There was once a time when everything was cheap.

But now prices almost puts a man to sleep.

When we pay our grocery bill,

We just feel like making our will.

Tell me how can a poor man stand such times and live?

It seems as if most everyone can identify with lyrics like this one these days. It is strange to think that it was written and recorded nearly 100 years ago- recorded on Dec 4, 1929 in fact!  The song is called “How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live” and was by Floyd County’s own, Blind Alfred Reed.  

Records are a bit sketchy but Alfred was born to Riley and Charlotte Akers Reed in the Alum Ridge/Indian Valley area of Floyd County, Virginia in 1879 or 80. I have land at the foot of Reed Hill, where some references say he born and raised, and so I admit to having a real interest in Alfred. Today I did some digging to find out more about him.

Neither Riley nor Charlotte were musically inclined, but Alfred clearly was, and over time he became quite proficient in the fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin, and organ.  The fiddle though, was his real love and talent and he became very well known for his fiddling and singing.  He also became known as somewhat of a protest singer based on the lyrics of his songs (as in the one mentioned above).

Sometime in 1903 Alfred married Nettie Sheard and moved to West Virginia where they lived and raised 6 children.  To make money Alfred turned to music and taught music lessons, performed at dances, wrote songs, and busked the streets where he would also  sell printed copies of his songs.  It was during one of these musical activities, that Alfred caught the ear and attention of Ernest Stoneman with his song “The Wreck of the Virginian”, which told the story of the collision of a freight train and a passenger train in 1927.  Stoneman, who was already involved in the “Bristol Sessions”- a recording project that basically started the country music craze, contacted Ralph Peer to recommend Alfred for the project. 

The Bristol Sessions are well known from the participation of such acts as Ernest Stoneman,  Jimmie Rogers, The Carter Family, the Shelor Family (of whom Sammy Shelor is descended ), Blind Alfred Reed, and others.  The impact of this project was such that Bristol Tennessee is now known as The Birthplace of Country Music.   Alfred Reed recorded, on Dec 16, 1927 four titles- The Wreck of the Virginian, I Mean to Live for Jesus, You Must Unload, and Walking in the Way with Jesus.

Ralph Peer ended up keeping Blind Alfred Reed under contract and recorded numerous songs by him over the next few years, including the one that began this post- “How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live”. This was one of several of his works responding to or possibly protesting the depression and the economic disparities so many people were experiencing in the country. 

In addition to any monies he made through his recordings, Alfred continued his street busking to help make ends meet.  By 1937, his music was pretty well known. The protest-like nature of his subject matter caught the attention of local politicians and the town he most frequently busked in, Hinton West Virginia suddenly passed a local ordinance banning busking by blind musicians.  Which seems a very specific ordinance and in effect ended his career as a street musician!  Despite this, much later, on March 9, 2015 the West Virginia Legislature introduced HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 51 which proclaimed and made the fiddle the official musical instrument of West Virginia and acknowledged the historical impact of the 1937 statute on Blind Alfred Reed’s life and livelihood.

To learn more, you can check out Blind Alfred Reed: An Appalachian Visionary, by Ted Olson. You can check it out from McConnell Library and hear his music too-

Blind Alfred Reed : Appalachian visionary.

AuthorsBlind Alfred Reed(Composer)(Instrumentalist)(Singer)Arthur Wyrick(Instrumentalist)Orville Reed(Instrumentalist)(Singer)Fred Pendleton(Instrumentalist)(Singer)Music CD2015Atlanta, GA : Dust to Digital, [2015]

4th Floor – Sound Recordings – CDs	M1627 .R33 2015		Available
4th Floor – Sound Recordings – CDs	M1627 .R33 2015