Buell Kazee - Legendary Kentucky Ballad Singer

Allmusic Biography by Sandra Brennan:

Buell Kazee was a minister who played banjo and sang the ancient songs of his beloved Kentucky mountains during the 1920s. Considered one of the very best folk singers in U.S. history, he was a master of the high, "lonesome" singing style of the Appalachian balladeer. Kazee was born in the foothill town of Burton Fork, KY, and learned most of his songs from his family. He began picking banjo at age five and often played during local gatherings. He prepared for the clergy even as a teen and after high school began studying English, Greek, and Latin at Georgetown College, KY. It was there that he began to understand the significance of his family and friends' traditional songs. Kazee formally studied singing and music in order to transcribe the old songs and make them more contemporary. Following his graduation in 1925, he gave a "folk music" concert at the University of Kentucky. He wore a tie and tails while playing the banjo and piano, sang in his specially trained "formal" voice, and gave lectures about the history of the songs. The show was a great success, so he repeated it several times over the following years.

In 1927, he was asked to record the songs for Brunswick in New York, and he was signed to the label on the condition that he sing using his high, tight "mountain" voice and forego his formal vocal training. Over the next two years, he recorded over 50 songs backed by New York musicians. Many were religious, but others ranged from traditional to popular ballads, including "Lady Gay," "The Sporting Bachelors," and "The Orphan Girl." His biggest hit was a version of "On Top of Old Smoky" called "Little Mohee," which sold over 15,000 copies. In the early '30s, the recently married Kazee lost interest in pursuing a music career and stopped touring to become the minister of a church in Morehead, KY. For the next 22 years, he only sang publicly at revival meetings. Much later, he began using folk themes to compose formal music, such as a cantata-based on the old Sacred Harp piece "The White Pilgrim." During the folk revival of the early '60s, he made a comeback and was one of the first to appear at the Newport festivals. In addition to preaching and singing, Kazee also wrote three religious books and a book on banjo playing. He died in 1976.


Buell's voice is indeed high and lonesome; his singing and overall approach to music is reminiscent of other folksinger-scholars like Bascom Lamar Lunsford and John Jacob Niles. His banjo-accompanied ballads are as classic as anything ever called folk music, and a couple of them were included on Harry Smith's influential Anthology of American Folk Music. There are some songs where he lays down the banjo and sings accompanied by piano, violin, and strumming guitar. These are much harder for me to listen to, for their polished sentimentality. But there's something compelling about them still, probably saved by his unique voice. For instance, Buell's interpretation of Redwing, complete with mock-birdsong and sweet weeping fiddle, falls halfway between hauntingly beautiful and sickeningly maudlin. Though from Kentucky, Buell sings without the heavy accent that so readily identifies the work of many others (for example, Bill Monroe). In his hands, folk song becomes universal, rather than regional, and even topical songs become timeless.

Buell Kazee - Legendary Kentucky Ballad Singer
Label: British Archive of Country Music
Year: 2005
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mp3 | >192kbps vbr | w/ cover | 45mb

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& check out the Appal records page on him, for bio, lyrics, discography, & his self-titled record of 1978.