Benton Flippen Ralph Epperson Verlen Clifton Clyde Johnson

Benton Flippen
Born July 18, 1920
James Benton Flippen was born on July 18, 1920, in northern
Surry County. In addition to his family, Benton’s primary musical
influence was Esker Hutchens. Benton plays the banjo in a twofinger picking style, and plays the fiddle in a more modern longbow style. Benton is noted for having a very limber wrist that
gives him great control over the bow. Benton’s fiddling was heavily influenced by Arthur Smith, Tommy Jackson and other fiddlers
he heard broadcast over the radio.
Over his musical career Benton has composed several fiddle
tunes including “Benton’s Dream,” “Haystack Hoedown,” “Sally
in the Turnip Patch,” “Flippen’s Waltz” and “Benton’s Haystack
Blues.” After retirement, Benton continues to learn new tunes by listening to recordings. He also
has continued to enjoy playing the fiddle at fiddlers’ conventions, square dances, and at festivals
across the country. In 1990, he received the North Carolina Folk Heritage Award.
***
Ralph Epperson
April 5, 1921 – May 31, 2006
Ralph Deward Epperson was born on April 5, 1921, in “The Hollows”. Although Ralph did not play a musical instrument, he
played a tremendous role in preserving Surry County’s old-time,
bluegrass and gospel music.
After college at John Brown University in Siloam Springs,
Arkansas, and working at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., he came home to Ararat with plans to build a radio
station to reflect the values and music of the area. With the help of
his father, Harry A. Epperson, he built the first radio station in
Surry County, WPAQ. When asked why he played the mountain
music of the area, Ralph explained, “When there are 25 stations
doing the same thing up and down the dial, why should I be number 26?” On February 2, 1948,
WPAQ hit the airwaves over Surry County and came into listeners’ homes and hearts.
***
Verlen Clifton
Born February 22, 1928
Verlen Conduff Clifton was born on February 22, 1928, in Surry
County. All of Verlen’s neighbors in Round Peak played music
and he naturally learned from them. Although most well-known
for his mandolin playing, Verlen started out picking the banjo and
playing the guitar. Verlen was one of the original members of the
Camp Creek Boys and was voted to play the mandolin because the
band already had guitar and banjo players. Verlen’s distinctive
mandolin lick added a unique element to the Camp Creek Boys’
sound that other old-time bands at the time did not have.
In 1996, Verlen received the North Carolina Folk Heritage
Award. He continues to play at shows, festivals and fiddlers’ conventions. Verlen notes that he has really enjoyed his experiences
playing music.
Jimmy Vipperman
Born June 12, 1958, James Preston “Jimmy” Vipperman started
fiddling when he was eight years old and has been at it ever since.
Jimmy teaches through the Surry Arts Council’s Traditional Arts
Programs (TAPS) grant that is funded in part by the North Carolina Arts Council Folklife Division. In 2009, Jimmy, an oldtime and bluegrass musician and teacher, was presented with the
North Carolina Folklore Society’s Brown-Hudson Folklore Award
for his efforts to keep the state’s cultural traditions alive.
“The important thing is that the music survives.”
Jimmy Vipperman
The Old-Time Music Heritage Hall project was supported in
part by the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area. The views and
conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the U.S. Government. Mention of trade
names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the U.S. Government.
The Surry Arts Council remains involved in preserving and promoting
Surry County old-time music. Weekly jam sessions and the Merry-GoRound, the monthly “Voice of the Blue Ridge”, monthly dances, concerts, the annual Tommy Jarrell Festival, old-time youth competitions,
an old-time workshop at the Mount Airy Fiddlers’ Convention, and
weekly free lessons for youth are a few of the Surry Arts Council’s
ongoing programs that are keeping our Surry County music heritage
alive.
***
Clyde Johnson
January 18, 1931 – July 27, 2007
Joseph Clyde Johnson was born on January 18, 1931, and began
playing the guitar and singing when he was about twelve years old.
Clyde had the opportunity to play with nationally known musicians,
but he really got his start with Uncle Joe Johnson on the Merry-GoRound.
The Merry-Go-Round began as a live program on WPAQ in 1948
and is currently the second-longest running live radio show featuring old-time, bluegrass and gospel music in the nation. In 1963,
Clyde became the host of the Merry-Go-Round. Clyde had a gift of
talking on the air and putting people new to performing on the radio
at ease. In addition to hosting the Merry-Go-Round, Clyde also
emceed the Autumn Leaves Festival and the Mount Airy Fiddlers’ Convention.
Clyde helped make the Merry-Go-Round an enjoyable experience for all involved and ended the
program each week with this piece of advice: “Good-bye, good luck, and God bless you, and don’t
worry too awful much about nothing because everything won’t be alright nohow.” Clyde Johnson
passed away on July 27, 2007.
www.surryarts.org
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