Ola Belle Reed on 'Tapestry of the times'

Ola Belle Reed, 1977 (photo from Ola Belle Reed family MySpace site)

Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution, the national museum of the US, announces a recent media event that should interest BIB readers.

WYPR public radio in Baltimore, MD, runs a series of weekly radio programmes and podcasts, 'Tapestry of the times', which explores the Smithsonian Folkways collection. One recent episode, 'Ola Belle Reed: an enduring legacy' is online now and available for free stream or download, via the podcast. Listen to the podcast, watch the video, and see Ola Belle Reed’s Smithsonian Folkways albums (still in print) here. BIB readers are offered a 20% discount on any Ola Belle Reed recording from Smithsonian Folkways - CDs or digital downloads - by entering the code “OlaBelleReed09” on their orders.

Ola Belle Reed (d. 2002), singer, songwriter ('High on a mountain', 'I've endured', and many more), and picker, embodies the meeting-point of old-time music, early country, and bluegrass. 'Ola Belle Reed: an enduring legacy' includes testimonials, interviews, and original on-site recordings, and is a must-listen for any fans of Ola.

For more biographical information, see the Remembering Ola Belle Reed website, and Walt Saunders's 'Notes & Queries' column in the Oct. 2008 issue of Bluegrass Unlimited, pp 23-6. The Fourth Ola Belle Reed Homecoming Festival will be held on 14-16 August 2009 at Lansing, NC, in the Blue Ridge Mountains.