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Thomas Maupin and the Fest
Thomas Maupin (1938- ) was raised in a farming family in Eagleville, Tennessee known for dancers, in a time when community square dances were still common. As an exceptional dancer from an early age, Thomas and other children were often asked by older residents and visitors to "dance me a jig" on the street or sidewalk. Thomas had a special love for the rhythmic flat-foot steps that accompany the social group figures of square dancing. It was not until middle age that Thomas gained notoriety for his buckdancing talent and innovations, when he began entering dance competitions at traditional music events, beginning in the 1970s.
Over the next 30-plus years, he won over 60 championships throughout Tennessee and the South. In 2011, Thomas received the Tennessee Folklife Heritage Award, followed in 2017 by the National Heritage Fellowship given by the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, DC.
More recently, Thomas has been less concerned with titles than with inspiring more appreciation for his dance heritage through exhibition performances, workshops, and teaching, often in the company of his grandson Daniel Rothwell, who’s developed into an accomplished old-time banjo player.
- courtesy of Tennessee Arts Commission
MAUPINFEST
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In late 2018, Dr. Bradley Hanson, Director of Folklife with the Tennessee Arts Commission, approached members of the old-time string band, Uncle Shuffelo and His Haint Hollow Hootenanny, about the possibility of producing an event in honor of Mr. Thomas Maupin.
After consideration, the Hootenanny agreed to fully commit to organizing and hosting the festival on the Keith and Jean Williams Rutherford County farm. Keith Williams began the process of establishing the state nonprofit organization, Tennessee Old Time Music and Dance Association (TOTMADA). With the Hootenanny's experience at various festivals and broad personal skill sets, they proceeded to divide and conquer the task.
Each year visitors from multiple states and even foreign countries assemble for a day of fun celebrating old-time music and dance. It is an opportunity for people to experience American heritage and culture while gleaning from the past and unifying us in the present and future.
Good times with Old Time Music at Maupinfest
Keith Williams
Along with hosting Maupinfest on their 100-plus years old family farm, Keith and Emma Jean Williams are also part of a featured fest favorite - old-time music band, Uncle Shuffelo and His Haint
Hollow Hootenanny.
The band itself is a family affair, with Keith and Emma Jean joined by two daughters, a son-in-law, a fellow father-in-law, and his two sons.
Emma Jean Williams
