The North Carolina Heritage Award is an annual award given out by the

North Carolina Arts Council The North Carolina Arts Council is an organization in the U.S. state of North Carolina that provides grants to artists, musicians and arts organizations. The group's mission is "arts for all people." It was founded by executive order in 1964 by Gov ...

, an agency of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, in recognition of traditional artists from the U.S. state of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

. The award was created in 1989. Since 1989, the North Carolina Heritage Award has honored North Carolina's most eminent folk artists. Recipients of the Heritage Awards range from internationally acclaimed musicians to folks who quietly practice their art in rural and family settings. A dozen North Carolinians have gone on to receive the National Heritage Fellowship Awards presented by the National Endowment for the Arts. These awards deepen our awareness of the rich and diverse cultural traditions of people in North Carolina. The Heritage Award has become one of the most important and influential programs developed by the Folklife Program of the North Carolina Arts Council. Recipients receive a cash award and are honored in a ceremony that highlights their achievements. The Award ceremonies are a notable celebration and educational event for North Carolinians, drawing large and enthusiastic audiences. From the Award’s beginning, the Folklife Program of the North Carolina Arts Council engaged talented photographers — Rob Amberg, Cedric N. Chatterley, Mary Anne McDonald, Roger Haile and Bill Bamberger — to document the artistry of award recipients. Their images and the program book articles celebrate and commemorate the skills, values, aesthetics, and meaning of traditional arts in North Carolina. The Folk Heritage Award recipients from 1989–1996 are also featured in a special issue of the North Carolina Folklore Journal.

Recipients

1989

* Dorothy Auman and Walter Auman, potters ( Randolph County, NC) *

Etta Baker Etta Baker (March 31, 1913 – September 23, 2006) was an American Piedmont blues guitarist and singer from North Carolina. Early life and career She was born Etta Lucille Reid in Caldwell County, North Carolina, of African-American, Native A ...

(1913–2006), Piedmont blues guitarist and singer ( Burke County, NC) *Thomas Burt (1900-1990), Piedmont blues guitarist, banjoist, and singer ( Durham County, NC) * Thomas Hunter (1919-1993), fiddler ( Madison County, NC) *Emma Taylor (1920-2002), basketmaker ( Qualla Boundary) * Doug Wallin (1919-2000), ballad singer ( Madison County, NC) * Eva Wolfe (1922-2004), Cherokee basketmaker ( Qualla Boundary)

1990

* The Badgett Sisters, gospel singers ( Caswell County, NC) * Walker Calhoun (1918-2012), Cherokee musician and dancer ( Qualla Boundary) * Earnest East (1916-2000), fiddler ( Surry County, NC) * Benton Flippen (b. 1920), fiddler ( Surry County, NC) *Wilma McNabb (d. 1991), weaver ( Cherokee County, NC) *Dellie Norton (1898-1993), ballad singer ( Madison County, NC) *Sallie Parnell (1887-1994), rag-rug weaver ( Davidson County, NC)

1991

*Effie Rhodes Bell, quilter (

Pender County, NC Pender County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,203. Its county seat is Burgaw. Pender County is part of the Wilmington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The county ...

) *

Lela Brooks __NOTOC__ Lela Alene Brooks (February 7, 1908 – September 11, 1990) was a Canadian speed skater and multiple world-record holder. She specialized in short track skating. Biography Born in Toronto, Brooks was the first female member of the Old ...

, Tobacco twine crocheter (

Robeson County, NC Robeson County is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of North Carolina and is its largest county by land area. Its county seat is and largest city is Lumberton. The county was formed in 1787 from part of Bladen County and named in ...

) *Burlon Craig (1914-2002), potter in the style of

Catawba Valley Pottery Catawba Valley Pottery describes alkaline glazed stoneware made in the Catawba River Valley of Western North Carolina from the early 19th century, as well as certain contemporary pottery made in the region utilizing traditional methods and forms. ...

( Lincoln County, NC) *Menhaden Chanteymen, performers of worksongs ( Carteret County, NC) *Hazel Rhodes Reece (1925-2015), quilter ( Onslow County, NC) *Quay Smathers (1913-1997), shape note singer and teacher ( Haywood County, NC) *Thurman Strickland, basketmaker ( Johnston County, NC) * Joe Thompson (musician) (1918-2012), fiddler (

Alamance County, NC Alamance County (), from the North Carolina Collection's website at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved September 18, 2012. is a county in North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 171,415. Its county seat ...

) *Odell Thompson, fiddler (

)

1992

* Obadiah Carter (1925-1994), R & B musician * Bertie Dickens (1902-1994), old-time banjo player ( Alleghany County, NC) * Emma Dupree (1897-1996), herbalist and healer ( Pitt County, NC) *

The "5" Royales The "5" Royales was an American rhythm and blues (R&B) vocal group from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States, that combined gospel, jump blues and doo-wop, marking an early and influential step in the evolution of rock and roll. Most of ...

