Mary Jane Queen

{{Short description|American singer and banjo player (1914–2007)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2021}} '''Mary Jane Prince Queen''' (February 20, 1914 – June 29, 2007) was an American ballad singer and banjo player. She was once called a "walking archive of mountain music" for her knowledge of the traditional music of Appalachia.<ref name="digitalheritage.org">{{cite web|url=https://digitalheritage.org/2012/11/mary-jane-queen-and-the-queen-family-1999/|title=Mary Jane Queen and the Queen Family, 1999 – Digital Heritage|date=21 November 2012|publisher=|accessdate=7 July 2017}}</ref>

Queen was born in Jackson County, North Carolina, and lived in the Caney Fork area for much of her life. She was descended from some of the earliest settlers of the valley, and was of Irish extraction. Her father, Jim Prince, was a clawhammer banjo player, and she learned many songs from working with him;<ref name="blueridgeheritage.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.blueridgeheritage.com/traditional-artist-directory/mary-jane-queen|title=Mary Jane Queen – oldtime singer – oldtime banjo – Blue Ridge Mountains- – Blue Ridge National Heritage Area|website=www.blueridgeheritage.com|accessdate=7 July 2017}}</ref> Her mother, Clearsie, was an able singer, as were both grandmothers, and she had eight siblings, many of whom were also musicians.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mastersoftraditionalarts.org/artists/271|title=Mary Jane Queen |author= |date=2007 |website=Masters of Traditional Arts|access-date=January 12, 2021}}</ref> With her husband, Claude Queen, she raised eight children; after his death she began singing at local and regional festivals.<ref name="arts.gov">{{cite web|url=https://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage/mary-jane-queen|title=Mary Jane Queen: Appalachian musician |author= |date=n.d. |website=www.arts.gov |publisher=National Endowment for the Arts |access-date=January 12, 2021}}</ref> She passed on many traditions to her children,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.citizen-times.com/story/entertainment/music/2014/11/08/queen-family-continues-appalachian-music-legacy/18707407/|title=Queen family continues Appalachian music legacy|publisher=|accessdate=7 July 2017}}</ref> who have since formed a band.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blueridgeheritage.com/traditional-artist-directory/queen-family|title=The Queen Family – Oldtime musicians – Mary Jane Queen – Blue Ridge Mountains – Blue Ridge National Heritage Area|website=www.blueridgeheritage.com|accessdate=7 July 2017}}</ref> Queen was recognized with a National Heritage Fellowship in 2007,<ref name="arts.gov"/> and received the North Carolina Heritage Award in 1993.<ref name="blueridgeheritage.com"/> In 1999 she and her family were the recipients of Western Carolina University's Mountain Heritage Award.<ref name="digitalheritage.org"/> Queen worked with Maggie Greenwald on the script of the film ''Songcatcher'', and served as the inspiration for the character of Viney Butler in the film, on whose soundtrack she also appeared.<ref name="arts.gov"/> She also shared her knowledge of local traditions and history with many folklife organizations in North Carolina.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oldtimeherald.org/here+there/final-notes/mary-jane-queen.html|title=Final Notes, Mary Jane Queen|website=www.oldtimeherald.org|accessdate=7 July 2017}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Queen, Mary Jane}} Category:1914 births Category:2007 deaths Category:American banjoists Category:American folk singers Category:20th-century American singers Category:21st-century American singers Category:People from Jackson County, North Carolina Category:Singers from North Carolina Category:National Heritage Fellowship winners Category:20th-century American women singers Category:21st-century American women singers