More About the Film

Balladeer, linguist, cultural activist, storyteller, Cratis Williams was an eloquent defender of Appalachian Culture and one of the most important scholars of the post-war era. In this hour long documentary, Cratis visits his ancestral homeland on Caines Creek in Eastern Kentucky’s Big Sandy Valley. He reminisces about confronting the stereotypes of Appalachian Culture and personalities while growing up among descendants of “Kentucky Long Hunters, veterans of the American Revolution, Tories escaped to the backwoods, refugees from the Whisky Rebellion, and Kentucky Mountain feudists.”

Cratis Williams weaves his personal recollection, in-depth scholarship and understanding of folk culture into a grand tale of the modern Appalachian experience. Also featured in the documentary are Pat Beaver, Grace Edwards, Loyal Jones, Jim Wayne Miller, David Williams and Gurney Norman attesting to the historical importance of Dr. Cratis Williams’ scholarship and work for a generation of artists, writers and scholars.