Mitchell County Historical Society is proud to present William Ritter’s Musical Tribute to the late traditional song collector, singer and storyteller Bobby McMillon.
This event is free to the public and all ages are welcome!
Tuesday, July 8th – 7:00 PM
William Ritter is an old-time musician and seed-saver from Bakersville, NC. For nearly 20 years, William has focused on the music of the Toe River Valley, making a special effort to learn music first hand from local tradition-bearers–especially Ray Dellinger, Bobby McMillon, and Bruce Greene. In addition to fiddle, William plays banjo, guitar, and other “string-ed things.” He is particularly interested in old mountain folkways, foodways, and humor–ever eager to swap lies, half-truths, tales and seeds. In 2017, William received his MA in Appalachian Culture and Music from Appalachian State University. Several years ago William was added to the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Traditional Artist Directory, and in 2019 received the first North Carolina In These Mountains Apprenticeship grant to study under late renowned ballad singer and storyteller Bobby McMillon. William was selected for the first cohort of SouthArts’ Emerging Traditional Artists Program in 2021. William is the founder and owner of Song-to-Seed, which offers programming featuring Appalachian Heirloom Seeds, heirloom songs, and other traditional folkways and foodways.
When asked about his mentor, William says, “Bobby was a unique soul and had an incredible mind, and great love for the old songs, sayings, and tales passed down through the generations. His Mothers people were from Yancey and Mitchell County, and odds are, if you were too–he could chart the ways you were kin. He understood genealogical webs like no person I have ever met. In the years I got to visit with Bobby, he filled my little brain to the brim. Truly a self-made holler scholar. It’s my earnest hope that I can get people singing these songs again–our songs. More and more I come to find that they still resonate over eons and oceans.”
To learn more about Bobby McMillon, click here.
