By Camille Marie Acosta, Kentucky Folklife Program
History is quite the fascinating entity, don’t you think? It is one of the few concepts that all people have in common; we’ve experienced history, we are a part of history, and we continue to make history. Perhaps you’ve learned about pivotal moments in history such as the Underground Railroad or the Vietnam War in your high school History courses. And while there are general history lessons of these moments using broad public knowledge, what if you wanted to learn about these vital moments in history directly from the source – from the ones history impacted the most?
In the world of Folk Studies, and specifically within the Kentucky Folklife Program, our biggest goal is to document, present, and conserve the brilliant folklife of the commonwealth. Former professor of the Western Kentucky University Folk Studies program Dr. Lynwood Montell explains,
“What we do as folklorists is to help light a candle to illuminate the lives of the 99.99% of the people that are not talked about in the history books.”
Photograph of equipment in preparation for an oral history interview. Image Credits: Camille Maria Acosta, Kentucky Folklife Program
Oral histories are a fantastic way to learn about major events in the world through the eyes of an individual who lived it. In this way, you can explore multiple perspectives, multiple worldviews, and insights that can only be relayed by first-hand experience. So, what does an oral history look like exactly? Well-known scholar in the Oral History Field, Donald Ritchie elaborates:
“An oral history interview generally consists of a well-prepared interviewer questioning an interviewee and recording their exchange in audio or video format. Recordings of the interview are transcribed, summarized, or indexed and then placed in a library or archives. These interviews may be used for research or excerpted in a publication, radio or video documentary, museum exhibition, dramatization or other form of public presentation.”
Photograph of Sydney Varajon and Greg Martin of the Kentucky Headhunters during an oral history interview.
Let’s take our Sonic Music Landscape Exhibit as an example. In 2016, Dr. Sydney Varajon decided to build an oral history project surrounding the artists, musicians, and producers that kept the Kentucky soundscape alive over the past few decades. After identifying a few individuals she wanted to learn more from, Dr. Varajon interviewed the artists about their lives in the Southcentral Kentucky music scene. With an audio recording device in hand, and a combined passion for Kentucky music in the air, Dr. Varajon conducted some pretty spectacular interviews.
As years passed and the online exhibit began to take shape, more individuals took on the task of conducting oral histories for the project including Director of the Kentucky Museum and the Kentucky Folklife Program Brent Björkman, former Kentucky Folklife Program Folklife Specialist Joel Chapman, and a plethora of students from the Western Kentucky University Folk Studies Program.
Photograph of Brent Björkman and Mark Whitley during an oral history interview.
- If you wouldn’t mind letting us know who you are, what region of Kentucky you are from, and what you do in the world of music
- What was your inspiration for beginning a life in music?
- When did you own your first guitar?
- Were there any moments in your life that secured your love of music?
- How was Bowling Green influential in the music you helped to create?
- What do you hope audiences walk away with after listening to your music?
- How has the music of Southcentral Kentucky become instrumental (haha, puns) to the musical landscape of the United States and beyond?
Brent Björkman and John Edmonds during an oral history interview.
Eight years and over ninety oral history interviews later, the beautiful intricacies of the musical landscape of Southcentral Kentucky are coming to light. We would not have been able to craft such an inclusive exhibit without truly capturing the words of the human beings behind the music itself; the human beings that kept the music alive. The Kentucky Folklife Program alongside the Kentucky Museum are thrilled to bring these words to the Sonic Exhibit stage. See you in 2025!