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Homer C. Ledford Official Web Site |
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and the Cabin Creek Band
Bio, Honors and More
Ledford Instrument pictures and stories
Homer Ledford and the Cabin Creek Band at the Bill Monroe Homeplace Dedication 8/23/01
Dr. Ron Penn's Blog about Homer |
Homer with just a few of his thousands of wonderful musical creations ___________________________ Welcome friend! Come on in and visit with us for awhile! Get to know more about our good friend Homer! "Ever see a smile that
was a wave from God? From
Wikipedia: Homer Ledford
From Wikipedia, the
free encyclopedia Homer C. Ledford (September 26,
1927 – December 11, 2006) was an instrument maker and bluegrass musician from Kentucky who specialized in
making dulcimers. Born in Alpine, Tennessee, he started building instruments
at an early age. When he was 18, Ledford was given a scholarship to attend
the John C.
Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina. He later attended Berea College, where he met his wife
Colista. Ledford eventually transferred and graduated from what is now
the Eastern
Kentucky University in 1954. Ledford worked as a high
school industrial arts teacher
at George Rogers Clark High School in Winchester, Kentucky before
becoming a full-time instrument maker. Musicians from all over the world have sought after his
dulcimers, banjos, mandolins, guitars and ukuleles. Some of his works are on display
in the Smithsonian
Institution. According to his website,[1] he made over
5,776 dulcimers and over 475 banjos in his lifetime. He is also the inventor
of the dulcitar, and also made dulcijos and dulcibros. He was also an original inductee in the Kentucky
Stars, alongside Loretta Lynn, Rosemary Clooney, Bobbie Ann Mason, and Patricia Neal. A sidewalk plaque honoring
him is in front of the Kentucky Theatre on Main Street
in Lexington, Kentucky. He devoted his career to instrument-making and to
playing with the Cabin
Creek Band. He also published a book of autobiographical stories
and poems, entitled See Ya Further Up the
Creek. Ledford died from a stroke at the age of 79 in Winchester, Kentucky.
He was survived by his widow, Colista; they had four children. His great
nephews Jason Eubanks, Phillip Eubanks, and Jonathan Armak
are currently in the experimental group
Unstable,[2] and use many of
the instruments he made on their records. Their mother, Melissa Armak (born Melissa Fraley) was the bass player in the
Cabin Creek Band during the late 1970s. He was posthumously given an honorary Doctorate of
Humanities at the Fall 2006 commencement ceremonies at Eastern
Kentucky University, December 16, 2006, and deemed one of
Kentucky's "Heroes, Saints and Legends" by Wesley Retirement
Community in recognition of his contributions to music.
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This Page Maintained by W. H. Johnson, Lexington, KY. Rev. 11/22/2008 |