History and Soul
The Lunsfords were a popular family group which took a legendary musical heritage to a place in the 1970s that was, by all accounts, ahead of its time. The group consisted of Jim Lunsford, and three daughters—Tomi, Nancy, and Teresa—collectively known for great songs, excellent musicianship, and blinding harmonies. Their music is ephemeral, otherworldly, and known primarily by those lucky enough to have heard them perform, and the musicians who played with them, or those who produced them. The group was on the cusp of a major recording deal with Warner Bros. Records when Jim died suddenly in 1978.
Their roots spring from the mountains of western North Carolina, traced back across generations to Bascom Lamar Lunsford, and his brother Blackwell, who together founded the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival in 1928 in Asheville, the oldest and longest-running festival of its kind in America.
Bascom's life looms large in American popular music—referenced by the Smithsonian, and reckoned with by writers such as Greil Marcus and Nick Tosches.
Jim, Blackwell's son, brought the family's musical import forward, first as a pioneering fiddle player for Reno & Smiley, Jim & Jessie, Roy Acuff, and others, and then, ultimately through The Lunsfords. Following his death, The Lunsfords disbanded but for occasional performances over the years. Each of the sisters have followed their own individual paths—Tomi as a solo artist, Nancy as a visual artist, and Teresa as a business owner.
Still writing, singing and recording whenever they find themselves in the same city at the same time, their music remains deeply informed and natural, as the family's name continues to permeate the history of folk, country, Americana, and beyond.
Read more about Jim and The Lunsfords in the current May and June issues of Bluegrass Unlimited, in a two-part feature written by Thomas Goldsmith, and watch for a compilation of The Lunsfords' music being prepared for release later this year by Delmore Recording Society (delmorerecordings.com).
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