Virginia Film Festival

Considered an icon of English traditional song, Shirley Collins gained national recognition during the epicenter of the folk music revival in the 1960s and 1970s. Accompanied by a soundtrack of ancestral melodies that offer a lyrical response to the life of the acclaimed musician, The Ballad of Shirley Collins provides an in-depth account of Shirley’s unexpectedly interrupted career resulting from her battle with dysphonia, a vocal cord disorder. Filmmakers Rob Curry and Tim Plester track Shirley’s 1959 song-collecting road trip across America’s rural Deep South, incorporating both authentic archival audio and intimate recording sessions of Shirley’s latest album after nearly four decades. Discussion with directors Rob Curry and Tim Plester. Live musical performance by Ned Oldham and Jordan Perry

Supported by The Front Porch and WTJU 91.1 FM