Description

Bill Livers (1911–1988) was an Owen County, Kentucky legend. He spent his life as a tenant farmer, raising tobacco and tending cattle on other people’s farms. He was the last of a family of black musicians around New Liberty, a small village settled by former slaves after the Civil War. His grandfather and uncles all played string instruments and traveled through northern and central Kentucky playing for dances, fairs, and court days. When my friends and I first met Bill, he was a spry 63 years old. The black musicians he had played with were all gone, and he was playing white country music with white musicians. Always the entertainer, he welcomed the opportunity to play with a group of younger musicians. We were young and green, but Bill’s energy and charisma brought us along, and we became his regular band. As we became more comfortable with each other, Bill began to return to the black music he had known for most of his life. His playing was unschooled, but he brought new life to everything he played. From the old fiddle tunes his grandfather had played to the popular songs of the black performers he heard on the radio, it was all in his own unique style. In these years he was able to travel more. In addition to local square dances and bar gigs, we played at the World’s Fair in Knoxville, the Washington DC Folklore Society, the Battleground Festival of Fiddle Tunes in Indiana, the Black Banjo Gathering in West Virginia, and several colleges.—John Harrod

Personnel: Bill Livers – fiddle and vocals; Tom Rein – guitar; Eric Larson – guitar; Ben Griffith – bass; Larry Green – fiddle; Jane Harrod– fiddle; John Harrod – mandolin.

Released July 21, 2025

Articles:
Bill Livers of Owen County, Kentucky
Bill Livers: Notes on the Songs and Tunes