ELIZABETH LAPRELLE
Rural Retreat, Virginia
Old-Time Ballads
Raised in Rural Retreat, Virginia, nineteen-year-old Elizabeth learned singing from family members who taught her various singing styles and encouraged her to sing their own favorite American folk music. Since she was eleven, Elizabeth has been performing Appalachian ballads and old-time songs, and winning prizes for her singing at fiddlers' conventions.
Her magnificent voice, her respect for the songs, and her authentic mountain sound and style brought her to the attention of old-time ballad singers Ginnie Hawker and Sheila Kay Adams. Adams says of Elizabeth, "Anyone can learn the old ballads. There are numerous collections in libraries and books that are available on-line. But, Elizabeth is interested in the feel, the sound, and the ornamentation of these songs. She is, in my opinion, one of maybe a handful of young singers able to capture the rhythm, the intensity, the breaks and sighs that make this style of singing authentic."
Elizabeth has further developed her style and repertoire from neighbors like Jim Lloyd, Hawker and Adams, and from other legendary singers like Cas Wallin. Elizabeth has been featured as a ballad singer at the West Virginia State Folk Festival in Glenville and the Friends of Old-Time Music and Dance Fall Fling in Fayetteville, West Virginia.
Jon Lohman, Director of the Virginia Folklife Program says, "Elizabeth attends to these time-honored ballads with a level of comfort and conviction rarely found these days, let alone by someone of such a young age. One gets the feeling...that she is accessing those aspects of these songs that transcend place and historical time, and speak directly to the heart."
Links
http://www.old97wrecords.com/elizabeth-laprelle/about.htm
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