Lipscomb student highlights women’s impact on the Appalachian Soundscapes

 A Lipscomb Senior is shining a new spotlight on some musicians who don’t often get noticed. The women in Appalachian music!

Georgia Leonard, a senior American Studies major from Mt. Airy, MD, presented her research on April 11, 2024, as part of the annual Student Scholars Symposium.

Her senior thesis titled “She’s An Eagle When She Flies: The Lives and Legacies of Women in Appalachian Music During the 20th Century” discussed four women who changed the music industry forever. 

“I have always had this love for Appalachia,” Leonard said. It tends to be a very forgotten area of the country and I wanted to highlight its beauty and culture. Additionally, there didn’t seem to be many people writing about these women and I really wanted to showcase the female voices in this music.”

She admits when most people hear this topic they think of the Queen of Country herself, Dolly Parton. Leonard however discussed how her favorite was Etta Baker. “One of the women I researched, Etta Baker, gave up performing publicly at the request of her husband when they got married. It made me realize that during that time women often had to make the choice of having a family and pursuing a music career, considering the social expectations of that time,” Leonard said. 

Each April Lipscomb University hosts the Student Scholars Symposium. This conference highlights undergraduate and graduate research and allows students to showcase what they have been working on. 

Each participant has spent hours preparing for the showcase and researching their chosen topic. Most students are displaying their work in the fields of science and engineering. Their extensive research is not to go unnoticed. 

The best part about the Student Scholars Symposium is that students and faculty can watch students present their studies.

Annie Duda, a film major from Latrobe, PA was there to cheer Georgia on. “The Symposium is so cool because I get to see my friends talking about what they have worked so hard on,” she said. “Georiga absolutely knocked it out of the park and I never thought something like that could be so interesting.” 

When asked Duda’s favorite part she replied, “Ya know, everyone knows Dolly, but no one thinks about the unsung heroes. I think Georgia did an excellent job shedding light on those awesome ladies.” 

Next time you’re driving through the Smokies or listening to Dolly, make sure you dive deeper into those who also helped develop Appalachian music as we know it.