The traditional music and dance of the Ozarks intertwined to form the societal fabric that girded the culture, providing an underpinning of entertainment, but more importantly providing a valued social function in each community. These forms of entertainment were, and are, each uniquely done, standing as a testament to the individualism that is the hallmark of the Ozark culture.

Time has brought some changes to these hills, not all of which are welcomed. But the people, those descended from the settlers of the area, endure . . . and with them, the culture. As such, it is their legacy of music and dance which unfolds in the pages that follow.

This web-site was created in order to archive, to share, and to educate others as to the uniqueness and diversity inherent in these Ozark traditions. We hope that by preserving these aspects of the traditional Ozark culture, that others will be encouraged to learn, to continue them, and thereby perpetuate them.

We will continually add to these pages, as more information and material are received. We welcome your additions, so please do not hesitate to contact us.



Preservation Service

There are hundreds upon hundreds of home-made recordings, sitting around in boxes, and drawers. These are important to the descendants of the subjects, as they are reminders of their loved ones. But, in some cases, also provide a historical record.

As time passes, and the ownership of the media changes, these become less important to those who have them. All recorded media has a life, whether it be audio or video, and film has the shortest life of all. We are rapidly reaching the end of the useful life on many such recordings. It is then imperative that we do something to save them, and it is not enough to simply re-record them onto other tapes, etc. This only provides a short-term solution, but also must be done correctly in order to capture the full quality of the original recording.

We offer — free of charge — the service of digitally preserving audio recordings, whether records, reel-to-reel, 8-track, or cassette, as well as the digital preserving of film, and video tape. The only criteria is that they be of traditional Ozark music and/or dance. Please contact us if we may assist you with this.