Moses Rager (April 2, 1911 – May 14, 1986) was a

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

player from

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

. He is credited with creating the thumb-picking style of guitar playing - which he taught to

Merle Travis Merle Robert Travis (November 29, 1917 – October 20, 1983) was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and guitarist born in Rosewood, Kentucky, United States. His songs' lyrics often discussed both the lives and the economic exp ...

. Laverda Rager was the daughter of Mose Rager. She was interviewed by musicologist

Erika Brady Erika Brady is an American anthropologist, writer, speaker, and radio show host. She is a past-president of the Kentucky Folklore Society Fellows and editor of the journal ''Southern Folklore''. Career Brady studied at Harvard University, Univer ...

in 2000.

References

External links

Darrel McClellan's Mose Rager Page
1911 births 1986 deaths Guitarists from Kentucky 20th-century American guitarists {{Kentucky-stub