Documentaries

“I’ve Endured”: The music and legacy of Ola Belle Reed

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View a trailer for “I’ve Endured”: The music and legacy of Ola Belle Reed

Information on all upcoming and past screenings is available here.

With a voice born in the mountains and shaped by the hard times she lived and saw, Ola Belle Reed established herself as an influential musician, singer, and songwriter of old-time mountain music.  The  new documentary, “I’ve Endured:” The music and legacy of Ola Belle Reed”, explores the life of  this  remarkable musician, singer and songwriter whose contributions have left an indelible mark on the cultural landscape.  Ola Belle’s powerful voice and lyrics spoke authentically of her rural roots, and her passionate songs found a home in the folk-revival movement of the 1960s and beyond. She left an enduring legacy.  In 1986 Ola Belle received a NEA National Heritage Fellowship. The Library of Congress added her 1973 album Ola Belle Reed to the National Recording Registry in 2019. Her recordings are also preserved by the National Council for the Traditional Arts.  Her songs have become anthems of Appalachian life, and she is widely recognized as one of the most influential bluegrass, folk and old-time musicians of all time. 

The story told in “I’ve Endured” is one that resonates with themes of resilience, creativity, diversity and cultural significance. The film was produced over the last four years, weaving together archival photos, recordings and newly restored film footage of interviews and performances to present a portrait of Ola Belle, shedding light on  her significance and that of the mountain culture she embodied.  New interviews with those who knew her, worked with her and were influenced by her, are combined in the film to bring the past, present and future together in conversation.   Production was based at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and was funded by Maryland Traditions, a part of the Maryland State Arts Council.

The film was originally produced to accompany an exhibition at UMBC’s AOK Library and Gallery.  Ola Belle Reed: I’ve Endured contextualized her achievements within a history of migration from rural Appalachia north in the twentieth century. The exhibit included photographs, concert flyers, instruments, audio, video, and memorabilia drawn from the Maryland Traditions Archive at UMBC.

Ola Belle’s story mirrors that of more than 20 million southerners, who migrated to the north and west in search of work between 1900 and 1980. This great migration, which James N. Gregory has termed the Southern Diaspora (2007), transformed American popular culture, particularly in the area of music. It was instrumental in the development of Blues, Jazz, Gospel and R&B, as well as Country and Hillbilly music. Migrating from one rural setting to another on the Pennsylvania-Maryland border in the early 1930s, Ola Belle and her family brought with them the music and traditions of the New River region of Ash County, North Carolina.  Her grandfather Alexander Campbell had been a Baptist preacher and a fiddle player.  Her father, a school teacher and shopkeeper,  formed a family string band.  As a child Ola Belle learned to sing Appalachian ballads rooted in the traditions of England and Scotland from her grandmother and mother. When her brother Alex returned home from World War II he joined Ola Belle in the North Carolina Ridge Runners and other bands in recording and performing until the 1960s.

The New River Boys and Girls

Ola Belle played the old-time style of clawhammer banjo, associated with the Appalachian south. In addition to her musical talents, she became an accomplished songwriter, speaking of Appalachian life and traditions. Following their move to the north, the Reed family performed for audiences  largely comprised of other migrants in the Mason-Dixon area, with live radio broadcasts originating from the family store at Campbell’s Corner near Rising Sun, Maryland and live performances at their New River Ranch country music park. 

Ola Belle’s central role in the revival of old-time and bluegrass music gained national recognition in the 1970s-1980s. She appeared with her husband Bud and son David at the 1972 National Folklife Festival in Washington, DC.  In 1986 Ola Belle received a NEA National Heritage Fellowship. The Library of Congress added her 1973 album Ola Belle Reed to the National Recording Registry in 2019. Her recordings are also preserved by the National Council for the Traditional Arts. 

This project is funded in part by Maryland Traditions, the folklife program of the Maryland State Arts Council. For more information contact Bill Shewbridge at shewbrid@umbc.edu.

