Along the way of making this film, I began uncovering a remarkable photographic record of traditional music and life in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Tucked away in barns, closets, basements, and personal collections are thousands of photographs, negatives, and slides that have never been properly digitized or protected. These images offer an intimate window into generations of musicians, families, and communities, and together they tell a visual history of Appalachian music that is at risk of being lost. What began as research for a film has grown into a larger effort to preserve these photographs and make them accessible for generations to come.

Photo: The Byard Ray Collection