October 30, 2011

Almeda Riddle of Cleburne County was a prominent figure in the folk music revival of the 1960s. Discovered in 1952 by Professor John Quincy Wolf, who was searching the countryside for folk ballads, Riddle went on to record more than 200 songs. She emerged as one of the most popular performers at music festivals all over North America. For her efforts, she received the National Heritage Award from the National Endowment for the Arts. She is shown here in 1965 performing at the Ozark Folk Festival in Mountain View (Stone County).