Harold Wayne Turner was honored for his work as a stringed instrument maker, a talent passed down through generations of his family.
He, along with Freddie Vanderford of Buffalo, was recognized last Thursday during a special presentation at the statehouse, and a reception was held in the award winners’ honor the night before at the McKissick Museum at the University of South Carolina.
The award is given by the museum, in partnership with the S.C. Arts Commission, and is named after the late Jean Laney Harris, an ardent supporter of the state’s cultural heritage.
The legislature created the award in 1987 to recognize lifetime achievement in the folk arts.
Turner made his first instrument in 1969, and over the years he’s made violins, dulcimers guitars, mandolins and an occasionally guitars.
The Turner family has a long tradition of woodworking, and in 2000, four generations of their work was showcased at the Pickens County Museum, including the work of Turner; his late father, James Turner, who recorded the history of the area through wood carvings; his grandfather William Turner, who made violins in the early 1900s; and his daughter, Sandy Turner whom many hope will carry on the family torch.
Turner is known for a creative style of instrument making that incorporates recycled and natural materials for inlays, including mussel shells, grits and muskadine vines, just to name a few.
“Turner’s artistic innovation reflects a childhood in the Pickens Mill Village where many learned to make what they needed or wanted from materials in the surrounding environment,” the reception program states.
A 1968 Pickens High graduate, Turner is a respected contributor to craft publications and a regular attendee of luthiers’ conventions. He also shares his knowledge with others, promoting the preservation of his art at through programs at schools and demonstrations at historic sites like Hagood Mill in Pickens.
Vanderford, the second recipient of the Folk Heritage Award this year, was honored for his harmonica playing.
He first learned to play from his grandfather, who played “old mountain songs,” and he was later taken under the wing of Peg leg Sam, a master of Piedmont blues.
Today, Vanderford is considered on of the closest links to one of the early masters of a unique musical tradition, and he can be seen entertaining audiences at various venues, including Hagood Mill.
He also has a willingness to pass along the tradition, making radio appearances, guest lectures, participating in workshops and serving as a mentor to aspiring musicians in an effort to ensure that Piedmont blues music continues to thrive.
Vanderford, a pattern common to any folk tradition, combines his traditional blues roots with his own variations and new material.
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