Monday, November 5, 2018

Birth Dates of Notable Kentuckians: November 5, 1895 - Nimrod Workman



Image from www.davidholt.com


From The Kentucky Encyclopedia -
Nimrod Workman, traditional musician, was born in Martin County, Kentucky, on November 5, 1895, the son of Jamce and Henrietta (Jewell) Workman. He was named for his grandfather, a Cherokee who fought in the Civil War. From his grandfather, Workman learned many of the traditional ballads and songs that formed the core of his extensive folk repertoire. When he was fourteen years old, he went to work in the coal mines but was laid off because of physical disabilities. Workman was politically active in early efforts to unionize coal miners. In 1929 he married Mollie Bowens; they have eleven children, including traditional singer Phyllis (Workman) Boyens. Workman, who recorded two albums of folk and original songs, is the subject of the Appalshop film To Fit My Own Category.

RON PEN, Entry Author

Selected Sources from UK Libraries:

Faulkner, Scott., Anthony. Slone, Nimrod. Workman, and Appalshop Films. Nimrod Workman to Fit My Own Category. Whitesburg, Ky.: Appalshop, 1982.
VR483, Fine Arts Media Center

Dickens, Hazel., Tracy. Schwarz, Sarah Ogan Gunning, Norman Blake, Merle. Travis, Phyllis. Boyens, Nimrod. Workman, Jim Garland, Red. Roberts, Doc. Watson, J. P. Fraley, Florence Reece, Old Home String Band, Johnson Mountain Boys, Country Cooking, and Connie Babe. Harlan County USA Songs of the Coal Miner's Struggle. Cambridge, MA: Rounder, 2006.
CD9523 , Fine Arts Media Center

Workman, Nimrod. Mother Jones' Will. Somerville, Mass.: Rounder Records, 1978.
LP7285, Fine Arts Media Center

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