Jamming with Jessie Burdette — What the FOLK is Up
Jessie Burdette is a fiddler and banjoist from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She is currently a Freshman at Williams College in Massachusetts. Burdette and her two sisters— Fiona and Ellie— make up The Dan River Girls, a contemporary bluegrass and old-time folk band.
Burdette recounts her first introduction to folk music; “[My sisters and I] are from North Carolina, so our parents thought it might be cool to learn some of the local music. We had a bunch of folk musicians in the area, so why not take advantage of that? We started playing some bluegrass, old-time [...] and some Celtic music as well, which also has a strong influence on the music of North Carolina.” After becoming proficient in the fiddle, double bass, and mandolin, the sisters spent their childhood gigging, happily playing to eager audiences all over North Carolina.
As Burdette alludes to, the folk music scene is omnipresent in North Carolina, with the traditional music of the Appalachian mountains permeating through the sounds of contemporary music. Since the folk scene surrounding Winston-Salem is largely dominated by older, White men, Burdette has had to “[get] over the fear of going up to a circle of old White men that are playing in a jam circle” and asking to join in. She has gotten over the fear of being underestimated, and proudly claims her spot in the community—though, remembering the immense influence women had over the genre has definitely helped Burdette summon the courage to assert herself in the aforementioned situations.
This courage to make and take up space presents itself in many ways; Burdette is only one of the many talented women of folk who have used their music as a vessel to speak out on matters that they are passionate about. While much credit for catalyzing social change goes to legendary folk-lyricists such as Bob Dylan, women in the genre have spearheaded movement after movement with the messages purveyed through their music—and received very little credit for it. Burdette argues that social messages are only a natural product of the genre, after all, “that's where the music originated,” she asserts.
Inspired by an abundance of musicians who came before them, the Burdette sisters wrote an original piece entitled “Okefenokee” for a documentary produced in 2021 by the Okefenokee Protection Alliance (OPA). Their track underscores protests against mining in the largest blackwater wetland in North America: the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia. The sisters played for change, providing an invigorating melody to stir action against the destruction of the precious 440,000-acre ecosystem.
The struggle over the Okefenokee is not over; as of April 2022, the OPA announced on their website that “the changes to the Clean Water Act that allowed Twin Pines Minerals to bypass federal review were recently vacated in federal court.” The sisters take pride in their contribution to the environmental preservation efforts, knowing that thanks to their help, there is still a chance for mining in the Okefenokee to be prevented.
More than anything, Burdette asserts that folk music has served to unite the people under one cause: making music. Who you are is no longer relevant when you are playing in a jam circle; the only thing that matters is the music. People of all different backgrounds can simply come together to make beautiful art and have a good time. She remarks that there’s something almost magical about being a folk musician, “You can be playing music in a circle with people who have completely different political beliefs than you, and you realize that we're all humans, we can play music together.” People can put their differences aside and immerse themselves in the collaborative effort of making music.
Spending the majority of her life immersed in the folk scene has given Burdette a welcoming community to return to whenever she needs it. And while she does not currently plan on pursuing music as a full-time career, it will always be there for her to fall back on in times of need.
Check out Jessie Burdette’s Contemporary Bluegrass/Folk Group The Dan River Girls Here:
Thanks for reading this week’s edition of “What the FOLK is up?”, a series that recognizes and explores women’s contributions to folk music! Tune in next week for another interview. See you then!