OzarksWatch Magazine has reviewed Queen of the Hillbillies: Writings of May Kennedy McCord, edited by Patti McCord and Kristene Sutliff.
“Ultimately, this book is a great addition to anyone’s library—you don’t have to be an academic to enjoy McCord’s pearls of wisdom, while scholars will be intrigued by how she rhetorically constructs the Ozarks through an intertextual network. Creative, insightful, and downright sociable, May Kennedy McCord’s writing is a testament to her deep love for and personal connection to her beloved region, and this collection seems to do the Queen justice.”
—OzarksWatch, Fall/Winter 2022-23
May Kennedy McCord, lovingly nicknamed “First Lady of the Ozarks” and “Queen of the Hillbillies,” spent half a century sharing the history, songs, and stories of her native Ozarks through newspaper columns, radio programs, and music festivals. Though her work made her one of the twentieth century’s preeminent folklorists, McCord was first and foremost an entertainer—at one time nearly as renowned as the hills she loved.
Despite the encouragement of her contemporaries, McCord never published a collection of her work. In 1956, Vance Randolph wrote to her, “If you didn’t have such a mental block against writing books, I could show you how to make a book out of extracts from your columns. It would be very little work, and sell like hotcakes. . . . I could write a solemn little introduction, telling the citizens what a fine gal you are! The hell of it is, most of the readers know all about you.” In Queen of the Hillbillies, editors Patti McCord and Kristene Sutliff at last bring together the best of McCord’s published and previously unpublished writings to share her knowledge, humor, and inimitable spirit with a new generation of readers.
OzarksWatch Magazine is the last remaining published print periodical that focuses on the history and culture of the Ozarks. As costs have risen and most publications have consolidated or switched to online publishing, Missouri State University takes pride in its role to save the history of our area by publishing OzarksWatch Magazine for over thirty years.