Jilson Setters

about

Jilson Setters (born James William Day 1861 - May 6, 1942), who was also known under the monikers Blind Bill Day and the "Singin' Fiddler of Lost Hope Hollow", was an American folk singer and fiddle player. Setters was discovered by folklorist Jean Bell Thomas, who fabricated a persona for him, arranged recording sessions with RCA Records, and promoted him around the U.S. and England until the late-1930s. James William Day was born in Catlettsburg, Kentucky in 1861. Day was not born blind, but rather through inconclusive circumstances developed the impairment sometime in his early youth. He was a self-taught fiddle player who performed at town halls and dances, sometimes under the stage name "Blind Bill Day", and occasionally supported himself by begging on the streets. In 1906, Day had a procedure to remove the cataracts from his eyes, and restoring his eyesight. Though he had an adequate ability to see, Day still performed with his "Blind Bill Day" moniker. In 1926, Day was discovered by promoter and folklorist Jean Bell Thomas, who was fascinated that rural folk musicians like Day possessed traits that had been passed down from their Elizabethan English forebears relatively unaltered, especially in their renditions of folk ballads. Thomas decided to manage Day, creating and documenting a persona almost entirely fabricated from her. According to Thomas's story, Day, who changed his name to Jilson Setters per her suggestion, was blind from birth, lived in isolation in the

albums

Anthology Of American Folk Music, Vol. 2A: Social Music

Anthology of American Folk Music

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The Wild Wagoner (2020 Remaster)

American Folk Music

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Anthology of American Folk Music (Disc 2a)

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Anthology of American Folk Music Volume 2 Disc 1 Social Music

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Anthology Of American Folk Music, Vol. 2: Social Music

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Anthology Of American Folk Music, Volume 2: Social Music

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My Rough And Rowdy Ways: Early American Rural Music. Badman Balads And Hellraising Songs, Vol. 1

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Anthology of American Folk Music, Vol. 1-3 Disc 3

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Anthology of American Folk Music, Vol. 1-3 (3 of 6)

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American Folk Music CD 2A - Social Music