Gerrard, Alice, 1934-

From the 1950s through the 1990s, collector, folklorist, and traditional music performer Alice Gerrard recorded interviews and performances of many legendary old-time and bluegrass musicians.

Alice Gerrard has devoted her life to playing and preserving traditional music as a musician, collector, and the founding editor of The Old Time Herald .

The daughter and granddaughter of English and German immigrants, Gerrard was born in Seattle, Wash., and grew up in rural Washington and California, as well as in Guadalajara, Mexico. While a student at Antioch College, Gerrard began to teach herself to play the guitar and banjo. It was there as well that she was introduced to the Harry Smith Anthology of Folk Music, a collection that inspired many musicians of the folk revival. While living in the Washington, D.C., area in the 1950s and 1960s, she heard such local luminaries as the Stoneman Family and the Country Gentlemen, and was a regular attendee of country music parks including New River Ranch and Sunset Park, where she was involved in the recording of many important performances by bluegrass and country musicians. During this time, she also formed her own musical partnerships with West Virginia singer and songwriter Hazel Dickens and with collector and musician Mike Seeger. In the 1970s and 1980s, in the mountains of Virginia and North Carolina, she learned from and played with old-time masters Tommy Jarrell, Luther Davis, and Bert Dickens.

Alice Gerrard has recorded and appeared on many solo albums and with Hazel Dickens, Mike Seeger, and Peter Rowan, among others, and she has produced albums by other artists, including the Red Clay Ramblers and Cordelia's Dad. With Cecilia Conway, she co-produced the 1983 documentary Sprout Wings and Fly about fiddler Tommy Jarrell. In 1987, Alice Gerrard founded and began editing The Old Time Herald, which continues to be the leading publication about southern traditional country music. As of 2002, she was a member of the trio Tom, Brad, and Alice with fellow old-time musicians Tom Sauber and Brad Leftwich. She continues to be an important figure in the playing and preservation of traditional southern music.