A century ago, Edden Hammons was known as one of the strongest and most distinctive fiddlers in the music-rich territory of Central West Virginia. Edden was also known for his individualistic lifestyle, always seeking out the remote fringes of his rugged home terrritory. As an old man, in 1942, Edden played his music into the homemade disc-recording machine of a visiting WVU folklore professor, and the result was magic. Old Edden's skills were still strong, and his reclusive existence had isolated him from the inroads of radios, recordings, and music festivals. When you listen to the fiddling of Edden Hammons, you look straight back into 19th-century West Virginia. West Virginia University Press released 15 of these legendary tunes on CD in 1999, remastered to modern audio standards and packaged with extensive notes, photos, and information. With the release in 2000 of 35 more tunes on the two-CD second volume, practically every existing recording by this legendary master is now available. Musicians, musicologists, and proud West Virginians have unanimously praised these recordings, and we at West Virginia University Press can think of no more fitting way to lauch our Sound Archive series than with The Edden Hammons Collection, Volumes One and Two.