For more information about the project please visit…

Ola Belle Reed Film Gallery

Short documentaries, performances and extended interviews collected during the production of the “I’ve Endured.”

Phil Wiggins

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Phil Wiggins of Montgomery County is a master harmonica player in the tradition of the Piedmont blues, a delicate, lyrical style of blues originating in Black communities in the eastern United States in the 1920s and 1930s. Phil has taught thousands to both play and value the Piedmont blues and is the recipient of many awards, including the National Endowment for the Arts’ National Heritage Fellowship, the nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. He also  received the 2021 Maryland Heritage Award from Maryland Traditions.

The Violin Whisperer

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David Ludwik Rapkievian is a master instrument maker, musician, and folk dancer, who works in the Russian, Polish and Armenian traditions. As an instrument maker, David crafts violins in his Washington Grove, MD workshop (http://fineviolinsbydavid.com). While growing up  in Detroit, David discovered a love of music through his Polish grandfather who repaired musical instruments. Through Detroit’s immigrant community he became exposed to Russian folk music and built his first balalaika based on photos. Over time he perfected his technique as a builder and a musician, eventually becoming on of the most accomplished balalaika players in the United States. Eventually, David led his own ensemble at the famous Russian Tea Room in New York.  He also played with Russian Carnival at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. He also had a brief career as a dancer with the New York City Ballet.

Mill Stories: Remembering Sparrows Point

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View a trailer for “Mill Stories: Remembering Sparrows Point”

Filmed at the time of the closing of the historic Sparrows Point steel mill in 2012, “Mill Stories” explores the intangible heritage of the mill community in a time of change. Featuring recorded interviews with Sparrows Point workers and community members, the film contextualizes individual steelworker stories to build a broader narrative about what life was like at Sparrows Point. For more information on the documentary and the broader “Mill Stories” project please visit millstories.org.

“Sauce is Very Peaceful”: Curtis’ Coney Island Famous Weiners

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Curtis’ Coney Island Famous Weiners has been a fixture in downtown Cumberland, Maryland for more than a century. This video features owner Gino Giatras and celebrates the unique place Curtis’ holds in the fabric of this transitioning rural community.

In 2018, Curtis’ was recognized with a Maryland Traditions heritage award in the category of Place. This video has been selected for screening at the 2019 Ethnografilm Festival in Paris.

Dario’s Barber Shop

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In the Dominican Republic, barbers create living works of art through their cuts and stylings. Many Dominican barbers have set up shop in Baltimore, including Dario Corona of Dario’s Barber Shop on Eastern Avenue. To help preserve this artform, Dario and his nephew Oliver received a 2019 Maryland Traditions Apprenticeship Award.

Talk Together: The Baltimore American Indian Center

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The BAIC has stood the test of time in Upper Fells Point. Originally founded in 1968 as the American Indian Study Center, it once primarily served as a resettlement resource for Indians who had migrated to the city seeking employment. The BAIC now functions as a cultural magnet that draws this dispersed community back in. Offering weekly culture classes, annual pow wows, a full-fledged community museum, a multipurpose meeting space and more, the BAIC continuously sustains the living cultural traditions of American Indians and Alaskan Natives of the Baltimore region. This video was produced for the 2017 Maryland Traditions Heritage awards at which the Baltimore American Indian Center (BAIC) received the award in the category of place.

Trimper’s Rides and Amusements, Ocean City, Maryland

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Trimper’s Rides and Amusements was honored by Maryland Traditions, the folklife program of the Maryland State Arts Council, through its 2016 Maryland Traditions Heritage Awards in the category of Place. The film was co-produced by Maryland Traditions and the New Media Studio at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church

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Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church (Baltimore City) is an important hub for the Greek community of the Baltimore region through its religious services, the Greek Independence Day Parade, and its Greek Folk Festival, the largest in Maryland. In 2015, Saint Nicholas received the Maryland Traditions ALTA Award in the category of Place.