![\"\"](\"http:\/\/dh.wcu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Queen_MH_AwardSmall.jpg\" "\\"Queen_MH_AwardSmall\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.48″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_accordion _builder_version=”3.9″][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Mary jane queen and the queen family” open=”off” _builder_version=”3.9″ title_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”0em” title_text_shadow_vertical_length=”0em” title_text_shadow_blur_strength=”0em” body_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”0em” body_text_shadow_vertical_length=”0em” body_text_shadow_blur_strength=”0em”]<\/p>\n Receive 1999 Mountain Heritage Award<\/em><\/p>\n CULLOWHEE \u2014 Mary Jane Queen and the Queen Family, performers who have played a major role in helping maintain the folk music traditions of the Southern Appalachian Mountains, are the 1999 recipients of Western Carolina University\u2019s Mountain Heritage Award.<\/p>\n Family matriarch Mary Jane Queen accepted the award on the Queen Family\u2019s behalf at the 25th annual Mountain Heritage Day, held Saturday (Sept. 25) at WCU. The award was presented by WCU Chancellor John W. Bardo.<\/p>\n \u201cToday we recognize a truly outstanding musical family whose ties to authentic Southern Appalachian folk music run deep and true,\u201d Bardo said. \u201cMary Jane Queen learned traditional mountain music from her father, and she has in turn passed on those old songs to countless others through concerts and workshops. The entire Queen Family exemplifies the wonderful tradition of passing the folk arts down from one generation to the next.\u201d<\/p>\n Mary Jane Queen still lives in the Caney Fork section of Jackson County, where she was born in 1914. She recalls that both her grandmothers were good singers, and her older brother was \u201cthe first person to buy a guitar in the Caney Fork section.\u201d Her father, a farmer and blacksmith, also was the best banjo picker around.<\/p>\n \u201cI watched him play — and I helped him sing — all of these old songs many times. And that\u2019s how I learned them, and where I learned them,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Her marriage to Claude Queen, a banjo and guitar player, brought together the music and song traditions of two neighboring families. All of their eight children became musicians, singing and learning the old songs \u201cby ear.\u201d Over the years the family sang in church, at community events, and anywhere they were invited.<\/p>\n Although all the children are now grown, and some live outside the state, various combinations of the Queen Family still perform at events such as WCU\u2019s Mountain Heritage Day, and the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival in Asheville.<\/p>\n Mary Jane Queen has been called \u201ca walking archive of mountain music.\u201d She hesitates to guess, but estimates that she knows about 200 songs by heart. Many, like her favorite, \u201cWilliam Riley,\u201d are tunes with roots going back to English ballads. Her repertoire includes songs brought to this country by pioneering settlers from Ulster, old ballads formed in early America, hymns and spirituals from Baptist and Methodist traditions, and comic songs that derive from both the European and African-American traditions.<\/p>\n Over the years, Mary Jane Queen has taken care to pass on her knowledge. She has welcomed into her home a procession of students, teachers, folklorists, journalists, filmmakers and musicians — anyone who wanted to learn about what she calls \u201cgood old music.\u201d She is a past recipient of the North Carolina Folk Heritage Award from the North Carolina Arts Council.<\/p>\n Mary Jane Queen and the Queen Family are the 24th recipients of WCU\u2019s Mountain Heritage Award. The award is given in recognition of outstanding contributions to the preservation or interpretation of the history and culture of Southern Appalachia; or in recognition of outstanding contributions to research on, or interpretation of, Southern Appalachian issues. Award winners are chosen by a special committee.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Queen family” open=”on” _builder_version=”3.9″ title_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”0em” title_text_shadow_vertical_length=”0em” title_text_shadow_blur_strength=”0em” body_text_shadow_horizontal_length=”0em” body_text_shadow_vertical_length=”0em” body_text_shadow_blur_strength=”0em”]<\/p>\n Mary Jane Queen passes on, but the family\u2019s musical legacy will continue<\/em><\/p>\n The death of banjo player and balladeer Mary Jane Queen of Jackson County\u2019s Caney Fork community might have silenced a powerful and authentic voice of Appalachian folk music, but the songs will continue on through the hands and voices of the family she left behind.<\/p>\n The Queen family matriarch died in June at the age of 93, and although she spent her entire life in Jackson County, Mary Jane Queen achieved national recognition through her music and storytelling.<\/p>\n Mary Jane Prince was born in Caney Fork in 1914 and, in later years, recalled that both her grandmothers were good singers and her older brother was \u201cthe first person to buy a guitar in the Caney Fork section.\u201d Her father, Jim Prince, was a farmer, blacksmith and the best banjo picker in the area. \u201cI watched him play \u2013 and helped him sing \u2013 all of those old songs many times. And that\u2019s how I learned them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Mary Jane Prince\u2019s marriage to Claude Queen, a banjo and guitar player, brought together the music and song traditions of two neighboring families. All of their eight children became singers or musicians, or both, and learned the old songs \u201cby ear.