Jean Ritchie

Jean Ritchie (1922–2015) was an American folk singer and dulcimer player from Viper, Kentucky, widely regarded as the mother of the folk revival. Born into a large Appalachian family with a rich oral tradition of British ballads and local songs, she brought this tradition to urban audiences through recordings, performances, and teaching from the late 1940s onward. Her Elektra Records recordings and her book Singing Family of the Cumberlands (1955) were foundational texts for the American folk revival, directly influencing Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. She was also a pioneering advocate for Appalachian culture and environmental justice in her region.