Emmy Awards for "Sing Behind the Plow"

Above: Chloe Davidson records vocal tracks for Sing Behind the Plow.

Jan Davidson of Brasstown has been nominated for an Emmy Award as co-producer of the television documentary Sing Behind the Plow, and show's music, featuring local musicians, also received an Emmy nomination, according to the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Mid-South Region.

The one-hour story of the John C. Campbell Folk School will compete against four others in the category of Best Historical Documentary in the Mid-South Region.

Sing Behind the Plow, a project of the John C. Campbell Folk School and University of North Carolina Public Television premiered in May on UNC-TV. It was selected by American Public Television to be offered nationwide, and forty two stations have indicated plans to broadcast it in coming months. Brenda Hughes and Scott Davis of UNC-TV share the nomination with Davidson, Director of the Folk School, as executive producers. Davidson, Davis and Hughes also wrote the script of the documentary.

A visual highlight of the program is the re-enactment of John and Olive Campbell's research trip through Appalachia by muledrawn wagon. Alvin Kephart of Hanging Dog stood in for John Campbell, while his mules portrayed John Campbell's mules in the scene depicting 1907.

Right: The Dog Branch Cats (left to right) David Liden, Martha Owen, Jan Davidson, Bob Dalsemer.

The production features interviews, historical photographs, and film of early Brasstown days. Among the speakers are Appalachian scholar Loyal Jones, a Brasstown native who grew up in Marble, and Ellie Wilson, Brasstown resident and author. The program traces the Folk School's roots in early twentieth century educational missions, Danish philosophy, and local support from the people of Cherokee and Clay Counties and sets its story into the wider context of historical events such as the Depression and World War II.

Sing Behind the Plow also earned an Emmy nomination for Best Music in a Historical Documentary. The soundtrack includes original orchestral music by Charlotte composer Fred Story, who based the show's opening theme on Olive Campbell's version of the ballad "Barbra Allen." Local band The Dog Branch Cats, comprised of Bob Dalsemer, fiddle, Martha Owen, banjo, David Liden, guitar and Jan Davidson, fiddle recorded traditional American tunes like "Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine" and the Danish tune "Little Man in a Fix." Chloe Davidson recorded background vocals for the orchestral tracks.

The program also received critical acclaim from William Ferris, Director of the Center for the Study of the American South, who wrote: "Sing Behind the Plow beautifully captures the history of Appalachian culture and the visionary work of John Campbell and his wife Olive Dame Campbell. Their study of Appalachian ballads and the founding of the John C. Campbell Folk School are landmarks in our nation's history. This beautiful film is a stunning portrait of Appalachian people and their folk traditions. It should be required viewing for every American."

Members of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences vote for their choices, and the winners will be announced at the regional Emmy Awards Ceremony in Nashville's Schermerhorn Symphony Center on January 26, 2008.

Sing Behind the Plow in DVD form is available at www.folkschool. org.

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