The Face Behind the Melodies

When Dr. Ted Olson reflects on Lesley Riddle, he can only speak in awe of the life and legacy left behind by the melodies and lore of the storied Black Appalachian musician. 

“Riddle was a hugely influential musician working in blues and early country music, whose own music was overshadowed by the musicians he influenced, including The Carter Family,” Olson said. “It seems lately that Lesley is rightfully getting credit for his influence and impact on music in this country.”

Professor in the Department of Appalachian Studies at East Tennessee State University (Johnson City), Olson is an award-winning expert on all things music in Southern Appalachia. And in Olson’s mind and vast studies, Riddle’s presence continues to grow in scope in the 21st century, decades after he passed away. 

“Lesley grew up in a kind of musical culture that was very complex, one which incorporated many musical genres,” Olson said. “First and foremost, he was a great musician in the 1920s and beyond. But, based on the color of his skin, he didn’t have the same advantages that could be gained with access to the music industry, and being able to become wealthy with your music.”

Born in Burnsville, North Carolina, in 1905, Riddle was raised across the state line in Kingsport, Tennessee. In 1927, while employed at a cement plant, Riddle tripped over an auger and severely injured his right leg, ultimately resulting in the limb being amputated at the knee. 

With limited options for work and personal hobbies, Riddle started to learn the acoustic guitar, an instrument he immediately felt connected to. He had a unique and innovative picking/sliding technique, something that parlayed itself into Riddle playing with other musicians around the region. 

“He was also extremely generous in terms of sharing his techniques and song repertoire, something that was evident by his influence on Maybelle Carter,” Olson said. 

Known as the “First Family of Country Music,” the Carters (husband A.P., his wife, Sara, and her sister-in-law, Maybelle) initially came into national prominence with their recordings during the 1927 “Bristol Sessions”—a convergence of musicians of the time that were captured and put on records in Tennessee, sparking the “Big Bang of Country Music.” 

Towards the end of 1928, Riddle finally crossed paths with the Carters. In the wake of their success as a musical act—onstage and in the studio—A.P. was in search of new material for The Carter Family. Thus, he started going on song-catching road trips around Southern Appalachia with Riddle in tow. 

The duo would roll into a random town and find what they could in terms of local musicians and songs they could perhaps use. With his exceptional recall abilities, Riddle would learn the numbers on the guitar, all while A.P. would write down the lyrics. 

“Lesley was known as the ‘human tape recorder,’” Olson said. “He could memorize a melody from just hearing it once. He would remember the songs and demonstrate them back to A.P. when A.P. was creating songs.” 

Once back home in Maces Spring, Virginia, A.P. would teach Sara and Maybelle the tunes to perform and record, with Riddle always looming in the background of the ever-growing success of the family band.  

“There was definitely a mutual respect between The Carter Family and Lesley Riddle,” Olson said. “Lesley was so generous-hearted in helping make other people’s careers possible. Not to take anything from the talent of The Carter Family, but he played an important role in giving them songs and techniques, which were distinctive.” 

By the late 1930s, Riddle married and relocated to Rochester, New York, in search of blue-collar work. In the 1940s, he sold his prized guitar and faded into obscurity. It was as if Lesley Riddle was this musical ghost, his name whispered around musical circles for decades. And yet, nobody knew where he was, or even if he was alive.

“Sadly, Lesley pretty much fell through the cracks of history,” Olson said. “And yet, Maybelle Carter was very complimentary in later years about how much she learned from Lesley.” 

That all changed by the early 1960s with the folk music revival overtaking college campuses and radio/television broadcasts across the country and around the world. In 1965, fresh from a collaboration with Maybelle, folk musician and folklorist Mike Seeger (brother of folk icon Pete Seeger) was able to figure out where Riddle was and eventually tracked him down in Rochester.

“Due to the human efforts of Mike Seeger in the 1960s and beyond, Lesley was able to make some recordings and play some shows at last. And because of that, we’re able to actually hear this legendary figure,” Olson said. “So many years later, he sustained his dexterity as a guitar player. And he had retained a sizeable amount of his song repertoire—the sincerity of his playing and the sweetness of his voice stayed with him all those years later.”

Amid this rekindled interest in Riddle and his enormous influence on American music in the 1960s onward, the elder statesman of country and folk music now had a whole new generation of admirers. People from far and wide would arrive at his doorstep in Rochester, eager to befriend the musician and learn his ways—something that remained a constant in Riddle’s life until he passed away in 1980.

“Lesley Riddle is one of the legends of American music who is wisely being acknowledged and given credit for his immense contributions in the 21st century—he’s finally getting his due.” Olson said.

New Appalachian music podcast

Hosted by Dr. Ted Olson and Dr. William Turner, the “Sepia Tones: Exploring Black Appalachian Music” podcast is now available for streaming.

“Sepia Tones” is funded through the African American Experience in the Smokies project in collaboration with Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is distributed through GSMA’s existing podcast, “Smoky Mountain Air,” and available through Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher, and most other major streaming services.