Homer C. Ledford (September 26, 1927 – December 11, 2006) was an instrument maker and bluegrass

musician A musician is someone who Composer, composes, Conducting, conducts, or Performing arts#Performers, performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general Terminology, term used to designate a person who fol ...

from

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

He is best known for his craftsmanship in building

dulcimer The term dulcimer refers to two families of musical string instruments. Hammered dulcimers The word ''dulcimer'' originally referred to a trapezoidal zither similar to a psaltery whose many strings are struck by handheld "hammers". Variants of ...

Early life and education

Homer was born in

Alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National P ...

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

, into a family that valued craftsmanship and music. He showed an early interest in building instruments, learning his craft through hands-on experience and from local makers. When he was 18, Ledford was given a scholarship to attend the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown,

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 ...

. He later attended

Berea College Berea College is a private liberal arts work college in Berea, Kentucky. Founded in 1855, Berea College was the first college in the Southern United States to be coeducational and racially integrated. It was integrated from as early as 1866 ...

, where he met his wife Colista. Ledford eventually transferred and graduated from what is now the

Eastern Kentucky University Eastern Kentucky University (Eastern or EKU) is a public university in Richmond, Kentucky. It also maintains branch campuses in Corbin, Hazard, and Manchester and offers over 40 online undergraduate and graduate options. History Founding ...

in 1954. Ledford worked as a high school

industrial arts Industrial arts is an educational program that features the fabrication of objects in wood or metal using a variety of hand, power, or machine tools. Industrial Arts are commonly referred to as Technology Education. It may include small engine ...

teacher at George Rogers Clark High School in

Winchester, Kentucky Winchester is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Clark County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 19,134 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Lexington-Fayette, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area. Winchester is located r ...

before becoming a full-time instrument maker.

Career and instrument making

Musicians from all over the world have sought after his dulcimers,

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. ...

mandolin A mandolin (, ; literally "small mandola") is a Chordophone, stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally Plucked string instrument, plucked with a plectrum, pick. It most commonly has four Course (music), courses of doubled St ...

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

s and

ukulele The ukulele ( ; ); also called a uke (informally), is a member of the lute (ancient guitar) family of instruments. The ukulele is of Portuguese origin and was popularized in Hawaii. The tone and volume of the instrument vary with size and con ...

s. Ledford's instruments were known for their superior craftsmanship and attention to detail, and his influence on the world of traditional folk and bluegrass music remains profound. Some of his instruments are on permanent display at the.

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

. According to his website, he made over 5,776 dulcimers and over 475 banjos in his lifetime. He is also the inventor of the

dulcitar The dulcitar is a variant of the Appalachian dulcimer, which retains the dulcimer's diatonic scale, diatonic fret layout yet features a long neck that is intended to be played upright in the guitar style rather than flat across the lap. Luthier Hom ...

, and also made dulcijos and dulcibros. Ledford was also a skilled innovator in instrument design. In addition to the dulcitar, he experimented with creating new variations of traditional instruments. These innovations continue to inspire modern-day luthiers and musicians, especially within the bluegrass and Appalachian music scenes.

Musical contributions and The Cabin Creek Band

While his work as an instrument maker was central to his career, Ledford was also an active bluegrass musician. He played in the Cabin Creek Band, a significant Kentucky-based group that was known for its preservation of Appalachian folk music traditions. His dual role as both a musician and instrument maker allowed him to understand music from both a technical and artistic perspective. Ledford's involvement with the Cabin Creek Band. further cemented his reputation as a key figure in Kentucky's bluegrass scene. The band performed locally and contributed to the region's rich tradition of folk and bluegrass music.

Recognition and awards

He was also an original inductee in the Kentucky Stars, alongside

Loretta Lynn Loretta Lynn (; April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. She had numerous hits such as "Hey Loretta", "The Pill (song), The P ...

Rosemary Clooney Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 – June 29, 2002) was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the song "Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me (Ba-Ba-Baciami Piccin ...

Bobbie Ann Mason Bobbie Ann Mason (born May 1, 1940) is an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and literary critic from Kentucky. Her memoir was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Early life and education A child of Wilburn and Christianna (Lee) Mas ...

, and

Patricia Neal Patricia Neal (born Patsy Louise Neal; January 20, 1926 – August 8, 2010) was an American actress of stage and screen. She is well known for, among other roles, playing World WarII widow Helen Benson in ''The Day the Earth Stood Still'' (195 ...

. A sidewalk plaque honoring him is in front of the Kentucky Theatre on Main Street in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city coterminous with and the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the city's population was 322,570, making it the List of ...

. He also published a book of autobiographical stories and poems, entitled ''See Ya Further Up the Creek''.

Personal life

Ledford died from a

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

at the age of 79 in

. He was survived by his widow, Colista; they had four children. His great nephews Jason Eubanks, Phillip Eubanks, and Jonathan Armak are currently in the

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...

group Unstable, and use many of the instruments he made on their records. Their mother, Melissa Armak (born Melissa Fraley) was the bass player in the Cabin Creek Band during the late 1970s.

Legacy

Ledford was posthumously given an honorary Doctorate of Humanities at the Fall 2006 commencement ceremonies at

, December 16, 2006, and deemed one of Kentucky's "Heroes, Saints and Legends" by Wesley Retirement Community in recognition of his contributions to music. Homer Ledford's legacy as a master luthier and bluegrass musician continues to resonate within the Appalachian music community and beyond. His dulcimers and other instruments are considered some of the finest examples of traditional American craftsmanship. Through his work, Ledford contributed to the preservation and evolution of bluegrass music and the broader cultural heritage of Kentucky.

References

Sources

* Alvey, R. Gerald, ''Dulcimer Maker, The Craft of Homer Ledford'', University Press of Kentucky, 1984
''The Mudcat Café'' Obituary

External links

Homer Ledford Papers, 1952-2011
2.39 cubic feet (processed) Compiled by Margaret Foote
Eastern Kentucky University Special Collections and Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ledford, Homer 1927 births 2006 deaths Bluegrass musicians from Kentucky Berea College alumni Eastern Kentucky University alumni Musicians from Kentucky People from Overton County, Tennessee 20th-century American musicians Folk musicians from Kentucky Country musicians from Tennessee Country musicians from Kentucky