Ed Haley
Encyclopedia
James Edward "Ed" Haley was a blind
professional American
musician
and composer.
. His father, Thomas Milton Haley, was a well-known fiddler in the Guyandotte and Big Sandy Valleys. His grandfather, Benjamin R. Haley, was an active Unionist in the Big Sandy River
Valley during the American Civil War
, as well as a fiddler. Ed's mother, Imogene Mullins, was a daughter of Andrew Jackson and Chloe (Gore) Mullins, and a descendant of "Money Makin' Sol" Mullins, the famous counterfeit
er of eastern Kentucky
. Ed was an only child.
Ed Haley contracted measles
when he was about three years old, and subsequently lost his eyesight. Local tradition blames his father for his blindness. Reportedly, Milt dipped Ed head-first into ice cold water when he was crying from fever
.
In September 1889, Milt Haley was accused along with Green McCoy of shooting Al Brumfield and his wife in Harts
, Lincoln County, West Virginia
. In mid-October, 1889, Haley and McCoy were captured in Martin County, Kentucky
. They were returned to West Virginia
and murdered by a mob at Green Shoal on October 24, 1889.
Ed Haley's mother died around 1892. Thereafter, he was raised by his maternal grandfather, Jackson Mullins, and uncle, Peter Mullins, on Trace Fork. In 1898, according to county commission records, he was placed in the care of Harrison Blair, a neighbor.
Uncle Peter Mullins supposedly gave Ed Haley his first fiddle
when he was a child. Ed showed great skill with the instrument and traveled throughout the Guyandotte
and Big Sandy Valleys as a young man with other local musicians. He was basically gone from Harts by 1910 but returned to visit family and friends for the remainder of his life.
Ed grew up to be a professional fiddler who traveled widely throughout West Virginia, Ohio, eastern Kentucky and southwestern Virginia
. He had a huge repertoire of old-time music
that included breakdowns, jig
s, waltz
es and show tunes
, which he performed at square dances
, fairs, street corners
, fiddle contests and courthouse
squares.
In the late teens, Ed married Martha Ella Trumbo, a blind piano
teacher from Morehead, Kentucky
. Her parents had been involved in the Martin-Tolliver Feud in Rowan County, Kentucky
in 1884. Ella was educated at the Kentucky School for the Blind
in Louisville, Kentucky
. She played mandolin
and accordion
with her husband for many years.
The Haleys lived briefly at Frogtown in West Ashland, Kentucky. Later, they raised a family in Catlettsburg, Kentucky
. They spent their final years in Ashland.
Ed Haley died of a heart attack on February 3, 1951 at home in Ashland, Kentucky
. His wife died in November 1954 in Cleveland, Ohio
. Both are buried in Ashland.
in Cincinnati and made occasional studio recordings for friends, such as for Doc Holbrook in Greenup, Kentucky
. He seldom recorded commercially because he was worried that record companies
would take advantage of a blind man. Late in life, he made recordings for the family on a Wilcox-Gay disc-cutting machine brought home from the service by his son Ralph. The recordings feature Ed, Ella, Ralph (on guitar) and daughter Mona (vocals). Ralph eventually distributed the recordings among his five siblings. Eventually about a one-half to one-third of those recordings were released to Rounder Records
. It is estimated that two thirds of Haley's recordings are still missing, lost, destroyed or unreleased by family members.
Beginning in 1990, Bluegrass
and folk
musician John Hartford
began researching the story of Haley's life and music. Generally, Hartford spent the last years of his life promoting Haley and his significance in the world of music. He learned a number of Haley's tunes and recorded them on the Grammy-nominated albums, "Wild Hog in the Red Bush" and "Speed of the Old Long Bow: A Tribute to Ed Haley". Hartford performed Haley's arrangement of "Man of Constant Sorrow" for the O Brother, Where Art Thou?
movie. Hartford and Brandon Kirk, a Harts-area historian and genealogist, collaborated on a Haley book project from 1995 until Hartford's death in 2001. The manuscript is still unpublished.
released 14 vinyl LPs
of Haley's work. In 1997, after several years of promotion by John Hartford, Rounder released many of Haley's songs on two double CD sets: "Forked Deer" and "Grey Eagle", which featured expanded annotations by John Hartford
and Brandon Kirk.
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
professional American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and composer.
Biography
Ed Haley was born in August 18851 on the Trace Fork of Big Harts Creek in Logan County, West VirginiaLogan County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 37,710 people, 14,880 households, and 10,936 families residing in the county. The population density was 83 people per square mile . There were 16,807 housing units at an average density of 37 per square mile...
