I'm sure you are talking about Max Hunter, superb collector of traditional Ozark songs and ballads, who died of emphysema about a week ago. I recorded an album of Max back in 1963 which is now available as one of our "custom cassettes." Max lived in Springfield, Missouri, but gathered songs throughout the mountain regions of Missouri and Arkansas. He was a friend of Vance Randolph and Mary Celestia Parler, two highly regarded collectors who encouraged Max in his endeavors. Max had a wonderfully deep and resonant voice, played a very simple guitar accompaniment for his songs, and was absolutely dedicated to the tradition, determined to present the songs exactly as he found them. For instance, in one of his songs, his informant had sung about a mule the "pulls the bucket so well." Max knew this was meant to be "buggy," but when he recorded it for me, he sang it as he had collected it.

Max's entire collection, his many tapes and his carefully transcribed texts, has now been donated to the Archive of Folk Culture at the Folklife Center in Washington, DC. When I knew him, it was simply filed in a long shelf in the rec room of his suburban home. He found some great versions of our traditional ballads, and we are indebted to him for his years of dedicated work.

Sandy