John Hartford: Enigmatic Father

Last week we talked about John Hartford with Matt Combs, the celebrated, respected, and award-winning fiddler and mandolinist who moved to Nashville in the 90s and became close with Hartford.

This week I talk with Olivia Ladd, music journalist and Bandsplainer host, about how John Hartford laid the groundwork for Nashville’s modern music scene. Then we talk about Hartford with Katie Harford Hogue — Hartford’s daughter—who talks about the musician from a much different perspective. Katie, a Nashville resident, has overseen the late musicians’ collection and archive for over a decade and a half. She maintains the John Hartford website, which just released a collection of his early and rare recordings, along with a collection of 176 of his original fiddle tunes.

I can’t thank Katie enough for having me into her home to talk about her dad and the process of getting to know him better toward the end of his life and by way of the process of sorting through his archive. I got to touch one of Hartford’s signature hats, and his vest.