B.F. Shelton

Benjamin Frank Shelton, b. January 1, 1902 in Clay County, KY, d. February 28, 1963 in Whitley County, KY, singer and banjoist who recorded a number of songs for Victor Records at the Bristol Sessions in Bristol, Tennessee on July 29, 1927. Shelton traveled from Corbin, Kentucky where he worked as a barber to Bristol for the sessions with gospel singer and preacher Alfred Karnes. Four of the recordings survive today, "Darling Cora", "Pretty Polly", "Oh Molly Dear" and "Cold Penitentiary Blues". He recorded again, under the name Frank Shelton, for Columbia Records at the Johnson City Sessions in Johnson City, Tennessee in October 1928, but the recordings were not issued and have not survived.

Shelton was born in Clay County, KY and died in Whitley County, KY, aged 61.

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By Steve Leggett

B.F. (Frank) Shelton is known for four sides he recorded for Victor Records at the famous Bristol Sessions in Bristol, TN, on July 29, 1927. Three tracks ("Darling Cora," "Pretty Polly," "Oh Molly Dear") featured modal banjo tunings and an eerie, archaic sound only slightly less dark and haunting than the more famous tracks made by blues banjoist Dock Boggs in the same era. A fourth track from the session, "Cold Penitentiary Blues," may have been learned by Shelton in prison. Born in 1902 in Clay County, KY, Shelton journeyed from Corbin, KY (where he made his living as a barber) to Bristol for the sessions, sang his four songs (which have influenced many subsequent banjo players, including Pete Seeger), then never recorded again. Adept at harmonica and guitar as well as banjo, Shelton died in 1963.