The Americanologist December 2021 Musical Artist: Tyler Childers
Tyler Childers, Wikimedia Commons
Our Musical Artist for December 2021 is Tyler Childers, a bluegrass phenomenon from Lawrence County, Kentucky. While I cannot confirm it, there is the outside chance he is a distant cousin, as around 90% of all Americans with the last name Childers/Childress are descendants of an individual who emigrated from Yorkshire County, England in the mid-1600s, and was recorded in the area of Virginia that is now Richmond, and also in the area of the Greenbrier region. Our DNA line is curated by the James River Viking Clan through FamilyTreeDNA at Childers/Childress James River Clan. Lawrence County, Kentucky is just due west of the Greenbrier region, so perhaps we are related, but whether we are or not, Tyler’s lyrics and music, rooted in the Appalachian Scots-Irish tradition and forged by the weight of coal mining, individualism, and the evolution of American music, is compelling. Here is a sample of his work, Nose on the Grindstone, enjoy the video!
Tyler’s gritty voice breaks through the instrumental structure of his compositions, whether it is an acoustic guitar, fiddle, bass, or percussion, bringing stories out of the hollows of appalachian coal country to a new audience of fans. His personal dedication to helping the people of the Appalachian region is evidenced in The Hickman Holler Appalachian Relief Fund, established by Tyler along with his wife, Senora May (a gifted artist in her own right) in 2020 to benefit their community, initially in dealing with a crisis in clean water access in Eastern Kentucky and West Virginia. Aging pipelines, losing up to 75% of the fresh water transported, remain underfunded by local, state, and federal politicians, and the problem is compounded by the loss of coal severance tax funds due to decreases in coal mining and employment in Kentucky and West Virginia. Tyler committed proceeds from his latest album, Long Violent History, to the fund, allowing it to expand its work, supporting scholarships at four universities in the Appalachian region.
If you want to sample some of “cousin” Tyler’s music, go to the Spotify link above and sign in, searching for The Americanologist playlist under Tyler Childers. You don’t have to have a paid account, you can signup for a free Spotify account. Hope you enjoy!
