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Posted in these groups: 
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Bluegrass
Country Music Bluegrass
Posted >1 y ago
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Thank you, my friend CW5 Jack Cardwell for sharing the audio recording of Ola Belle Reed performing "Ola Belles Blues" with the lovely singing of Ola Belle Reed of Rising Sun, Maryland.
Background from https://folkways-media.si.edu/liner_notes/smithsonian_folkways/SFW40202.pdf
Rhonda Strickland in Bluegrass Unlimited observed, “Ola Belle and her husband [Bud] both possess the rare ability to practice what they preach. They have integrated music, business and idealistic values in such a way that they live out their beliefs through music instead of letting music as a profession get in the
way of living according to their values” (1983, 40).
Although many people write about Ola Belle Reed’s music and her influence on other musicians, the citation above refers to another important part of Ola Belle’s life—her deeds fully lived up to her Christian faith. Within her community she was a person someone in need could turn to for a helping hand. In addition to her sons Ralph Jr. (1950– ) and David (1953– ), she raised many abandoned or
needy children. The house was full, and the boarders were taught responsibility in
the hope it would help them in life when it was time to go. Bud Reed explains: "There’s something about Ola Belle that most people don’t know. She was a great humanitarian. We used to take in kids; we took in all kinds of kids. They’d come and find us. We had a black lady one time, she came down to the store, and she told Ola Belle, she said, “I hear you’re a good woman.” She said, “I ain’t got no place to stay.” And Ola Belle took her in the back and talked to her. We kept her up until she had to go to the nursing home—she had a stroke. Then we had an old man. He didn’t have no income, nothing, and we kept him till he died. And I don’t know how many kids we took, and raised, Ola Belle and I. Got one boy now, his name is Dale Howell, and he’s been comin’ to see me. He’s got cancer now. We kept him and sent him on through school. Had a little girl one time, we found out she had been thrown to the wolves more or less, twelve years old. And I went and asked her parents if I could have her, and we took her and raised her, too. I don’t know how many kids we raised. I used to get up Saturday mornings and the house would be full. Boys and girls, and I’d start cookin’ them hotcakes and set them down at the table…they’d have to take turns sitting. You know, that was a joy for me. That’s your reward, is your joy you have in doing things like that. Yes it is."
Dave Reed adds about his mother:
"That was the best part of her. The way she was as a person. I have been stressin’ that. It seem like most people want to talk about the music part and that’s good,but to me, that’s secondary to the things she done for people. I know that’s what’s helped her. The things she had to say to people. I seen her take in kids, and their mother had these kids by different men, and what she would do was make the kids sleep under the mobile home while she was with her boyfriends. One of the young boys came over to the store in shorts, short-sleeved shirt, barefooted, the ground still frozen and some ice on the ground, and they’d walk over there like it didn’t even bother them. She took ’em in. That’s what the Bible says, and that’s what she firmly believes.
Ola Wave Campbell was born in 1916 in the area of Grassy Creek, North Carolina, near the New River, and she grew up in what is now is Lansing, North Carolina. Lansing is located in the western part of the state in the Appalachian Mountains, in a region that is a hotbed of string band music. It is a short drive from the Virginia–North Carolina border, and just to the northeast are the musically rich Carroll and Grayson Counties of Virginia. Many important musicians such as the Ward Family and the Bogtrotters are from the Galax and Independence, Virginia, environs. To the south of Lansing are Boone, Blowing Rock, and Beech Mountain, which have a long tradition of ballad singing and the “Jack Tale,” a well-known style of Appalachian storytelling. Lansing was also one of the rail stops on the Norfolk and Western Railroad.
