Audrey Hash Ham

Audrey Hash Ham has spent her life imbibed in music. Daughter of Albert and Ethel Hash, she learned the craft of making fiddles from her father and began her career as a luthier, making dulcimers and fiddles. She spent her early years in the Fees Branch Community of Ashe County, NC, and moved with her family to Lansing, NC and later to Mouth of Wilson, VA, near Whitetop.

She named her basement workshop in honor of her father, who spent many hours with her making instruments. After Albert's death in 1983, she continued the craft and earned recognition as a skilled instrument-maker. She organized lessons and student bands throughout the Whitetop region as well, striving to pass the tradition of instrument-making to the younger generation.

After she married, she moved back to Ashe County and continues making fiddles, adopting her father's unique carving style to her products. Archie Powers and his son Carl, longtime friends of the family who also learned the craft from Albert Hash, help her make fiddles in her shop.