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Kentucky Legends: Jean Ritchie

Kentucky Chautauqua

Presented by Kentucky Humanities, Rachel Lee Rogers portrays Jean Ritchie. This program is part of Kentucky Legends, a series exploring our state's culture, history, and lore.

Kentucky Humanities and the Lexington Public Library present Rachel Lee Rogers as Jean Ritchie.

Known as the “Mother of Folk,” Jean Ritchie was a major contributor to the national revival of folk music across America during the mid to second half of the 20th century. Traditional musician, songwriter, poet, commercial performer, recording artist, author, and composer Jean Ritchie, born in Viper, Perry County, Kentucky, in 1922, was the youngest of Balis and Abigail Ritchie’s 14 children. She began her recording career in 1952, signing with Elektra Records. Throughout her career she recorded more than 35 albums, which strongly reflect her Kentucky heritage and featured her playing the mountain dulcimer. 

Jean Ritchie is portrayed by actress Rachel Lee Rogers of Versailles. Trained at Northern Kentucky University, Rutgers, and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, Rogers currently serves as the arts facilitator at the School for the Creative Performing Arts at Bluegrass and as a local educator. She has been a part of many international, national, and regional productions including performances with the Bluegrass Opera, Woodford Theatre, Actors Guild of Lexington, Lexington Shakespeare Festival, Studio Players, and the Lexington Public Library.

Kentucky Chautauqua is an exclusive presentation of Kentucky Humanities with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and from: Christina Lee Brown, the Carson-Myre Charitable Foundation, and PNC. Kentucky Humanities is a non-profit Kentucky corporation affiliated with the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information, visit kyhumanities.org or call (859) 257-5932.

With music before and after the performance by Sarah Kate Morgan!

Registration suggested.

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