\u201d The Queens had four sons \u2013 J.C., Delbert, Henry and Albert \u2013 and four daughters \u2013 Jeanette, Cathy, Carolyn and Dot.<\/p>\n Dot Queen Conner of Sylva said recently that there was no television in the family\u2019s home on John\u2019s Creek while the Queen children were growing up, but the siblings enjoyed listening to music on the radio, particularly the Grand Ole Opry that was broadcast from Nashville, Tenn. Over the years, members of the family performed in church, at school and at community events, but it wasn\u2019t until Claude Queen died in 1984 that Mary Jane Queen began to accompany her children to performances with the Queen Family Band.<\/p>\n After the Queen children had grown up and left home, and some were living in other states, various combinations of the Queen Family continued to perform at events such as WCU\u2019s Mountain Heritage Day and the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival in Asheville. At the 25th<\/sup> annual Mountain Heritage Day in 1999, Mary Jane Queen and her children were honored with WCU\u2019s Mountain Heritage Award, given in recognition of outstanding contributions to the preservation or interpretation of the history and culture of Southern Appalachia.<\/p>\n Mary Jane Queen\u2019s status as a treasure trove of folklore also was recognized when she received a North Carolina Folk Heritage Award in 1993 and the Brown-Hudson Folklore Award in 2001. Queen received word shortly before her death that she had won the nation\u2019s highest honor in folk and traditional arts as she was named one of 12 recipients of the National Endowment for the Arts\u2019 National Heritage Fellowships.<\/p>\n Dot Queen Conner said that she and her siblings are thankful that their mother decided to begin performing with them after their father\u2019s passing. She said her mother \u201cenjoyed every minute\u201d of the time she spent on stage singing and playing the traditional songs and ballads.<\/p>\n The Queen Family will once again perform on the Traditional Music Stage at this year\u2019s Mountain Heritage Day, and Conner said she is sure the family\u2019s repertoire will include her mother\u2019s signature song, \u201cI Wish I Was a Single Girl Again.\u201d<\/p>\n The Queen brothers and sisters will be joined on stage by J.C. Queen\u2019s son, Mark, who represents a younger generation of family members now taking an interest in the music. Conner said that various other grandchildren of Mary Jane Queen also are becoming involved in traditional music, and she is certain that the family legacy will continue.<\/p>\n \u201cAs mother used to say, \u2018I think it runs in the family,\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Related Articles:<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_accordion_item][\/et_pb_accordion][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0Receive 1999 Mountain Heritage Award CULLOWHEE \u2014 Mary Jane Queen and the Queen Family, performers who have played a major role in helping maintain the folk music traditions of the Southern Appalachian Mountains, are the 1999 recipients of Western Carolina University\u2019s Mountain Heritage Award. Family matriarch Mary Jane Queen accepted the award on the Queen […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" \u00a0<\/p> Mary Jane Queen and The Queen Family<\/strong><\/em> CULLOWHEE \u2014 Mary Jane Queen and the Queen Family, performers who have played a major role in helping maintain the folk music traditions of the Southern Appalachian Mountains, are the 1999 recipients of Western Carolina University\u2019s Mountain Heritage Award.<\/p> Family matriarch Mary Jane Queen accepted the award on the Queen Family\u2019s behalf at the 25th annual Mountain Heritage Day, held Saturday (Sept. 25) at WCU. The award was presented by WCU Chancellor John W. Bardo.<\/p> \u201cToday we recognize a truly outstanding musical family whose ties to authentic Southern Appalachian folk music run deep and true,\u201d Bardo said. \u201cMary Jane Queen learned traditional mountain music from her father, and she has in turn passed on those old songs to countless others through concerts and workshops. The entire Queen Family exemplifies the wonderful tradition of passing the folk arts down from one generation to the next.\u201d<\/p> Mary Jane Queen still lives in the Caney Fork section of Jackson County, where she was born in 1914. She recalls that both her grandmothers were good singers, and her older brother was \u201cthe first person to buy a guitar in the Caney Fork section.\u201d Her father, a farmer and blacksmith, also was the best banjo picker around.<\/p> \u201cI watched him play -- and I helped him sing -- all of these old songs many times. And that\u2019s how I learned them, and where I learned them,\u201d she says.<\/p> Her marriage to Claude Queen, a banjo and guitar player, brought together the music and song traditions of two neighboring families. All of their eight children became musicians, singing and learning the old songs \u201cby ear.\u201d Over the years the family sang in church, at community events, and anywhere they were invited.<\/p> Although all the children are now grown, and some live outside the state, various combinations of the Queen Family still perform at events such as WCU\u2019s Mountain Heritage Day, and the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival in Asheville.<\/p> Mary Jane Queen has been called \u201ca walking archive of mountain music.