, R & B musicians ( Forsyth County, NC) *Leonard Glenn (1910-1997), banjo and dulcimer maker ( Watauga County, NC) *

Ray Hicks Lenard Ray Hicks (August 29, 1922 – April 20, 2003) was an Appalachian storyteller who lived his entire life on Beech Mountain, North Carolina. He was particularly known for the telling of Jack Tales. He was a recipient of a 1983 Nati ...

(1922-2003), storyteller ( Watauga County, NC) * Algia Mae Hinton (1929-2018), blues guitarist and buck dancer ( Johnston County, NC) *Lauchlin Shaw (1912-2000), fiddler ( Harnett County, NC) *A. C. Overton (1926-2007), old-time banjo player (

Wake County, NC Wake County is located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. In the 2020 census, its population was 1,129,410, making it North Carolina's most-populous county. From July 2005 to July 2006, Wake County was the 9th-fastest growing county in the U ...

)

1993

*Louise Anderson (1921-1994), storyteller ( Onslow County, NC) *Julian Guthrie (1914-1998), boatbuilder ( Carteret County, NC) *Bea Hensley (1919-2013), blacksmith ( Mitchell County, NC) * George Higgs (1930-2013), blues musician ( Edgecombe County, NC) * Mary Jane Queen (1914-2007), ballad singer ( Jackson County, NC) *George SerVance, Jr., woodcarver ( Davidson County, NC) *Luke Smathers (1914-1997), stringband musician ( Haywood County, NC) *Harold Smathers (1911-1995), stringband musician ( Haywood County, NC)

1994

* Carroll Best (1931-1995), banjo player ( Haywood County, NC) * Aaron Buff (1911-1994), chair maker ( Burke County, NC) *

Robert Dotson Robert Dotson (1923-2015) was a flatfoot dancer from Sugar Grove, North Carolina; he and his wife, Myrtle, were instrumental in keeping the tradition of flatfoot dancing styles of Western North Carolina alive, and they received the North Carolina ...

(1923-2015), flatfoot dancer ( Watauga County, NC) *Myrtle Dotson (1921-2008), flatfoot dancer ( Watauga County, NC) * John Dee Holeman (1929-2021), blues guitarist and buck dancer ( Durham County, NC) *Quentin "Fris" Holloway (1918-2008), bluesman and buck dancer ( Durham County, NC) * Vernon Owens (b.1941), potter (

Moore County, NC Moore County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 99,727. Its county seat is Carthage and its largest municipality is the Village of Pinehurst. It is a border county between the P ...

) * Amanda Swimmer (1921-2018), potter ( Qualla Boundary) *Elsie Trivette, rug maker ( Watauga County, NC) *

Doc Watson Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson (March 3, 1923 – May 29, 2012) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues, and gospel music. Watson won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. W ...

(1923-2012), guitarist and traditional singer, and the Watson Family ( Watauga County, NC)

1995

*The Branchettes: Lenna Mae Perry (b. 1940) and Ethel Elliot (d. 2004), gospel singers (

and Harnett County, NC) *Raymond Coins (1904-1998), stone and wood carver ( Stokes County, NC) * Homer Fulcher (1918-1995) and Julian Hamilton, Jr. (1925-2000), decoy carvers ( Carteret County, NC) * Big Boy Henry (1921-2004), blues guitarist and singer ( Carteret County, NC) *Virgil Ledford (b. 1940), woodcarver ( Qualla Boundary) * Jim Shumate (1921-2013), bluegrass fiddler ( Catawba County, NC) *Ora Watson (1911-2008), fiddler ( Watauga County, NC)

1996

*Robert H. Bushyhead (1914-2016), storyteller and language preservationist ( Qualla Boundary) *Verlen Clifton (1928-2020) and Paul Sutphin (1918-2003), stringband players and singers ( Surry County, NC) * Nell Cole Graves (1908-1997), potter ( Randolph County, NC) *Elizabeth "Lee" Graham Jacobs (1909-2000), quilter ( Columbus County, NC) *Dock Rmah, Jarai traditional musician ( Guilford County, NC) * Earl Scruggs (1924-2012), banjo player ( Cleveland County, NC)

1998

*Bessie Killens Eldreth (1913-2016), traditional singer ( Watauga County, NC) *Louise Bigmeat Maney (1932-2001), potter ( Qualla Boundary) *Smith McInnis (1914-2011), Fiddler ( Hoke County, NC) *Ossie Clark Phillips (1915-1998), weaver ( Avery County, NC) *

Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith Arthur Smith (April 1, 1921 – April 3, 2014) was an American musician, songwriter, and producer of records, as well as a radio and TV host. Smith produced radio and TV shows; ''The Arthur Smith Show'' was the first nationally syndicated coun ...

