Appalachian Vinyl Archive Project – 002 – George Tucker (Mountain Music)

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Our goal with this ongoing project is to Archive and protect the rich musical history in and around the Appalachian Region. During the 50’s through the 80’s hundreds of local and regional artists wrote, recorded and performed all through our region. Unfortunately back then their wasn’t an easy way to preserve the music coming out of our area. Thousands of regionally recorded Vinyl releases have been lost to time along with all those family and friend style bands. The AVAP hopes to archive and share as many local projects as possible. This type of venture not only shines a light on the bands but will showcase all the studios, engineers, session musicians etc that helped make all these records possible.

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Album Text I was born on November 6, 1917, in Letcher County, Kentucky. Born the son of Joe Tucker and Nancy Jane Brown Tucker, I was raised on a mountain farm above Jenkins, Kentucky. My father worked for the Pittsburgh Consolidation Coal Company for twenty-three years-working long hours before daylight until after dark for very little pay.

As a child growing up, we did a lot of farming-raising potatoes, corn, beans and all kinds of vegetables. I can remember very well in my growing up how, after working hard in the garden and corn fields, we would often take time at night to sit on the porch or in the yard and sing songs of the Old Regular Baptist long meters and mountain alinement.

I, George Tucker, started working in the mines a little past the age of fourteen years. I helped a lot of union organizing. I lost several jobs on account of being a union man and believing in organizing labor unions.

I was married to Della Younce of Ligon, Kentucky on April 19, 1941. I’m a father of nine children-four girls and five boys. I am now a retired Black Lung victim, after working in the mines near thirty years. I have always loved to play music and sing. I have been an active worker in different poor people’s groups for the past eight years.

I am now the Chairman of the Kentucky Black Lung Association.

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