Finley Preston - Clint Howard

"Ever since we’ve been aware of American Folk music as an art form, the name Clint Howard has been known to us as one of the most respected and influential personalities in American musical history. His groundbreaking recordings of classic American Folk repertoire have been cornerstones for countless musicians and audiences throughout the world. It is our humble belief that Clint Howard deserves to be recognized as one of the nation’s greatest treasures." The Krüger Brothers

The old time musical tradition began for Clint Howard when he was around 6, listening to his mother sing a line from a hymn or ballad. His Father bought him a guitar when he turned 11. After teaching himself to play the guitar, he spent many hours singing and picking and almost a decade later he began to perform regularly. But it was not until the early 1960’s when Howard first came to the attention of folks outside his home region of NE Tennessee.
The oft told tale of Howard, Clarence "Tom" Ashley, and Fred Price’s meeting with Ralph Rinzler at the Union Grove, NC Fiddler’s Convention in 1960 led to Howard traveling and recording with Price, Doc Watson and others, making friends and developing fans in all parts of the country.
In the 70’s he formed a band called Clint Howard, Fred Price & Sons, which became well known as a great mountain music band. They had show dates at the Smithsonian, Washington, DC, the 1982 World’s Fair in Knoxville and the National Folk Festival Wolf Trap Farm Park in Vienna, VA. They traveled with a tour that had performances in 14 different cities sponsored by The Gabier Folklore Society.
In the late 1980’s, with Fred Price’s passing, and having reared a family and having 6 grandchildren, Howard formed a new band called Clint Howard and the Blue Ridge Mountain Boys. The band featured Clarence Howard, Dan Isaacs, Doug Warden and others. During this time, he wrote several songs and recorded them.
Early in 2004 he volunteered his time and talent one hour per week for seven weeks to pass on the old time music to students at the Optional High School in Johnson County, TN. These students are ‘at risk’ young people who get little or no extra curricular classes. His love of the music is contagious and the compact disc, Passing It On, which was made from some of those classes shows how good he is at passing it on.
Fame and fortune are not the reasons Clint Howard sings and plays old time music. He has farmed his land, raised his cattle and worked as a welder and school bus driver to support his family while making albums and touring. He speaks often of his gratitude for his wife, Betty, who took care of the farm and the children while he was in California and New York with Fred Price and Doc Watson.
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