Kyle Creed (1912–1982) was an influential musician and banjo
luthier
A luthier ( ; ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments.
Etymology
The word ' is originally French and comes from ''luth'', the French word for "lute". The term was originally used for makers of lutes, but it came to be ...
of 20th century
Appalachia
Appalachia ( ) is a geographic region located in the Appalachian Mountains#Regions, central and southern sections of the Appalachian Mountains in the east of North America. In the north, its boundaries stretch from the western Catskill Mountai ...
. Along with
Tommy Jarrell
Thomas Jefferson Jarrell (March 1, 1901 – January 28, 1985) was an American fiddler, banjo player, and singer from the Mount Airy region of North Carolina's Appalachian Mountains.
Biography
He was born in Surry County, North Carolina, United ...
, and
Fred Cockerham, he was a central figure of the Roundpeak-style old-time music that began to find an outside audience in the 1960s, and his
clawhammer banjo
Clawhammer, sometimes called down-picking, overhand, or most commonly known as frailing, is a distinctive banjo playing style and a common component of American old-time music. The style likely descends from that of West African lutes, such a ...
playing came to shape banjo practices in the
Old-time music
Old-time music is a genre of North American folk music. It developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dancing, contra dance, clogging, and buck dancing. It is played on acoustic instruments, generally centering ...
tradition.
Biography
He was born in the
Round Peak area of
Surry County,
North Carolina
North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
on September 20, 1912, becoming immersed in the traditional music of the region from an early age. Creed was a multi-instrumentalist but concentrated on clawhammer banjo, playing in various groups such as the Camp Creek Boys and winning the prestigious
Galax
''Galax'', the wandplant, wandflower, or beetleweed, is a genus in the flowering plant family Diapensiaceae, containing a single species, ''Galax urceolata'' ( syn. ''G. rotundifolia'', ''G. aphylla''). It is native to the southeastern United S ...
, VA
Old Fiddler's Convention banjo competition in multiple consecutive years He also operated a music store and built banjos for other players of the style. His work as a
luthier
A luthier ( ; ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments.
Etymology
The word ' is originally French and comes from ''luth'', the French word for "lute". The term was originally used for makers of lutes, but it came to be ...
continues to influence preferences and standards in
open back banjo construction and sound.
Particularly influential was Creed's novel practice of executing the right hand playing motion over the highest frets of the
banjo
The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and in modern forms is usually made of plastic, where early membranes were made of animal skin.
...
fretboard
The fingerboard (also known as a fretboard on fretted instruments) is an important component of most stringed instruments. It is a thin, long strip of material, usually wood, that is laminated to the front of the neck of an instrument. The stri ...
as opposed to the standard method of striking the strings directly above the banjo head. Kyle Creed recorded individually and with the Camp Creek Boys and is included in the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
Archive of Folk Culture and the seminal ''County Records Clawhammer Banjo'' series.
He died November 26, 1982.
["Kyle Creed," Encyclopedia of Appalachia, 2011, Encyclopedia of Appalachia. 7 Jul 2011 ]
See also
*
Wade Ward
*
Clawhammer
Clawhammer, sometimes called down-picking, overhand, or most commonly known as frailing, is a distinctive banjo playing style and a common component of American old-time music. The style likely descends from that of West African lutes, suc ...
*
Old-time music
Old-time music is a genre of North American folk music. It developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dancing, contra dance, clogging, and buck dancing. It is played on acoustic instruments, generally centering ...
References
External links
Kyle Creed MP3 Collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Creed, Kyle
American banjoists
Old-time musicians
Musicians from North Carolina
Appalachian old-time fiddlers
1912 births
1982 deaths
20th-century American fiddlers
People from Surry County, North Carolina