Biography
Born into a farming community abundant with traditional sounds, George Franklin Pegram spent his formative years in Guilford County. During adolescence he bought his first Silvertone banjo for $15 and encountered local promoter Zack Whitaker, whose fiddlers' conventions and showcases were active throughout Pegram's youth. His uncle Clyde Pegram further guided him as he honed the "double-thumbing" banjo technique, a three-finger single-note approach. At age 26 he married Dorothy Louise Dick in Guilford County and afterward settled in Statesville. While serving in the navy during the Second World War he lost an eye in the Pearl Harbor attack. After holding assorted positions in sawmills and furniture factories, he met Bascom Lamar Lunsford, the organizer of folk and "mountain" dance festivals. To supply performers for North Carolina folk events, Lunsford recruited Pegram and documented some of his material. Throughout the '50s he appeared with Clegg Garner, Okie Mountain Boys, and Corbett Bennett & His Mountain Dudes. In 1955 he performed alongside Walter "Red" Parhorn, sustaining an active schedule of touring and shows. Kenneth Goldstein captured the duo for Riverside Records in 1957. Recognized for his dynamic and exciting live show, Pegram collected multiple annual prizes at the Galax Fiddlers' Convention, among them the Outstanding Individual Performer award in both 1966 and 1969. His self-titled debut album appeared in 1970, becoming the first release on Boston-based Rounder Records. He continued performing until 1974, when the Asheville Folk Festival marked his final appearance. Bone cancer took his life in September 1974. Rounder Records marked its silver anniversary in 1995 by reissuing the album with six additional tracks.
Albums
