Life of Ozarks' folk song collector chronicled in book, 'Ballad Hunting with Max Hunter'

Sarah Jane Nelson had never been to the Ozarks when she first heard about Max Hunter, a traveling salesman who spent 20 years collecting folk songs and stories throughout the Ozarks. At the time, Nelson was looking for a handful of songs to cover at an upcoming music gig on the East Coast, and a close friend recommended she explore Hunter's collection for inspiration.

Now, Nelson is preparing for the release of her 274-page biography about Hunter, "Ballad Hunting with Max Hunter: Stories of an Ozark Folksong Collector." The biography chronicles Hunter's life from birth in North Springfield to the lasting effects of his work in the Ozarks. It is available Tuesday, Jan. 24.

Nelson, a New Jersey native, recalls her introduction to Hunter's collection well. Up late at night when her friend made the recommendation, Nelson spent hours, until the early morning, listening to the Max Hunter Folk Song Collection, available for free on the Missouri State University website. The collection features over 1,600 folk songs Hunter collected between 1956 and 1976 throughout Missouri and northern Arkansas.

"I just started listening to a few of the songs and singers and just spent hours — not going to sleep that night — and falling in love with the variety of both the voices and songs," Nelson said. "I barely scratched the surface because it's so extensive."

A published music author, with works featured in "The Old-Time Herald," "OzarksWatch Magazine" and "Fiddler Magazine," Nelson initially thought about writing a feature article on Hunter. But it didn't take her long to realize that not only was Hunter's collection extensive, his life story was, too.

One of the most difficult parts of the book's research process was determining where Hunter's materials were located, including his original tapes and interviews that were later conducted with Hunter about his work, Nelson said.

"I found that things were scattered a lot, and it made it, at least early on, quite a challenge about what is where," Nelson said. "It's hard to know what you want when you don't know if it even exists. I began to follow bread crumbs all over."

Nelson said she utilized the Max Hunter Folk Song Collection (a collaborative project between Missouri State and the Springfield-Greene County Library District), University of Arkansas' Ozark Folksong Collection and The State Historical Society of Missouri's Max. F Hunter Collection in Columbia for research. Another one of Nelson's key sources was Hunter's eldest daughter, Linda Bangs.

Who is Max Hunter?

Hunter is a well-renowned folklorist who, for 20 years, traveled a 150-mile circuit through Missouri and Arkansas collecting songs, ballads and stories from the locals he met.

For reference, while some ballads may contain music, not all do. Rather, ballads are considered narrative verses that can be either poetic or musical.

Hunter was born in Springfield on July 2, 1921 in a house on West Division Street. At the time unpaved, Division Street served as the divider between the formerly recognized towns North Springfield and Springfield.

In his mid-30s, Hunter began working as a traveling salesman for the John Rhodes Refrigeration Supply Company. It was while traveling for this job he began collecting.

Hunter did not have a formal education and he didn't collect material for an academic purpose like many popular folklorists of the time, including Vance Randolph and Mary Parler. Many folklorists worked for institutions, like universities, for which they collected. Although Hunter would befriend and work alongside academic-based collectors like Randolph and Parler, his methodology was different.

The first songs Hunter collected were recorded on a wire recorder (the first type of recording technology) he received from his father-in-law. The recorder did not have much storage and would end up proving unreliable, so he later upgraded to a Webcor reel-to-reel, which he described as a "big old monster of a thing."

"Why I started collecting old songs, as a hobby, I don't rightly know and I don't think I am too interested in trying to find out," Hunter said (a quote featured in Nelson's book). "I just did."

According to Nelson's writing, on his 150-mile circuit route, Hunter typically traveled south of Springfield through Arkansas towns like Bentonville, Fayetteville, Eureka Springs and Mountain Home before heading northwest, hitting Marionville and Joplin. Sometimes he went as far west as Wichita, Kansas before going north to Webb City and Lamar. He'd then return home.

Because his route remained the same over the years, Hunter was able to establish close bonds with the folks he met and collected material from. Unlike many of his academic counterparts, if Hunter was unable to gain the trust of someone to record on his first visit, he'd be back around again. Usually, folks who were initially reluctant would be more willing to share the second time around.

Hunter was known for helping the locals he met with chores around their house or farm, especially if it meant he could record them singing when they were done. In one part of the book, Nelson recounts Hunter's friendship with Fred High, a fellow song collector and life-long postman in Carroll County, Arkansas.

In the summer of 1959, Hunter drove up to find High outside his home with a lace curtain over his head.

"I couldn't tell what Fred was trying to do," Hunter said (a quote featured in Nelson's book). "I didn't think he was going to a costume party ... What Fred was getting ready to do was to clean the wasps' nests out of his well house, and Fred wanted to know if I would help him."

Hunter did. High fixed him up with his own lace curtain, which he instructed Hunter to tuck into his pants, to protect him from the wasps, and the two got to work. Over the years, Hunter collected a total of 13 songs from High.

Today, Hunter's work is not only preserved by local and regional institutions, his story and collection are a part of The Library of Congress' "Local Legacies: Celebrating Community Roots" archive.

Hunter died at the age of 78 on Nov. 6, 1999.

Where to buy 'Ballad Hunting with Max Hunter'

Until its release on Tuesday, Jan. 24, Nelson's book can be pre-ordered online at:

• Barnes & Noble at bit.ly/3WlmV9b
• Amazon at amzn.to/3QMxp08
• University of Illinois Press at bit.ly/3XFLYoj

Nelson is visiting the Springfield-Greene County Library Center on Thursday, April 30 at 7 p.m. to discuss her book. She will be accompanied by musician Julie Hennigan and artist Judy Domeny Bowen, both who sang for Hunter when he was actively collecting.

Access the full Max Hunter Fox Song Collection online at maxhunter.missouristate.edu/. The collection is searchable by song title, singer and catalogue number.