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Ola Belle Reedlearned the banjo and songs of Appalachia as achild in the 1920s; by the 1940s she played in string bands; and in the ’50sshe became an object of interest to folklorists. Rising Sun Melodies collects some of the recordings she made forthe Folkways label in the ’70s along with previously unreleased performances atfolk festivals. Many of the songs were her own, composed in a sad, ruminativestyle that drew deeply from the traditions of her youth. Reed also performedcountry songs such as Hank Williams’ “I Saw the Light.” In recent years Reedhas become an alt-country touchstone for the unvarnished purity of her mountainvoice and the fatalistic resignation of her lyrics.
