Morris Family Old Time Music Festival
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by Robert Gates
black and white, 30 min, 1980
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From 1969 to 1973 the Morris brothers held old time music festivals at their home in Ivydale, West Virginia. These "back porch" festivals were famous for their outstanding fiddle, banjo, and ballad music, as well as for their persistent rain and mud. John and Dave Morris consistently rounded up the finest performers of Appalachian mountain music. Despite adverse weather, the participants had a good time, danced, and made great music. This film captures the music and mood of the 1972 festival. It features about thirty musicians, many of whom have since died, including John Martin, Aunt Minnie Moss, and Uncle Homer Walker.