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC (Join to see) Lt Col Charlie Brown Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Maj William W. "Bill" PriceSGT Jim Arnold Maj Robert Thornton SPC Douglas Bolton Cynthia Croft SSgt Boyd Herrst TSgt Joe C. SGT John " Mac " McConnell SP5 Mark Kuzinski CPL Dave Hoover SPC Margaret Higgins SSG William Jones PO3 Craig Phillips PVT Mark Zehner
Background from https://folkways-media.si.edu/liner_notes/smithsonian_folkways/SFW40202.pdf
Rhonda Strickland in Bluegrass Unlimited observed, “Ola Belle and her husband [Bud] both possess the rare ability to practice what they preach. They have integrated music, business and idealistic values in such a way that they live out their beliefs through music instead of letting music as a profession get in the
way of living according to their values” (1983, 40).
Although many people write about Ola Belle Reed’s music and her influence on other musicians, the citation above refers to another important part of Ola Belle’s life—her deeds fully lived up to her Christian faith. Within her community she was a person someone in need could turn to for a helping hand. In addition to her sons Ralph Jr. (1950– ) and David (1953– ), she raised many abandoned or
needy children. The house was full, and the boarders were taught responsibility in
the hope it would help them in life when it was time to go. Bud Reed explains: "There’s something about Ola Belle that most people don’t know. She was a great humanitarian. We used to take in kids; we took in all kinds of kids. They’d come and find us. We had a black lady one time, she came down to the store, and she told Ola Belle, she said, “I hear you’re a good woman.” She said, “I ain’t got no place to stay.” And Ola Belle took her in the back and talked to her. We kept her up until she had to go to the nursing home—she had a stroke. Then we had an old man. He didn’t have no income, nothing, and we kept him till he died. And I don’t know how many kids we took, and raised, Ola Belle and I. Got one boy now, his name is Dale Howell, and he’s been comin’ to see me. He’s got cancer now. We kept him and sent him on through school. Had a little girl one time, we found out she had been thrown to the wolves more or less, twelve years old. And I went and asked her parents if I could have her, and we took her and raised her, too. I don’t know how many kids we raised. I used to get up Saturday mornings and the house would be full. Boys and girls, and I’d start cookin’ them hotcakes and set them down at the table…they’d have to take turns sitting. You know, that was a joy for me. That’s your reward, is your joy you have in doing things like that. Yes it is."
Dave Reed adds about his mother:
"That was the best part of her. The way she was as a person. I have been stressin’ that. It seem like most people want to talk about the music part and that’s good,but to me, that’s secondary to the things she done for people. I know that’s what’s helped her. The things she had to say to people. I seen her take in kids, and their mother had these kids by different men, and what she would do was make the kids sleep under the mobile home while she was with her boyfriends. One of the young boys came over to the store in shorts, short-sleeved shirt, barefooted, the ground still frozen and some ice on the ground, and they’d walk over there like it didn’t even bother them. She took ’em in. That’s what the Bible says, and that’s what she firmly believes.
Ola Wave Campbell was born in 1916 in the area of Grassy Creek, North Carolina, near the New River, and she grew up in what is now is Lansing, North Carolina. Lansing is located in the western part of the state in the Appalachian Mountains, in a region that is a hotbed of string band music. It is a short drive from the Virginia–North Carolina border, and just to the northeast are the musically rich Carroll and Grayson Counties of Virginia. Many important musicians such as the Ward Family and the Bogtrotters are from the Galax and Independence, Virginia, environs. To the south of Lansing are Boone, Blowing Rock, and Beech Mountain, which have a long tradition of ballad singing and the “Jack Tale,” a well-known style of Appalachian storytelling. Lansing was also one of the rail stops on the Norfolk and Western Railroad.
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC (Join to see) Lt Col Charlie Brown Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Maj William W. "Bill" PriceSGT Jim Arnold Maj Robert Thornton SPC Douglas Bolton Cynthia Croft SSgt Boyd Herrst TSgt Joe C. SGT John " Mac " McConnell SP5 Mark Kuzinski CPL Dave Hoover SPC Margaret Higgins SSG William Jones PO3 Craig Phillips PVT Mark Zehner
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