Ola Belle Campbell Reed (1915-2002) was an American mountain music matriarch whose music, singing and songwriting has influenced Del McCoury, Tim O'Brien, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, The Blood Oranges, Marty Stuart, Demolition String Band, Ollabelle (the band), Uncle Earl and many others who have all recorded and performed her material. Ola Belle Reed was born Ola Wave Campbell in the mountains of northwestern North Carolina. She learned to pick the banjo at an early age and began writing songs about her life in the mountains. During the Depression, she moved to Baltimore with her brother Alex, where she performed on radio stations across the state. ...show more

Ola Belle Campbell Reed (1915-2002) was an American mountain music matriarch whose music, singing and songwriting has influenced Del McCoury, Tim O'Brien, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, The Blood Oranges, Marty Stuart, Demolition String Band, Ollabelle (the band), Uncle Earl and many others who have all recorded and performed her material. Ola Belle Reed was born Ola Wave Campbell in the mountains of northwestern North Carolina. She learned to pick the banjo at an early age and began writing songs about her life in the mountains. During the Depression, she moved to Baltimore with her brother Alex, where she performed on radio stations across the state.

In 1951, together with her husband Bud and brother Alex, along with his wife Lucy, founded the popular music venue, "The New River Ranch". Ola Belle has written over two hundred songs, including, "High on a Mountain", "I've Endured", and "The Leading Role". She is the recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Award. Ola Belle Reed was recently inducted into the WAMA Hall of Fame, The Washington Area Music Awards.

This prestigious award recognizes significant career achievements by area musicians. Nominations and balloting come from the WAMA membership. Past show participants include Emmylou Harris, Joan Jett, The Clovers, Bo Diddley, Jorma Kaukonen, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Jimmy Dean. This honorable award was presented to the family of Ola Belle Reed at the 20th Annual Washington Area Music Awards in 2006. ...show less