Madison County Project: Documenting the Sound

Madison County Project: Documenting the Sound

Appalachian Film

Madison County Project: Documenting the Sound

2005

Martha King
Rob Roberts

Martha King
Rob Roberts

Madison County, NC

Madison County, NC

"Madison County Project: Documenting the Sound examines the tradition of unaccompanied ballad singing in Madison County, North Carolina and how both documentary work and the power of family and community have influenced that tradition. The film focuses on John Cohen and Peter Gott's film and recording work in Madison County in the 1960s as well as the voices of today's ballad singers such as Sheila Kay Adams, Donna Ray Norton, Denise Norton O'Sullivan, and DeeDee Norton Buckner. The film is a joint project between two graduate students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Part of the project is to create a more transparent form of documentary that invites participation from those featured in the film, advisors, and the general public. To that end, the filmmakers established a production blog at www.madisoncountyproject.org where they post status reports, make available the latest edits of the film, and solicit comments on their work."

Documentary Short

24 minutes