\u201d She hesitates to guess, but estimates that she knows about 200 songs by heart. Many, like her favorite, \u201cWilliam Riley,\u201d are tunes with roots going back to English ballads. Her repertoire includes songs brought to this country by pioneering settlers from Ulster, old ballads formed in early America, hymns and spirituals from Baptist and Methodist traditions, and comic songs that derive from both the European and African-American traditions.<\/p> Over the years, Mary Jane Queen has taken care to pass on her knowledge. She has welcomed into her home a procession of students, teachers, folklorists, journalists, filmmakers and musicians -- anyone who wanted to learn about what she calls \u201cgood old music.\u201d She is a past recipient of the North Carolina Folk Heritage Award from the North Carolina Arts Council.<\/p> Mary Jane Queen and the Queen Family are the 24th recipients of WCU\u2019s Mountain Heritage Award. The award is given in recognition of outstanding contributions to the preservation or interpretation of the history and culture of Southern Appalachia; or in recognition of outstanding contributions to research on, or interpretation of, Southern Appalachian issues. Award winners are chosen by a special committee.<\/p><\/blockquote> \u00a0<\/p> \u00a0<\/p> Queen family:<\/strong><\/em> The death of banjo player and balladeer Mary Jane Queen of Jackson County\u2019s Caney Fork community might have silenced a powerful and authentic voice of Appalachian folk music, but the songs will continue on through the hands and voices of the family she left behind.<\/p> The Queen family matriarch died in June at the age of 93, and although she spent her entire life in Jackson County, Mary Jane Queen achieved national recognition through her music and storytelling.<\/p> Mary Jane Prince was born in Caney Fork in 1914 and, in later years, recalled that both her grandmothers were good singers and her older brother was \u201cthe first person to buy a guitar in the Caney Fork section.\u201d Her father, Jim Prince, was a farmer, blacksmith and the best banjo picker in the area. \u201cI watched him play \u2013 and helped him sing \u2013 all of those old songs many times. And that\u2019s how I learned them,\u201d she said.<\/p> Mary Jane Prince\u2019s marriage to Claude Queen, a banjo and guitar player, brought together the music and song traditions of two neighboring families. All of their eight children became singers or musicians, or both, and learned the old songs \u201cby ear.\u201d The Queens had four sons \u2013 J.C., Delbert, Henry and Albert \u2013 and four daughters \u2013 Jeanette, Cathy, Carolyn and Dot.<\/p> Dot Queen Conner of Sylva said recently that there was no television in the family\u2019s home on John\u2019s Creek while the Queen children were growing up, but the siblings enjoyed listening to music on the radio, particularly the Grand Ole Opry that was broadcast from Nashville, Tenn. Over the years, members of the family performed in church, at school and at community events, but it wasn\u2019t until Claude Queen died in 1984 that Mary Jane Queen began to accompany her children to performances with the Queen Family Band.<\/p> After the Queen children had grown up and left home, and some were living in other states, various combinations of the Queen Family continued to perform at events such as WCU\u2019s Mountain Heritage Day and the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival in Asheville. At the 25th<\/sup> annual Mountain Heritage Day in 1999, Mary Jane Queen and her children were honored with WCU\u2019s Mountain Heritage Award, given in recognition of outstanding contributions to the preservation or interpretation of the history and culture of Southern Appalachia.<\/p> Mary Jane Queen\u2019s status as a treasure trove of folklore also was recognized when she received a North Carolina Folk Heritage Award in 1993 and the Brown-Hudson Folklore Award in 2001. Queen received word shortly before her death that she had won the nation\u2019s highest honor in folk and traditional arts as she was named one of 12 recipients of the National Endowment for the Arts\u2019 National Heritage Fellowships.<\/p> Dot Queen Conner said that she and her siblings are thankful that their mother decided to begin performing with them after their father\u2019s passing. She said her mother \u201cenjoyed every minute\u201d of the time she spent on stage singing and playing the traditional songs and ballads.<\/p> The Queen Family will once again perform on the Traditional Music Stage at this year\u2019s Mountain Heritage Day, and Conner said she is sure the family\u2019s repertoire will include her mother\u2019s signature song, \u201cI Wish I Was a Single Girl Again.\u201d<\/p> The Queen brothers and sisters will be joined on stage by J.C. Queen\u2019s son, Mark, who represents a younger generation of family members now taking an interest in the music. Conner said that various other grandchildren of Mary Jane Queen also are becoming involved in traditional music, and she is certain that the family legacy will continue.<\/p> \u201cAs mother used to say, \u2018I think it runs in the family,\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p><\/blockquote> Related Articles:<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/dh.wcu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Queen-Peaches1-9_06small.jpg\" "\\"Queen")
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Receive 1999 Mountain Heritage Award<\/em><\/p><\/a><\/p><\/a><\/p>
Mary Jane Queen passes on, but family\u2019s musical legacy will continue<\/em><\/p>