The maker was my father, John Lois Maxwell. He was born in 1922 in Overton County, Tennessee near the current Standing Stone State Park. He was the oldest of 5 children. His father, great grandfather, and other relatives were also craftsman who produced interesting handmade wooden items. After high school, he moved to Nashville and had a short career as a foreman in a wing factory during World War II. He was drafted into the Navy in 1944, but never made it to battle areas before the war ended. He moved to Cookeville, TN in the late 1940's and settled there. After working a couple of sales jobs, he began to build houses as a general contractor. He built several houses in Cookeville along with his parent's home and "general" store building in Hilham, TN. He soon partnered with Bill Robinson and formed the M&R Cabinet Shop. They made custom kitchen cabinets for homes and fixtures for various businesses. John liked to make furniture from solid woods and bought out his partner. He evolved the cabinet business to Upper Cumberland Craft Center over several years, eventually no longer making kitchen cabinets. He first saw a dulcimer at the Southern Highland Guild show in Asheville NC in the mid-60's. He decided he could learn to play it and bought a kit from Homer Ledford - another famous dulcimer maker. He wanted to make his own version and created a design/shape that he believed to be unique. He made dulcimers and about 200 other craft items in his shop until his death in 1981. He had up to 10 craftspeople working in this shop during those years. He received a lot of recognition as an innovator and marketer of Tennessee crafts.