Frank Proffitt of Reese, North Carolina

"We, of Folk-Legacy Records, consider Frank Proffitt one of this country's finest traditional artists. We are proud to offer this record as the first in our series of authentic field recordings."
-Sandy and Caroline Paton

Frank Proffitt was a musician, luthier, farmer, and carpenter whose source of traditional Appalachian music reached far past the borders of his home of North Carolina. Proffitt is best known for his singing and self-accompanying homemade fretless banjo playing. On this record Frank Proffitt sings “Tom Dooley”, a once obscure murder ballad that went on to sell over six million copies after it was recorded and popularized by the Kingston Trio in 1958. These field recordings taken by Sandy Paton make up this impactful first release on Folk-Legacy Records and followed the release of Frank Proffitt Sings Folk Songs, a Folkways release also recorded by Sandy Paton prior to founding Folk-Legacy Records. In the years that followed, Proffitt would become an inspiration to performers of mountain music, playing his homemade banjos and dulcimers at the Newport and Chicago folk festivals, and the 1964 New York World's Fair.