Bernhardt, Jack

Jack Bernhardt was born in Canton, Ohio, on 23 July 1944. As an anthropology student, he received both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Kent State University. In the mid-1970s, he studied at Columbia University where he received his M.Phil. in anthropology.

Bernhardt's archaeological career includes research on prehistoric settlement patterns in New Mexico and on Ohio Hopewell and Late Woodland cultures. He also led Cultural Research Management projects in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and New York State.

In January 1980, Bernhardt moved to Chapel Hill, N.C. He had developed a strong interest in country music and playing guitar. He began making trips to Galax, Va., and Mount Airy, N.C., interviewing musicians and recording musical performances. In 1987, he was hired The News and Observer of Raleigh, N.C., as its correspondent covering country and traditional music.

In the early 1990s, Bernhardt began coursework in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Curriculum in Folklore, where he studied southern religious traditions. In 1993, he initiated a long-term ethnographic research project, joining bluegrass gospel musicians Jerry and Tammy Sullivan on their tour of small churches in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.

Bernhardt has contributed to numerous publications, including The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture, Encyclopedia of Country Music, The Journal of Country Music, Bluegrass Unlimited, The Bluegrass Reader, In the Spirit: Alabama's Sacred Music Traditions, American Indian Quarterly, Caves and Culture, and Pennsylvania Archaeologist.

From the guide to the Jack Bernhardt Papers, 1943-2011, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Library, Southern Folklife Collection.)