on regional radio in the 1960s and -70s. Carder’s extended...