Gregg Kimball: "Searching for Jimmy Strother"

The incredible true story of a blind musician, a brutal crime, and the making of an American folk legend

In June 1936 James Lee Strother performed thirteen songs at the Virginia State Pr*son Farm for famed folklorist John Lomax and the Library of Congress. Rooted in the rich soil of the Piedmont region, Strother’s repertoire epitomized the Black songsters who defy easy classification. Blinded in a steel mill explosion, which only intensified his drive to connect to the world through song, Strother drew on old spirituals and country breakdowns as readily as he explored emerging genres like blues and ragtime. Biographer Gregg Kimball revives this elusive but singular talent and the creative and historical worlds in which his dramatic life unfolded.

Myths surround Strother but, as Kimball reveals, the facts of Strother’s life are just as compelling as the fanciful embellishments proffered by early folklorists. Musician, murderer, and beloved family member—Strother somehow played each of these roles, and more. And while the songster’s comedic ditties, spirituals, and blues tunes reached a wide range of listeners (and were later covered by musicians like Pete Seeger and Jefferson Airplane), they carried a dark undercurrent that spoke directly to the experiences of Black Americans: sundown towns, Jim Crow segregation, and labor exploitation. As Kimball shows, Strother’s powerful songs and remarkable, tumultuous life continue to influence and remain deeply relevant to American culture to this day.

Gregg Kimball will be joined in conversation by author Kristina Gaddy.

About the Author:

Gregg Kimball is the Senior Consulting Historian for the Shockoe Institute, a national organization based in Richmond, Virginia, dedicated to examining the enduring effects of slavery on American life. He was formerly the Director of Outreach and Public Services at the Library of Virginia. He holds a Ph.D. degree in American history from the University of Virginia and a M.L.S. degree from the University of Maryland. He is the author of numerous articles, essays, reviews, and the book American City, Southern Place: A Cultural History of Antebellum Richmond. He served as the chief historian during restoration and interpretation of Richmond’s Tredegar Iron Works, a National Historic Landmark. Gregg has served in numerous civic roles, most notably as co-chair of Richmond's Monument Avenue Commission (2017-2018), as a member of the Virginia Indian Advisory Board (2017-2023), and as a member of the Richmond Folk Festival program committee (2005 to present). He has performed traditional music in the mid-Atlantic region for more than twenty-five years and presents artists at a variety of festivals including the National Folk Festival and the Lowell Folk Festival.

Kristina Gaddy is the author of Well of Souls: Uncovering the Banjo's Hidden History and Flowers in the Gutter: The True Story of the Edelweiss Pirates, Teenagers Who Resisted the Nazis. Her writing has appeared in several publications including The Washington Post and The Baltimore Sun.

About the Program:

• Doors will open to registered attendees at 6 pm.
• A local bookseller will be on-site and have books available for purchase.
• Free parking vouchers are available to program attendees who park at the Franklin Street Garage (15 W. Franklin Street) after 4pm. Ask Pratt event staff for your parking voucher prior to or after the program.
• There is no registration required for virtual attendance, simply visit the Enoch Pratt Free Library's Facebook or Youtube page.

Host or Publisher Enoch Pratt Free Library