Rachael and Richard
present our tribute to
our dear friend,
EDSEL MARTIN
The self-proclaimed
Mountain Misfit of North Carolina
(1927-1999)

Now you may have thought
that Edsel used a fancy knife
like this to do his whittlein'.


Well, you'd be wrong. What
he loved and used were
either Barlow Knives or the
ever favorite Old Timer Knives.

Born around Black Mountain, North Carolina, Edsel Martin comes from a long line of musicians and "whittlers." Besides creating wooden figures that portrayed the poverty and struggle of living in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, he was a simple philosopher and good friend. Edsel also built and played his own dulcimers. If you have never seen a dulcimer, work your way down the page where there are loads of pictures . Edsel's dulcimers were famed for their sound, the extra long bodies, and beautiful carvings at the peg head end of the dulcimer. Edsel was not one for production work and so he turned out a limited number of very unique instruments during his life time. At one point we had nine of them. Why. you ask? That's simple. Each one was a work of art; different woods, different shapes and different carvings at the tuning end. If you happen to be among the lucky few who happens to own one, then hang on to it. We currently own four of them. One of our dulcimers is a double dulcimer (also know as a courting dulcimer). It is the very first one that he ever made. We had a second one made for a friend and to our knowledge, he never made another double dulcimer. A number of famous people have purchased one of Edsel's dulcimers. Bob Hope owned one. Several of Edsel's dulcimers are displayed in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.. We used to love our visits with Edsel. For four days, we would sit around the fire roasting potatoes, playing music, and talking about what we were going to do on the fifth day and then on the fifth day, we would sit around the fire roasting potatoes, playing music, and talking about why we didn't do it. There are many interesting and amusing stories we could share with you about Edsel Martin if we were sitting around the fire, roasting potatoes, making music, and talking.

 

If you would like to contact us, we can be found at
chipanddale1000@yahoo.com

Click here or on the picture above to read a collection of Edsel Martin NOT-SO-TALL-TALES

Click here or on the picture above to see the remarkable Martin Family of Buncombe County

Click here or on the picture above to see more remarkable wonderful carvings by the Martin boys

 

Edsel demonstrating
his carving skills
at a
Crafts Fair in North Carolina.

Edsel demonstrating
his carving skills
at Bloomingdale's in New York City

Edsel looking a bit shy on the plaza
of the United Nations Building
in New York City.



Edsel demonstrating his carving skills
at the United Nations gift shop
in New York City.

Edsel demonstrating his carving
to a group of school children
who were fascinated with
what could be done
with a block of pine and
a simple old pocket knife .

These are the hands
that turned wood into
beautiful carvings and
magnificent dulcimers .

Edsel demonstrating
his carving skills at a
Crafts Fair
in Northern Kentucky.

You could always tell
where Edsel has been
whittling. Just check the floor.

Edsel was a gentle man
with a fluid voice that
could calm a wildcat .

When he was in New York.
we spent a great deal of time
taking Edsel to all of the
"tourist" sites. Here he is in
the General Assembly
meeting room in
the United Nations building.

One of Edsel's long time friends
was Bill McElreath.
Bill was another wonderful
and beloved mountain character.
Yes, he is holding
a dead rattlesnake.

Bill was a great guitar player
and a hell of a banjo picker.
Here, he and Edsel entertain
a large group at
a local Folk Festival.

Edsel's father, Marcus Martin,
(left) was a champion fiddle player
for many years in North Carolina.
His recordings are preserved
in the Library of Congress
in Washington, D.C. .
Here he is seen playing along
with Edsel's long time friend,
Bill McElreath.

Not only did Bill love to play guitar
and banjo, he loved to "Buck Dance."
He was the North Carolina
Buck Dancing champion for many years.
That man sure loved to dance.

Just look at
the expression of joy on
Bill McElreath's face
in the three pictures that follow.

Half of the time that Bill danced,
his feet didn't touch the stage.

Here Bill shows off his talents
at the famed
Bascom Lamar Lunsford
"Mountain Dance and Folk Festival"
in Asheville, North Carolina.
Bascom himself accompanies Bill
as Bill wows the crowd
of thousands .

All of these carvings depict
reflections of the hard life
of the poor people
who lived in the
Blue Ridge Mountains
of North Carolina
in the early part of the
Twentieth Century .

The two dulcimer seen below and on the left were made by Edsel's brother Fred.
The birds in the two pictures below and to the right were carved by Edsel.

Close up views of the bird head
on one of our four
Edsel Martin dulcimers .
All of the dulcimers pictured
from this
point down are ours.

Close up views of the bird head.

Close up views of the lady's head.

The Courting Dulcimer
(also known as
the Double Dulcimer)
was a popular musical
instrument to be played
by couples who were darting.
The couple would sit in chairs
facing one another and then
played the dulcimer strings
on his and her side
of the dulcimer.

This is the first one
of two courting dulcimers
that Edsel ever made.

This close up view
allows you to appreciate
the beautiful scroll head.

Here it is, the surprise we promised.
We once asked Edsel to make
us the double dulcimer.
Without our knowledge, he not only made
the beauty you saw above.
he also made an all wood banjo.

It is our sincere hope that you have enjoyed and appreciated this tribute to a very special
friend and human being, Edsel Martin, North Carolina misfit.
Lovingly, Rachael and Richard Heller