Today (June 1) would have marked the 90th birthday of Hazel Dickens (1935–2011). Among the greatest songwriters ever to emerge from West Virginia, the Mercer County native was a trailblazing bluegrass and old-time musician. She moved to Baltimore at 16 and became a key figure in that region's folk revival, recording, most notably, breathtaking duets with Alice Gerrard. Her powerful voice embodied the high-pitched mournful wail of West Virginians suffering from various injustices. While a champion of women's rights, she'll always be remembered for her labor songs, which see the the pain, hardships, and beauty in hard-working people--songs like "Black Lung" and "They'll Never Keep Us Down." Perhaps her finest song--West Virginia's unofficial fifth state song--"West Virginia, My Home," captures that emotional connection of West Virginians who've left the state for economic reasons but still long for "that place where [they] belong." Dive more into Hazel Dickens' career at https://wvencyclopedia.org/entries/1836 (fb)

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