Lesley "Esley" Riddle (1905-1980) was an African-American musician whose influence on the Carter Family helped to shape country music. 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... An African American (also Afro-American or Black American) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... Maybelle, A.P. and Sara The Carter Family was a country music group that performed and recorded between 1927 and 1943. ... This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ...

Lesley Riddle was born June 13, 1905 in Burnsville, North Carolina. He grew up with his paternal grandparents near Kingsport, Tennessee, not far from the Virginia border. June 13 is the 164th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (165th in leap years), with 201 days remaining. ... Burnsville is a town located in Yancey County, North Carolina. ... Kingsport is a city located in Sullivan County, Tennessee. ... Official language(s) English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Area  Ranked 35th  - Total 42,793 sq mi (110,862 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 430 miles (690 km)  - % water 7. ...

While working as a young man at a cement plant, he tripped on an auger. The resulting injury entailed the amputation of his right leg at the knee. While he recovered, he took up the guitar, developing an innovative picking and slide technique. Soon, he was collaborating with other musicians from Sullivan and Scott counties, including Steve Tarter, Harry Gay, Brownie McGhee and John Henry Lyons. One time, he met Blind Lemon Jefferson at Tarter's house. Sullivan County is a county located in the state of Tennessee. ... Scott County is a county located in the state of Virginia. ... Walter Brownie McGhee (November 30, 1915 - February 16, 1996) was a folk-blues singer and guitarist, best known for his collaborations with the harmonica player Sonny Terry. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

In 1928, Riddle met A.P. Carter, who had just founded the Carter Family country band. Riddle began to divide his time between Kingsport and the Carter home in Maces Springs, Virginia. Riddle and Carter embarked on song-collecting trips around the region: Riddle would act as a "human tape recorder," memorizing the melody while Carter gathered lyrics. Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ... A.P. Carter (December 15, 1891 – November 7, 1960) was an American Country music musician. ... Maces Springs is a small settlement on Route 614, a spur off Route 421 that cuts through Poor Valley, in Scott County, Virginia. ...

The Carter Family went on to record a number of songs that Riddle either composed or transmitted, including "Cannonball Blues," "Hello Stranger," "I Know What It Means To Be Lonesome," "Let the Church Roll On," "Bear Creek Blues," "March Winds Goin'," "Blow My Blues Away" and "Lonesome For You." Riddle's guitar technique made an impression on Maybelle Carter. Her adaptation became known as the "Carter scratch". [1] Maybelle Carter (May 10, 1909 – October 23, 1978) was an American Country music musician. ...

In 1937 Riddle got married, and in 1942 moved to Rochester, New York. Soon he retired from music, and in 1945, he sold his guitar, remaining obscure for the next twenty years. In 1965, Mike Seeger, fresh from a collaboration with Maybelle Carter, tracked down Riddle and persuaded him to return to recording music. Over the next 13 years, Riddle and Seeger made a series of studio recordings. Riddle also made appearances at the Smithsonian Folk Festival and the Mariposa Folk Festival. Year 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Nickname: The Flour City, The Flower City, The Worlds Image Center Motto: Rochester: Made for Living Location of Rochester in New York State Country United States State New York County Monroe Mayor Robert Duffy Area    - City 37. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... Mike Seeger Mike Seeger (b. ... The Mariposa Folk Festival was founded in Orillia, Ontario, and after being held in various places in Ontario for a few decades, has returned there. ...

Riddle died July 13, 1980 in Asheville, North Carolina. In 1993, a selection from the sessions with Mike Seeger was released by Rounder Records as Step By Step: Lesley Riddle Meets The Carter Family: Blues, Country & Sacred Songs. July 13 is the 194th day (195th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 171 days remaining. ... Asheville City Hall. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Rounder Records is a Cambridge, Massachusetts based independent record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin, and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students. ...

References

• Biography at UNCA
• Biography at the Birthplace of Country Music Alliance
• Genealogical details from RootsWeb