Lena Hughes - Queen of the Flat-top Guitar

[bill park]

There was an interesting story on NPR radio's "All Things Considered" yesterday about an obscure guitarist named Lena Hughes. I had never heard of her, but apparently she could really set the Missouri woods on fire in the pre-war parlor music days....Wonder if Chet knew of her?
http://www.npr.org/2013/02/06/171294400/the-ancient-vibration-of-parlor-music-revived-by-two-generations

[John Knowles]

I heard that story and loved it.

[Norm]

"Spanish Fandango" probably has more variants than any other old timey song. My dad played a 'spanish fandango two finger style simple but nice and I've not heard any two spainish fandangos sound alike

[EddieP]

Most folks don't know but it was the ladies that spread the fingerstyle around the country. Kennedy Jones was about 4 years older than this lady so his Mom Alice DeArmond Jones would probably have been a 1st generation parlor player. Eddie P.

[smokymtguitar09]

Her style of playing on "Pearly Dew" reminds me somewhat of the late Etta Baker, of Morganton, NC, who played her Carolina Blues style well into her 80's. I spoke with Etta one time after her performance. I asked her if she maintained fingernails and she said " Oh no, I keep them short so I can work in my vegetable and flower garden back home".

[Ray Bohlken]

I enjoyed listening to the songs. I found an Amazon.com link to her CD and it has samples of all the songs. I enjoyed listening to them.
Ray

http://www.amazon.com/Queen-The-Flat-To ... B00AF6B16Q