(1921-2014), traditional musician and composer (

Mecklenburg County, NC Mecklenburg County is a county located in the southwestern region of the state of North Carolina, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,115,482, making it the second-most populous county in North Carolina (after Wak ...

) * Arliss Watford (1924-1998), woodcarver ( Hertford County, NC) *The Wilson Brothers, gospel singers ( Swain County, NC)

2000

*Rev. Faircloth Barnes (1929-2011), gospel singer and preacher ( Nash County, NC) * Amanda Crowe (1928–2004), Cherokee wood carver ( Qualla Boundary) *Marvin Gaster (1934-2022), old-time banjo player ( Lee County, NC) * Bobby McMillion (1951-2021), traditional singer and storyteller ( Caldwell County, NC) *Melvin Lee Owens (c. 1929-2015), potter ( Randolph County, NC) * James Allen Rose (1935-2013), model boat builder ( Carteret County, NC)

2003

*The Briarhoppers, bluegrass musicians (

) *Celia Cole Perkinson (1924-2015) and Neolia Cole Womack (1927-2016), potters ( Lee County, NC) *Emmet Parker Jones (1914-2008), wheelwright ( Chowan County, NC) * Bishop Dready Manning (b. 1934), gospel musician ( Halifax, NC) * Oscar "Red" Wilson (1920-2005), stringband musician ( Mitchell County, NC) * Jerry Wolfe (1924-2018), stickball carver ( Qualla Boundary)

2007

*Walter and Ray Davenport, fishermen and net makers ( Tyrrell County, NC) *Mike Harman, weaver ( Watauga County, NC) *Orville Hicks, storyteller ( Watauga County, NC) * Senora Lynch (b. 1963), potter ( Warren County, NC) * George Shuffler (1925-2014), bluegrass and southern gospel musician ( Burke County, NC)

2014

Bobby Hicks Bobby Hicks (born July 21, 1933) is a Grammy Awardbr>winningAmerican bluegrass fiddler and a professional musician with more than fifty years of experience. Career Hicks was born in Newton, North Carolina and learned to play the fiddle befor ...

(b. 1933), fiddle player ( Madison County, NC) * Susan Morgan Leveille (b. 1949), weaver ( Jackson County, NC) *Sid Luck (b. c. 1945), potter (

) *

Bill Myers Bill Myers is an American Christian author, film director and film producer. He was born in Seattle, Washington on September 9, 1953. Myers is most notable for the animated series '' McGee and Me!'' He is an author of books from many genres, ...

, jazz saxophonist and educator ( Wilson County, NC) *Arnold Richardson (b. c. 1938), Haliwa-Saponi artist ( Halifax County, NC)

2016

* Sheila Kay Adams (b. 1953), ballad singer, storyteller ( Madison County, NC) *H. Ju Nie (1944-2021) and H. Ngach Rahlan, Montagnard-Dega weavers ( Guilford County, NC) *James Lewis, Jamie Lewis, and Houston Lewis, boat builders ( Carteret County, NC) *

Maceo Parker Maceo Parker (; born February 14, 1943) is an American funk and soul jazz saxophonist, best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s, Parliament-Funkadelic in the 1970s and Prince in the 2000s. Parker was a prominent soloist on many o ...

(b. 1943), funk musician ( Lenoir County, NC) * Marc Pruett (b. 1951), banjo ( Haywood County, NC)

2018

*Asha Bala, Performer and instructor of South Indian dance (

) * Glenn & Lula Bolick, Potters, musicians, and storytellers ( Watauga County, NC) *Arvil Freeman (1932-2021), Western North Carolina fiddler ( Madison County, NC) *Robert "Dick" Knight (b. 1950), Soul, R&B, and jazz trumpet player ( Lenoir County, NC) *

Tony Williamson Tony Williamson (18 December 1932 in Manchester – 19 June 1991) was a prolific British television writer, most active from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s. He wrote primarily for the action-adventure and espionage genres. Perhaps because of h ...

, Multi-genre mandolinist rooted in bluegrass ( Chatham County, NC)

2023

*Richard Bowman, old-time fiddler ( Surry County, NC) *Cornelio Campos, painter and muralist ( Durham County, NC) *Butch Goings, woodcarver ( Qualla Boundary) *Louise Goings (b. 1947), Cherokee basket maker ( Qualla Boundary) *Rhonda Gouge (b. 1955), gospel and bluegrass musician and educator ( Mitchell County, NC) *Neal Thomas, white oak basket maker (

)

References

{{Reflist, 30em

External links

Carolina Heritage Award

North Carolina Arts Council
North Carolina culture Awards established in 1989 Arts awards in the United States 1989 establishments in North Carolina