"Bascom Lamar Lunsford (1882-1973), "The Minstrel of the Appalachians" was a banjo player, fiddler, country lawyer, and an avid collector of Appalachian folk songs. Lunsford traveled extensively around the area collecting and memorizing songs from his neighbors. Ever the Southern gentleman, Lunsford's father fought on the Confederate side during the Civil War. Lunsford was from South Turkey Creek near Leicester, North Carolina and in 1928 founded the Mountain Dance and Folk Song Festival in Asheville. It was a festival he was involved in for his entire life.
"Lunsford was also the composer of a number of songs, the most famous of which was the song "Old Mountain Dew." He had an incredible memory for songs and frequently recorded them for others. In 1949, he recorded his "Memory Collection" for the Library of Congress. Before each song he enthusiastically told the history of the song, the identity and frequently the address of the individual he collected it from. He recorded 350 songs for the library, but if this sounds extreme it should be pointed that twice before he had recorded over 300 songs for other collectors. His first recordings were on wax cylinders in 1922 and 1925. Lunsford lived to the ripe old age of 91 and could always be found at his festival each year until his death.
"Lunsford claims to have first heard "Dry Bones" from a travelling black preacher named Romney who came through his area (from the intro to his Library of Congress recording)." (Supplemental Notes to "DRY BONES" by Bascom Lamar Lunsford)

~Masato