Cotton Mill Blues
Danville is considered to be a city built by both the tobacco and textile industries. As the textile companies drew families from neighboring mountains and surrounding communities to work in the local factories, the people of the hills brought their own brand of music with them – a mix of blues, bluegrass, and down-home country sounds. Listen to one of the popular songs of the day – Cotton Mill Blues – and learn how the textiles industry influenced the music culture of the time.
Guide: Mr. Kinney Rorrer
Retired history professor Kinney Rorrer is considered one of the region’s foremost experts in “old time music.” A banjo player himself, Kinney traces his family’s musical heritage all the way back to his great grandfather and great uncle in a family that left the farmlands of Franklin County to work in the textile mills of Danville. Kinney has conducted numerous workshops across the nation on old time music. He also co-hosts weekly radio shows that highlight this genre, and he serves on the board of the Dan River Region Bluegrass Music Association.
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