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TITLE: Benton Flippen and the Smokey Valley Boys
SPEAKER: Benton Flippen and the Smokey Valley Boys
EVENT DATE: 08/17/2005
FORMAT: Video + Captions
RUNNING TIME: 59 minutes
TRANSCRIPT: View Transcript (link will open in a new window)
DESCRIPTION:
Benton Flippen and the Smokey Valley Boys perform as part of the Homegrown 2005 Concert Series sponsored by the American Folklife Center.
Speaker Biography: Benton Flippen, one of the icons of old-time fiddling in America, was born and raised in a musical family in Surry County, N.C. Born in 1920, Flippen comes from a generation of great players at the epicenter of Southern mountain music. Among his contemporaries were Tommy Jarrell, Fred Cockerham, Kyle Creed and Earnest East, musicians who have influenced countless students of Old Time music. Flippen has been similarly influential, and he received the 1990 North Carolina Folk Heritage Award for being the innovator of a distinctive style of old-time string music. He has served as a mentor for several wonderful musicians, notably NPR newscaster, music producer, and banjo player Paul Brown. Flippen is still an active musician, playing at fiddle contests and square dances throughout his home region. The Smokey Valley Boys consist of Paul Brown on banjo, Verlen Clifton on mandolin and Frank Bodie on guitar.
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SERIES: Homegrown