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They Like To Sing The Old Songs: The A.L. Phipps Family & Its Music, David Taylor

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

An ethnographic study of the musical traditions of the A. L. Phipps Family, of Barbourville, Kentucky, reveals various social forces which have affected the family's repertoire and performance career. A life history of the family, compiled from extensive fieldwork, is presented along with analyses of the Phippses' secular music, sacred songs, and their performance career. The family is clearly representative of the musical traditions of the upland South, drawing its music from sources common to most white Appalachian singers. A discography of the Phipps Family's recordings is included along with a selection of photographs highlighting their life and performance career.