Meet the Queen of the Hillbillies at Branson Centennial Museum

Submitted to Branson Globe

May Kennedy McCord was one of the 20th century’s preeminent forklorists with a keen understanding of the Ozarks.

Many are not familiar with May Kennedy McCord (1880-1979) who was considered royalty in the Ozarks. Her talent for encouraging and connecting the people of this region as she shared and celebrated the uniqueness of the area helped preserve its history and culture. The public is invited to meet the “Queen of the Hillbillies,” during a free Tuesday Talk at the Branson Centennial Museum on June 21 at 12:30 p.m.

Presenters are Patti McCord and Kristene Sutliff, editors of the first published collection of work by May Kennedy McCord, an Ozarks expert who spent fifty years sharing the stories and songs of the region through newspaper columns, radio programs and music festivals. Her first piece of writing was published in 1924 when she was 43 years old and by the 1950s, she had become widely known as the musician, folksinger, storyteller and on-air personality of “Hillbilly Heartbeats” a popular KWTO radio show broadcast from Springfield, Missouri.

“At the time, she was probably much better known than the people whose names are remembered now,” says Patti McCord McDonald, McCord’s granddaughter, who worked with Dr. Kristene Stuliff to publish the new compilation that also includes some previously unpublished work by her grandmother. “I think that was why I felt her work needed to be retained, so she, too, can be remembered.”

It has been reported that at a young age, May Kennedy McCord learned to play guitar from her mother and began collecting folk songs from locals throughout the Ozarks. By 15 she was performing locally and preserving the songs’ words and music in writing. More than 100 of her ballad recordings have been filed in the Library of Congress that otherwise may have been lost if not for her passion for collecting and documenting the songs. Attendees at the June 21 Tuesday Talk will hear much more about May Kennedy McCord’s knowledge, humor and inimitable spirit that her granddaughter hopes will continue to inspire a new generation of Ozarkians.

The Tuesday Talk series is presented free of charge by the Branson Centennial Museum and White River Valley Historical Society. Various topics of local and historical interest are presented by knowledgeable speakers on the third Tuesday of the month from 12:30 until 1:30 p.m. The Museum is in historic downtown Branson at 120 South Commercial Street, former home of Reish Shoes & Boots.

For more information on this presentation and future events at the Branson Centennial Museum, go to www.wrvhs.org or call 417-239-1912.