Black Walnut Stain
Music from Appalachia
When you travel through the winding narrow roads of West Virginia, you can hear the music. From the fresh waterfalls sprouting out of ancient rocks, to the sounds of coal trains, or the echo of a hollow. You can feel it too- From the paved roads that quickly meet dirt to the dusty skies, or the heights of mountain hikes. West Virginia is notorious for it’s stereotypes, landscapes, and coal. But mountain music is just as well known. From Boone County’s Hasil Adkins, to Slab Fork’s Bill Withers, or Fred “Sonic” Smith. Appalachian music consists of a banjo, a ballad and stories. They aren’t repetitive pop songs, or simple electronic beats.
Clinton Collins is a fifty-something year old Southern West Virginia native. He was born in Coal County, McDowell in the 1950’s to a coal miner. He was raised in a house of seven, and is the third youngest. His mother played the banjo and Collins got his first guitar at twelve, a silver-tone. Collins dreamed of being a musician and started multiple rock bands in his youth, touring around the south in the late seventies. But when his wife became pregnant when he was twenty-two he decided to pack up his gear, move his family to Bluefield and become a mine inspector. On the year of his seventh album, he retired. Collins has been preforming full-time ever since. He plays a mixture of bluegrass and folk. All recordings are done in his home studio on Dogwood Drive.
“Well, the music scene is very tight knit here. I try and be as friendly as I can to everyone I meet. If I get a chance to perform at Sunday church, I’m happy,” says Collins, while driving to The Clay Center for the Woody Hawley Series. “Everyone has known each other for some years, music here has changed alot, not a lot of young folks are as into their roots anymore. Musicians are branching out into different genres,”
Clinton Collins is performing with Laurelyn Dossett, a grammy winning North Carolina folk singer. The Woody Hawley Concert Series, was started by Ron Sowell who also is the music coordinator Mountain Stage. While eating dinner after soundcheck, Sowell explains how he grew up in New Mexico. After graduating high school, Sowell traveled the country. After stopping in West Virginia, he immediately wanted to stay. For the majority of his life he has had a fundamental role in the West Virginia music and art community. But the audience that night seemed a bit aged, and the musicians too. Where is the younger generation of Bluegrass musicians?
Collins explains, “It’s a bit of the world’s view on West Virginia; I didn’t turn to more tradition styles until I was a bit older,” And his lyrics read loud and clear. Black Walnut Stain is easily a hit. It’s about Collins’s journey as a young man, becoming proud of the place he was raised in. The song opens,
“Well, I come from the county that the others have marked, They say we’re all no good, At least, that’s what they talk…” Clinton Collins
Lakyn Bailey, 24, was born and raised in McDowell County, “I don’t even wanna tell people where I’m from when I travel. I’m proud of it but when you say you’re from West Virginia, people immediately start the jokes.” She has much to be proud of, the culture in West Virginia is kind and wholesome. Bailey explains further, “I listen to hip-hop and rap, mostly everyone my age does. Tennessee has pride and they’re doing a new twist on their country music roots. Here, no one wants to play bluegrass or folk music anymore, even if it had a new twist.” But there is still a lot of hope for a thriving music scene with community artist workshops opening up. “We all pitch in and help our community. Ideally we are trying to get downtown Princeston more business and shops to open up.”
Coal companies have slowly started to shut down since the mid-seventies. Since 2013, an estimated 12,000 miners have been laid off. Poverty has been the primary battle for West Virginia since the 1960’s. The United States government has taken what they needed- coal and jobs. Right now communities are working on finding new industry and jobs for West Virginia.
Walmart closed last year in McDowell County, taking 140 jobs away from residents. McDowell was once one of the most thriving coal towns in West Virginia, with over 100,000 inhabitants in the 1950’s. In 2017, there are less than 19,000. There are only a few small businesses left. Collins explains how there is a school for children to learn how to play music right next door in Mercer County. Many of the kids are extremely talented. Stages Music School is the only current music school in Princeton, WV. Melissa McKinney started Stages to encourage the community’s youth to engage in the arts. They offer many outlets for the students to perform. One of their most popular bands is an all girls group called Miss Behavin’. They play Rock n’ Roll, with the lead singer also on bass. There are a lot of great musicians deserving recognition in West Virginia. Like The Boatmen, a Beckley group who plays “soulgrass”. Or The Demon Beat, an aggressive garage rock band. Or Aristotle Jones & the Like Minds, a funky blue group out of Morgantown. There are many young bands in West Virginia making waves. They may not sound like traditional mountain music, but their roots are still clear.
Stereotypes run deeper than the coal mines in West Virginia. So if you’re quick to paint with a thick brush, think twice. This country may have drained their land. Companies may have left many people jobless. Hometowns may have moved. But West Virginia still has a lot to offer.
“He said ‘Son, don’t judge another, it’s better to be a friend. And don’t believe in the boundaries, they’re only created by men…” Clinton Collins
