Michael and Carrie Kline are
folklorists, singers, and audio producers who
met through a mutual love for the spoken word and song.
These soulful singers are preoccupied with West
Virginia songs, from the ancient ballads of the Hammons Family in the central
highlands to mining laments and songs of resistance in the coal fields. As two
people absorbed in the study of oral tradition, they often visit old-time
singers and tellers living throughout the Appalachian region. They weave their
tight high mountain harmonies into love ballads and country duets, especially
the poignant imagery of Kate Wolf and Laurie Lewis.
The Klines present their
music, both as entertainment and social history, with engaging ease and
hard-hitting passion. Their style is an amalgamation of primary musical and
oral sources representative of places like the Appalachian coal fields and
industrial cities of the Mid-West.
Singing to audiences of all
ages, the Klines perform in a variety of situations, from classrooms to
prisons, from coffee houses and concert halls to porches and picket
lines. They have released their first recording of their music, Eyes of a
Painter.
Their production company, Talking Across the Lines: Worldwide Conversations, has
documented both individual narratives and the interwoven expression of entire
communities.