Born 1880, in Floyd County. In the 1920s, when radio became available in his area, Alfred
listened to and enjoyed performances by several of the era's popular singers. Alfred would
purchase songbooks and hymnbooks, and his wife Nettie would read the lyrics to him. Be-
cause the songs he learned from others did not always express aspects of what he was
thinking, feeling, and experiencing, Alfred felt compelled to compose his own songs, and he
was exceptionally talented in this endeavor-a craftsman with many things to say. Relying
upon his talent to generate money, he gave music lessons, performed at dances and various
social and church gatherings, sold printed copies of his own lyrics, and, in 1927 and 1929, made the commercial recordings included on this set.