. His father, Thomas Milton Haley, was a well-known fiddler in the Guyandotte and Big Sandy Valleys. His grandfather, Benjamin R. Haley, was an active Unionist in the Big Sandy River
Big Sandy River (Ohio River)
The Big Sandy River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long, in western West Virginia and northeastern Kentucky in the United States. The river forms part of the boundary between the two states along its entire course...
Valley during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, as well as a fiddler. Ed's mother, Imogene Mullins, was a daughter of Andrew Jackson and Chloe (Gore) Mullins, and a descendant of "Money Makin' Sol" Mullins, the famous counterfeit
Counterfeit
To counterfeit means to illegally imitate something. Counterfeit products are often produced with the intent to take advantage of the superior value of the imitated product...
er of eastern Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. Ed was an only child.
Ed Haley contracted measles
Measles
Measles, also known as rubeola or morbilli, is an infection of the respiratory system caused by a virus, specifically a paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus. Morbilliviruses, like other paramyxoviruses, are enveloped, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA viruses...
when he was about three years old, and subsequently lost his eyesight. Local tradition blames his father for his blindness. Reportedly, Milt dipped Ed head-first into ice cold water when he was crying from fever
Fever
Fever is a common medical sign characterized by an elevation of temperature above the normal range of due to an increase in the body temperature regulatory set-point. This increase in set-point triggers increased muscle tone and shivering.As a person's temperature increases, there is, in...
.
In September 1889, Milt Haley was accused along with Green McCoy of shooting Al Brumfield and his wife in Harts
Harts, West Virginia
Harts is a census-designated place at the mouth of Big Harts Creek in Lincoln County, West Virginia, United States, along the Guyandotte River...
, Lincoln County, West Virginia
Lincoln County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 22,108 people, 8,664 households, and 6,532 families residing in the county. The population density was 50 people per square mile . There were 9,846 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile...
. In mid-October, 1889, Haley and McCoy were captured in Martin County, Kentucky
Martin County, Kentucky
Martin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2010, the population was 12,929. Its county seat is Inez. The county is named for Congressman John Preston Martin...
. They were returned to West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
and murdered by a mob at Green Shoal on October 24, 1889.
Ed Haley's mother died around 1892. Thereafter, he was raised by his maternal grandfather, Jackson Mullins, and uncle, Peter Mullins, on Trace Fork. In 1898, according to county commission records, he was placed in the care of Harrison Blair, a neighbor.
Uncle Peter Mullins supposedly gave Ed Haley his first fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
when he was a child. Ed showed great skill with the instrument and traveled throughout the Guyandotte
Guyandotte River
The Guyandotte River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 166 mi long, in southwestern West Virginia in the United States. It was named after the French term for the Wendat Native Americans...
and Big Sandy Valleys as a young man with other local musicians. He was basically gone from Harts by 1910 but returned to visit family and friends for the remainder of his life.
Ed grew up to be a professional fiddler who traveled widely throughout West Virginia, Ohio, eastern Kentucky and southwestern Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. He had a huge repertoire of old-time music
Old-time music
Old-time music is a genre of North American folk music, with roots in the folk music of many countries, including England, Scotland, Ireland and countries in Africa. It developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dance, buck dance, and clogging. The genre also...
that included breakdowns, jig
Jig
The Jig is a form of lively folk dance, as well as the accompanying dance tune, originating in England in the 16th century and today most associated with Irish dance music and Scottish country dance music...
s, waltz
Waltz
The waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...
es and show tunes
Show tune
A show tune is a popular song originally written as part of the score of a "show" , especially if the piece in question has become a "standard", more or less detached in most people's minds from the original context...
, which he performed at square dances
Square dance
Square dance is a folk dance with four couples arranged in a square, with one couple on each side, beginning with Couple 1 facing away from the music and going counter-clockwise until getting to Couple 4. Couples 1 and 3 are known as the head couples, while Couples 2 and 4 are the side couples...
, fairs, street corners
Intersection (road)
An intersection is a road junction where two or more roads either meet or cross at grade . An intersection may be 3-way - a T junction or fork, 4-way - a crossroads, or 5-way or more...
, fiddle contests and courthouse
Courthouse
A courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...
squares.
In the late teens, Ed married Martha Ella Trumbo, a blind piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
teacher from Morehead, Kentucky
Morehead, Kentucky
As of the census of 2010, there were 6,845 people, households, and families residing in the city. The population density was 726.2 people per square mile. There were 2,356 housing units at an average density of 253.3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 93.2% White, 3.2% African...
