Interview with Linda Jane Story Hortter, April 28, 2021

Project: Benton Big Sing Oral History Project

Interview Summary

Linda Jane Story Hortter explains that she considers western Kentucky her home despite having most of her life in Missouri and Alabama. She describes her father's career as a soybean farmer and cement finisher working on projects around St. Louis and on the Kentucky Dam. Story Hortter has been attending Big Singing since she was less than a year old, but had to stop going due to her husband's poor health. She describes the importance of students from Murray State University and other educational institutions in reviving attendance at the Big Singing during the 1970s. She reflects on the politics of leading at Big Singing, recounting that her sister (Francine Story LaRue Longcor) had asked to lead but was not allowed. Although Story Hortter's husband (Terry Hortter) was shy, he surprised her by leading a song during the 1976 bicentennial celebration. She describes enjoying picnic lunches and practice singings with the Nichols family around Big Singing time. She recounts her mother's (Maxine Nichols Story) and sister's (Ann Story Weible) experiences traveling to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival to sing "Southern Harmony." She also explains the religious history of both sides of her family and the spiritual significance that "Southern Harmony" songs have for her. Many people spent the day on the courthouse lawn, both because of the scarcity of books and because the music sounded best from there. She thinks that the singing will continue because young people today have a lot of interest in history, but is reluctant to come back to the singing herself. Given how many of her relatives in Marshall County have passed away since the last time she went, she fears that it would be a sad occasion for her.

Interview Accession

2021oh0289_bbs0009

Interviewee Name

Linda Jane Story Hortter

Interviewer Name

Erin Fulton

Interview Date

2021-04-28

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Hortter, Linda Jane Story Interview by Erin Fulton. 28 Apr. 2021. Lexington, KY: Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.

Hortter, L.J. (2021, April 28). Interview by E. Fulton. Benton Big Sing Oral History Project. Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.

Hortter, Linda Jane Story, interview by Erin Fulton. April 28, 2021, Benton Big Sing Oral History Project, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.





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Persistent Link for this Record: https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt7g2vjnxsbrr