The Living Arts Center’s East Dayton Roots

Abstract

Bluegrass thrived in 1960s and 1970s Dayton. From 1967 to 1977 the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare and Dayton Board of Education funded professional artists instructing 400 students at the Living Arts Center. In 1975 the Hotmud Family began hosting a “song swap” for old-time and bluegrass music, as well as the live Country Music Jamboree on WYSO. Kathy Anderson, Al Turnbull and Jim Johnson recalled performers such as Arnold Cox, Van Kidwell, Wendell McCoy, Harold Staggs, Dorsey Harvey, Ron Thomason, Fred Hoskins, Bob Ferguson, Howard Brown, Dan Spires, Bill Lowe, Duffee brothers, Elzie and Danny Davis, Phyllis Tipton Moyer, Bill Stockwell, Mike Lilly, J.D. Crowe, Terry Tipton, Tom Duffee, Barb Kuhns, Linda Scutt, Doug Smith, and Al Turnbull.