. Her parents had been involved in the Martin-Tolliver Feud in Rowan County, Kentucky
Rowan County, Kentucky
Rowan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2010, the population was 23,333. Its county seat is Morehead. The county was created in 1856 from adjacent counties originally part of Mason county, and named for John Rowan, who represented Kentucky in the U.S...
in 1884. Ella was educated at the Kentucky School for the Blind
Kentucky School for the Blind
The Kentucky School for the Blind is an educational facility for blind and visually impaired students from Kentucky up to age 21.Bryce McLellan Patten founded the Kentucky Institution for the Education of the Blind in 1839 in Louisville, Kentucky...
in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. She played mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
and accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
with her husband for many years.
The Haleys lived briefly at Frogtown in West Ashland, Kentucky. Later, they raised a family in Catlettsburg, Kentucky
Catlettsburg, Kentucky
Catlettsburg is a city in Boyd County, Kentucky, United States and is the county seat of Boyd County. The city population was 1,960 at the 2000 census. The city's postal ZIP code serves a greater population of 10,029, which is a better reflection of the community's size. Catlettsburg is a part of...
. They spent their final years in Ashland.
Ed Haley died of a heart attack on February 3, 1951 at home in Ashland, Kentucky
Ashland, Kentucky
Ashland, formerly known as Poage Settlement, is a city in Boyd County, Kentucky, United States, nestled along the banks of the Ohio River. The population was 21,981 at the 2000 census. Ashland is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of the 2000 census, the...
. His wife died in November 1954 in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. Both are buried in Ashland.
Recognition
Ed Haley was one of the best known fiddlers in his region of Appalachia. He traveled frequently and performed in a variety of venues. He played over WLWWLW
WLW is a clear channel talk radio station located in Cincinnati, Ohio, run by Clear Channel Communications. The station broadcasts locally on 700 kHz AM...
in Cincinnati and made occasional studio recordings for friends, such as for Doc Holbrook in Greenup, Kentucky
Greenup, Kentucky
Greenup is a city in Greenup County, Kentucky, at the confluence of the Ohio and Little Sandy Rivers. The population was 1,198 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Greenup County. Greenup is named in honor of Christopher Greenup....
. He seldom recorded commercially because he was worried that record companies
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
would take advantage of a blind man. Late in life, he made recordings for the family on a Wilcox-Gay disc-cutting machine brought home from the service by his son Ralph. The recordings feature Ed, Ella, Ralph (on guitar) and daughter Mona (vocals). Ralph eventually distributed the recordings among his five siblings. Eventually about a one-half to one-third of those recordings were released to Rounder Records
Rounder Records
Rounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
. It is estimated that two thirds of Haley's recordings are still missing, lost, destroyed or unreleased by family members.
Beginning in 1990, Bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
and folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
musician John Hartford
John Hartford
John Cowan Hartford was an American folk, country and bluegrass composer and musician known for his mastery of the fiddle and banjo, as well as for his witty lyrics, unique vocal style, and extensive knowledge of Mississippi River lore...
began researching the story of Haley's life and music. Generally, Hartford spent the last years of his life promoting Haley and his significance in the world of music. He learned a number of Haley's tunes and recorded them on the Grammy-nominated albums, "Wild Hog in the Red Bush" and "Speed of the Old Long Bow: A Tribute to Ed Haley". Hartford performed Haley's arrangement of "Man of Constant Sorrow" for the O Brother, Where Art Thou?
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a 2000 comedy film directed by Joel and Ethan Coen and starring George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, John Goodman, Holly Hunter, and Charles Durning. Set in 1937 rural Mississippi during the Great Depression, the film's story is a modern satire loosely...
movie. Hartford and Brandon Kirk, a Harts-area historian and genealogist, collaborated on a Haley book project from 1995 until Hartford's death in 2001. The manuscript is still unpublished.
Releases
In 1975, Rounder RecordsRounder Records
Rounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
released 14 vinyl LPs
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
of Haley's work. In 1997, after several years of promotion by John Hartford, Rounder released many of Haley's songs on two double CD sets: "Forked Deer" and "Grey Eagle", which featured expanded annotations by John Hartford
John Hartford
John Cowan Hartford was an American folk, country and bluegrass composer and musician known for his mastery of the fiddle and banjo, as well as for his witty lyrics, unique vocal style, and extensive knowledge of Mississippi River lore...
and Brandon Kirk.