Explore the legacy of folk musician Clarence “Tom” Ashley at ETSU’s Reece Museum through Feb. 2027, with an exhibit of his instruments, recordings and history.
An exhibit showcasing the life and contributions of an influential Mountain City musician is on display at the Reece Museum at East Tennessee State University through February 2027.
“Rising Sun: The Musical Legacy of Clarence ‘Tom’ Ashley” is a historical retrospective curated by Reece Museum staff in collaboration with Ashley’s grandson, Joe Ashley. It includes instruments and memorabilia used by Ashley during his resurgence period in the 1960s, in addition to recordings of his performances.
“Rising Sun” is a Tennessee Music Pathways exhibition – part of a statewide driving tour that includes hundreds of landmarks across the state relating to Tennessee’s unique musical history.
A legacy rooted in Appalachian music
Born in 1895, the young Ashley first played at medicine shows and fiddlers’ conventions as early as 1911. He participated in the Mountain City Fiddlers Convention in May 1925, an event that helped launch the modern country music industry by catching the attention of recording executives in the years leading up to the historic Bristol Sessions (1927-28) and Johnson City Sessions (1928-29). Ashley was recorded during the Johnson City sessions as both a solo artist and as a member of the trio Byrd Moore and His Hot Shots.
From early fame to folk revival
After rising to fame in the 1920s as both a solo and ensemble artist, Ashley left the music industry for a time due to a serious hand injury. However, in the early 1960s, he was encouraged by fellow enthusiasts and members of the urban folk music revival, such as Ralph Rinzler, Pete Seeger and Joan Baez, to try making music again.
Ashley became an important voice in the revival of regional folk music in the 1960s, and he is often credited with introducing a musician from Deep Gap, North Carolina – Doc Watson – to audiences nationwide. During this period, Ashley frequently toured with a band comprised of Watson and Johnson County musicians Fred Price and Clint Howard.
Ashley, who influenced such younger musicians as Jerry Garcia and Bob Dylan, left a recorded musical legacy that solidifies his importance as a live performer and recording artist, and emphasizes the historic value of live recordings during this significant period in American music history.
Connecting past traditions to new festivals
In 1966, one year prior to his death in 1967, Ashley headlined the first event in what became an annual folk festival on the ETSU campus for several years. Incidentally, that ETSU event also featured a storyteller from Beech Mountain, North Carolina, named Ray Hicks, who later became a perennial favorite at what would become the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough until his death in 1993.
This connection is especially meaningful in light of the revival of this tradition with the upcoming Mountain Made: Appalachian Folk Festival on the ETSU campus. This one-day celebration will take place on Tuesday, April 7, from noon-9 p.m. at the University Commons and Reece Museum.
ETSU alumna and Grammy Award nominee Amythyst Kiah will headline Mountain Made, joined by award-winning West Virginia storyteller Adam Booth for a day that includes square dancing, craft demonstrations and more.
The Reece Museum, a unit of the Center of Excellence for Appalachian Studies and Services, plays an important role in preserving and highlighting the history and culture of the region – part of what makes ETSU the flagship institution of Appalachia.
Visit the Reece Museum Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. For more information, visit etsu.edu/reece or call (423) 439-4392. For disability accommodations, call the Office of Disability Services at (423) 439-8346.
