Jean Ritchie Talks Back

By Jean Metcalfe

D(eadline) Day for this March issue brought a wonderful letter from our February cover subject, Jean Ritchie. I'd like to share a portion of it with our readers:

Many, many thanks for your beautiful article! I was truly impressed with just the sheer length of it. No, really, you managed to take all my ramblings and goings-of-on tangents and put it all into quite readable form which is no mean accomplishment, I assure you.

. . Thanks for sending along extra copies of the magazine. I hope you don't mind if I use it occasionally for my own publicity (as I am doing with the CJ article of Ronni's [Lundy] that I sent you). Let me know if there is any objection.

We guessed wrong about the KMW [Kentucky Music Weekend] weekend concert — it is actually on July 24 -26 — but I'm sure there'll be plenty of notice in your paper before then, so no harm done. Nancy Johnson [KMW founder and organizer] called me- — she's very happy with your piece and thinks even a wrong date is lovely advertising for KMW. Also, she confirmed that I'm to do the Sunday morning hymn-sing as usual, in addition to the Saturday night performance.

A couple of weeks ago my friends at Mountain Stage radio show out of Charleston, WV (Larry Groce - — you must know him) called to invite me to be a co-guest on the March 15th show — with Emmylou Harris! I'm really excited and a little bit nervous, but my leg is steadily getting better, so I told them OK. They will fly George [Pickow, Jean's husband] and me up from Florida where we'll be on March 14th and then on home to NY. Also, in addition to the appearances I told you about, I'll be performing on May 9th at Wyandotte Woods, a festival in Corydon, Indiana, in the evening and have agreed to sing a few songs and help Dan Spurlock (conductor of the Louisville Youth Orchestra) sort of host a Kentucky Bicentennial show at .. the Ky. Center for the Arts, on June 7th .. in Whitney Hall — -I think in the afternoon ..

I realize that I'm going on as though you'll want to print all this. If you don't, that's fine! But you're welcome to. I seem to remember seeing some artists' itineraries in 'Music News.' There are one or two others before August, too, that still have to be cofirmed.

Thanks again – I'm already getting mail from the article .. John Harrod wrote this morning, asking to be on our mailing list!

Best to you and all there — Jean.

(Thanks for your letter, Jean and I look forward to seeing Jane and July 25.)