Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
Pedro Cooper, music remade
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Franklin County, Virginia has long been a hotbed of musical activity, although often overshadowed by the notoriety of the Galax Fiddler’s Convention and the Southwest Virginia musical traditions documented by Alan Jabbour. During the 1940s-1950s, the local newspaper largely reported on high school choirs and bands or the minstrel show put on by the Lions Club,but the occasional ad for a Fiddler’s Convention or a visiting popular musician hints at the musical events enjoyed by the local farmers and factory workers. One of the musicians who came out of this culture was Nelson Avery “Pedro” Cooper (1924-2011). Pedro was a self-taught Franklin County musician who overcame personal hardships and disability; after losing part of his left arm in a factory accident, he retaught himself to play banjo (and dobro) and continued to lead his band “The Pumpkin Vines.” An unpublished interview with brother Cash Cooper examines Pedro’s fascination with recording and broadcast technology as well as his musical development and influences.
Franklin County, Virginia is outside the formal Appalachian Regional Commission’s defined geographic area. The area is often culturally associated with Appalachia, in part because of the musical traditions but also because of the (in)famous moonshining activities.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Laura Gayle Green holds degrees from Ashland College (B. music, piano), the University of Virginia (M.A., musicology), and Indiana University (M.L.S. with an emphasis in music librarianship). She became Head of the Warren D. Allen Music Library at Florida State University in July 2012. Previous positions include Director, Music/Media Library at the University of Missouri—Kansas City (UMKC, 1993-2012) with an appointment as Adjunct Associate Professor in the Conservatory of Music and Dance, and Visiting Assistant Librarian, Music Cataloger at Indiana University (1990-1993). Ms. Green has been published in Cataloging and Classification Quarterly and Music Reference Services Quarterly, and has invited articles in Women and Music in America Since 1900 (Oryx Press 2002). She has been a speaker and panelist at the Music Library Association (MLA), Music Library Association Midwest Chapter, American Musicological Association, and the Society for American Music meetings.
Conference Subthemes
Diversity and Inclusion
Pedro Cooper, music remade
Franklin County, Virginia has long been a hotbed of musical activity, although often overshadowed by the notoriety of the Galax Fiddler’s Convention and the Southwest Virginia musical traditions documented by Alan Jabbour. During the 1940s-1950s, the local newspaper largely reported on high school choirs and bands or the minstrel show put on by the Lions Club,but the occasional ad for a Fiddler’s Convention or a visiting popular musician hints at the musical events enjoyed by the local farmers and factory workers. One of the musicians who came out of this culture was Nelson Avery “Pedro” Cooper (1924-2011). Pedro was a self-taught Franklin County musician who overcame personal hardships and disability; after losing part of his left arm in a factory accident, he retaught himself to play banjo (and dobro) and continued to lead his band “The Pumpkin Vines.” An unpublished interview with brother Cash Cooper examines Pedro’s fascination with recording and broadcast technology as well as his musical development and influences.
Franklin County, Virginia is outside the formal Appalachian Regional Commission’s defined geographic area. The area is often culturally associated with Appalachia, in part because of the musical traditions but also because of the (in)famous moonshining activities.
