Blanche the Mountain Girl

Born in Wolfe County, KY, in 1922, Blanche (Hurt) Coldiron moved with her family to Powell County when she was 6 years old. At nine years old, after listening to Uncle Dave Macon play banjo on the Grand Old Opry radio show, Blanche taught herself to play the banjo. She played the banjo using five different picking styles including, her customary style, the “claw hammer.” In addition to the banjo, Coldiron played the bass, guitar, fiddle, and mandolin. Beginning her music career during the Great Depression, Coldiron came to be known as "Blanche the Mountain Girl" as she played with the Kentucky Hillbillies, an Appalachian traditional music group that traveled to remote schoolhouses throughout Jackson and Clay counties in Eastern Kentucky.

In 1937, Coldiron joined her older brother, Oasa Hurt, to play for Asa Martin's Kentucky Hillbillies for two years. At age 21, she married Earl Coldiron and began to raise a family. She continued her music career by performing locally at dances, fairs, and family gatherings. However, Coldiron put her career on hold to attend to family responsibilities. In the mid-1990s, she returned from that hiatus and made a "comeback" after 50 years. Upon being rediscovered by traditional Appalachian music expert John Harrod, Coldiron’s banjo performances were recorded as part of a collection released in 1999 by Rounder Records, titled "Kentucky Old-Time Banjo." In June 2005, Coldiron was honored with Morehead State University's Appalachian Treasure Award for her lifelong contribution to the cultural heritage of Appalachia. Coldiron passed away in 2005.

from the Berea College Archives