Etta Baker was an important Appalachian blues guitarist. Born in North Carolina’s Piedmont in 1913, she spent her adult life in the mountain town of Morganton. Her mixed African-American, Irish, and Native American heritage gave her important insights into many different musical styles.

Her recording of the traditional tune “One-Dime Blues” was an important influence on the folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s. It won her increasing attention as a repository of a mountain blues tradition that was disappearing.

Most of her music was unreleased until 1991, when her first full album appeared. In 2004 she released another album , this one with the renowned blues musician Taj Mahal. She was recognized as a national cultural treasure when she was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship.

Digital Heritage Moments are produced at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.