Mitch Barrett
ARTS + CULTURE
An Appalachian Storyteller’s Story
M
By Felicia Carter
itch Barrett is a down-to-earth, Appalachian-based folk singer, born and raised in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky. He started playing guitar at the young age of 11 and blames his love for music on his grandmother. For him, music has always been a key component in his life. “When I was a kid, I would always sing in church, and I remember going home where all my family would gather. Grandma would play guitar and Pa would stand behind her, very formally, and they would sing hymns. I knew from an early age that I wanted to be a singer.” Christian Appalachian Project has also been a constant component in his life. “I attended one of the first CAP summer camps in the late 60s, and that’s where my love for CAP began. I was just a little poor kid living outside Berea, Ky., and Rev. Beiting would bring a bus out and pick us up. My cousin Earl and my sister Autumn would also tag along.” Rev. Beiting was very close to Mitch’s grandmother and would often bring volunteers to their home to see what Appalachian life was like. Mitch’s grandmother would make soap, kill hogs, and engage in other activities that Mitch refers to as “old-fashioned.” Since then, Mitch has led an adventurous life serving CAP, and it started unintentionally. A CAP employee invited him to come play music at a volunteer event, where he instantly connected with those volunteers. Mitch revealed to them that he had deep roots with
the organization, as he attended camp as a kid with his sister and cousin. This spurred some thoughts and he was invited to come and work for CAP. He spent some time recruiting volunteers for CAP, where he was able to use his gift of singing to communicate to students from different universities. He was traveling throughout Appalachia doing what he loved. Due to funding, Mitch’s time recruiting volunteers was cut short; luckily, he had established many connections while playing music and this opened many doors.
“I attended one of the first CAP summer camps in the late 60s, and that’s where my love for CAP began.” Mitch spent thirteen years playing the local hangouts throughout the region. Even though he was following his passion, he grew increasingly uncomfortable with the realities of life on the road. He decided to come back home, where he found his second passion: woodworking. He chose to spend the next few years using his hands to craft beautiful works of art, but he did not put down the guitar or stop singing to his family. It was a serendipidous encounter while attending an art fair in Berea that led Mitch to play music again publicly. He met a teacher from inner city Los Angeles and they began talking about woodworking, and
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