Our Storytelling Trek Blog #8

NABS Talking: On The Road with Ilene and Queen

Black Appalachian Storyteller Fellows Road Trip

By: Ilene Evans

Editor: Karen "Queen Nur" Abdul-Malik

Doris Fields, MidAtlantic Arts Recipient West Virginia’s First Lady of Soul–

Appalachian BluesSpeak at the Beckley Art Center

It was still light outside when we got to Beckley, West Virginia, and we enjoyed a moments’ breather just before sunset. Parts of the Beckley city icons are from the early coal mine days and other parts of Beckley reflect the artists and cultural diversity that is the hallmark of Art Centers like Tamarack -right off the big highway. The Beckley Art Center, however, is a small exhibition gallery in an old part of town, which features paintings by local artists, quilts, pottery, workshops, and classes for the community. This creative space was very welcoming to Doris and her band. Their current exhibition was called “The Places In Between” which fit Doris’s theme for the evening, memories from the corners of her life. A small crowd gathered and had some spicy plates of salads and refreshments to accompany the celebration.

Appalachian BluesSpeak is a collection of Doris’ original stories, poems, lyrics,

and now, visual art. The Collection reflects her journey from the coal fields and back hollers of West Virginia to become the main stage Diva that she is.  The  BASF award has helped Doris gather her work into a publishable form.

Blues style storytelling is very expressive of the deep longings and love. Blues, rhythm and blues, gospel, and soul - right along with all the country music around us  - make for a rich tapestry of melody, harmony, and storytelling. Doris won an award that lifted her notoriety in the community when she was invited to perform for President Barak Obama’s inauguration. She bellowed “Go Higher” and we did. We could not help but feel the excitement and enthusiasm it brought to our spirits. Doris is in the process of publishing a complete copy of Appalachian BluesSpeak.

Dan Bailey on guitar, Phil Copney on bass guitar, and Ary'an Graham on the drums made the musical backdrop for her stories. The fusion of words and rhythms swept the audience into spaces of resilence, tenderness, humor and sass. One of our favorite lyrics of the evening was “This town ain’t big enough for the two of us, somebody’s got to move…”

When I think of Doris, I think of someone who woke up singing, that song is her first language. Her collection of stories and songs for this special program was a very personal memoir. The Mid Atlantic Arts sponsored fellow recalled growing up in Kayford, West Virginia and reviewed the characters and their many antics.

Doris has been expanding as an artist in her poetry and painting. She had two of her paintings to help vizualize the story which will also be included in her upcoming book. One painting was of her father going into the coal mine with a mule. Mules did some heavy lifting in the day.

The other painting was of her dad with his lunch bucket. Doris also shared some of the photos of her and her family growing up in the coalfields. The Kayford Mountain has become a victim of Mountaintop removal, and you can no longer find the places we journeyed to through Doris' riveting stories and songs. That is one reason her Black Applachain storyelling memoir is so culturally vital. 

We heard a similar story from Dr. Tee who grew up in Ward, WV, another town in a holler that is gone, grown into a wilderness. DeWayne and Naomi, have seen the kind of damage “progress” can do to small black towns, erasing black life all together. Losing so much of our story, our history with the changes in industry and corporate interests is a shared challenge for may Affrilachians. Doris, like Dr. Tee, Naomi, and DeWayne are on a mission to save the memories that our lives were built upon. 

The music was jumping and the night was joyful.

When we left Doris we were still dancing,

My take away from our visit with Doris – Lady D, the first Lady of soul:

Mission: Give voice to our loved ones, their struggles and memories

Message: They may be gone, but they will not be forgotten!

Motto: Sing to live another day.

3, 6, 9 - What’s on your mind? Black Appalachian Is blowin’ my mind!