Betsy Rutherford
Encyclopedia
Betsy Rutherford was a performer of traditional music from the Appalachian Mountains who was known for her powerful, authentic singing style. In 1970, she recorded an album, “Traditional Country Music,” which was released by Biograph Records
in 1971. For the album, she selected songs that she had collected, mostly from friends and relatives.
, and Henry Whitter
.
Her father, Clarence Wroten, was a singer and string band musician who performed with the Ruby Tonic Entertainers and had radio shows in Charlotte
, Winston-Salem
and Greensboro
, North Carolina, in the 1930s. Her mother, Lola Montgomery Wroten, was a shape-note singer. According to Betsy Rutherford, “Mom sang hymns; Daddy sang traditional string band music and played either his guitar, autoharp, or mouth-harp. Somebody was singing just about all the time.”
Although she was born in Galax, Betsy Rutherford grew up in the Baltimore
area. She recorded her album, “Traditional Country Music,” with string band musicians who were associated with Old Joe Clark’s, a music cooperative in Cambridge, Massachusetts
. In December 1971, she married John Coffey, a certified nurse anesthetist and string band musician, who accompanied her on the album and wrote the liner notes.
On November 20, 1971, the album received a favorable mention in Billboard Magazine
, which said that the record “showed a definite non-Nashville approach and would appeal to folk enthusiasts as well.”
She continued to perform during the next two decades, including a stint with the New Ruby Tonic Entertainers, named after her father’s band. She performed frequently at colleges and music festivals, including the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival
in Washington, D.C.
She concluded every performance with a rendition of “Amazing Grace
,” which she lined out
in the Primitive Baptist
tradition.
She can be heard singing harmony vocals on “Rising Sun Melodies,” a compilation of Ola Belle Reed
songs released in 2010 by Smithsonian Folkways
Recordings.
Betsy Rutherford died at Galax Community Hospital on March 12, 1991. She was 47 years old. Survivors included her husband and three daughters. She is buried at Felts Memorial Cemetery in Galax.
Biograph Records
Biograph Records is a record label founded in 1967 by Arnold S. Caplin. It specialized in early American ragtime, jazz, and blues music. Biograph was the first label to issue records made from piano rolls created by Scott Joplin, Jelly Roll Morton and George Gershwin.In 2002, Biograph Records was...
in 1971. For the album, she selected songs that she had collected, mostly from friends and relatives.
Biography
Betsy Rutherford was raised in a musical family. She was related to acclaimed Galax-area musicians and early recording artists, Fields, Crockett and Wade WardWade Ward
-External links:...
, and Henry Whitter
Henry Whitter
Henry Whitter was an early country musician.-Biography:...
.
Her father, Clarence Wroten, was a singer and string band musician who performed with the Ruby Tonic Entertainers and had radio shows in Charlotte
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...
and Greensboro
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...
, North Carolina, in the 1930s. Her mother, Lola Montgomery Wroten, was a shape-note singer. According to Betsy Rutherford, “Mom sang hymns; Daddy sang traditional string band music and played either his guitar, autoharp, or mouth-harp. Somebody was singing just about all the time.”
Although she was born in Galax, Betsy Rutherford grew up in the Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
area. She recorded her album, “Traditional Country Music,” with string band musicians who were associated with Old Joe Clark’s, a music cooperative in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
. In December 1971, she married John Coffey, a certified nurse anesthetist and string band musician, who accompanied her on the album and wrote the liner notes.
On November 20, 1971, the album received a favorable mention in Billboard Magazine
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
, which said that the record “showed a definite non-Nashville approach and would appeal to folk enthusiasts as well.”
She continued to perform during the next two decades, including a stint with the New Ruby Tonic Entertainers, named after her father’s band. She performed frequently at colleges and music festivals, including the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival
Smithsonian Folklife Festival
The Smithsonian Folklife Festival, launched in 1967, is an international exhibition of living cultural heritage presented annually in the summer in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is held for two weeks around the Fourth of July holiday...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
She concluded every performance with a rendition of “Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace
"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn with words written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton , published in 1779. With a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God,...
,” which she lined out
Lining out
Lining out is a form of a cappella hymn-singing or hymnody in which a leader, often called the clerk or precentor, gives each line of a hymn tune as it is to be sung, usually in a chanted form giving or suggesting the tune...
in the Primitive Baptist
Primitive Baptist
Primitive Baptists, also known as Hard Shell Baptists or Anti-Mission Baptists, are conservative, Calvinist Baptists adhering to beliefs that formed out of the controversy among Baptists in the early 1800’s over the appropriateness of mission boards, bible tract societies, and temperance...
tradition.
She can be heard singing harmony vocals on “Rising Sun Melodies,” a compilation of Ola Belle Reed
Ola Belle Reed
Ola Belle Campbell Reed was an American folk singer, songwriter and banjo player. Born in Lansing, North Carolina, Reed's songs often speak of Appalachian life and traditions. Her best known songs have been recorded by mainstream bluegrass and country artists...
songs released in 2010 by Smithsonian Folkways
Smithsonian Folkways
Smithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was founded in 1987 after the family of Moses Asch, founder of Folkways...
Recordings.
Betsy Rutherford died at Galax Community Hospital on March 12, 1991. She was 47 years old. Survivors included her husband and three daughters. She is buried at Felts Memorial Cemetery in Galax.
As a Guest Singer
- 2010, Ola Belle Reed, “Rising Sun Melodies,” Smithsonian Folkways Recordings No. 40202