Appalachians have a long long history and tradition of mountain singers but then Appalachia is a large large area.
Alison Krauss does a haunting rendition of a true story of 2 children lost in the Allegheny Mountains. The song “Jacob’s Dream” was written to be sung in the echoing hills where the children were lost:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj1p22kW5Xs
And one of my favorite unknown but world class talents is Stacey Earle who belts out vocals with no instruments that were created from singers in the mountains of Tennessee, I saw her perform in the Tractor Tavern about 4 years ago and she is incredible. She sang one mountain song without any instruments and it resonated the whole room. Her husband Mark Stuart toured and played with Beatle George Harrison and is as fine an instrumentalist and vocalist as they come. These are people that can make the quiet airwaves of Appalachia come alive with voice alone.
http://www.reverbnation.com/staceyearleandmarkstuart
“Stacey Earle and Mark Stuart reach back and grab songs of the past, then fast forward to present and into the future. Armed with clever acoustic guitar interplay, autobiographical songwriting, lovely harmonies, and humorous storytelling this couple will captivate you from the first moment they are onstage. Stacey and Mark draw from blues, pop, country, rock, and more in their heartfelt music. The years of touring the folk/Americana circuit (playing 170 concerts a year) have given them a knack for reaching out to the audience in an intimate “come in to my living room” fashion. A perfect chance to hear them unplugged in “our little living room” in the CWB.”
Jacob’s Dream makes me cry every time I hear it. Those poor little boys all alone hoping mommy and daddy would come soon to take them home, only they never did. And the poor parents hearts must have been broken for the boys to be lost and then found dead. I hope they are all together now and forever.