Audrey Hash Ham

Audrey grew up in Whitetop, Virginia where she first learned to make dulcimers, then fiddles, from Albert Hash, her father. Albert was a machinist and musician who was very influential on instrument builders and fiddlers in the region. Audrey followed her father around from the time she was about three years old watching the way he worked. She made her first dulcimer in 1966 or 1967, and continued making them for years beside her father as he worked on fiddles.

Eventually, with the guidance of her father, she decided to try making a fiddle. When the instrument was finished, she was sure it wouldn’t play, but her father pulled the bow across the strings, and it did play. She gave that fiddle to her father for his birthday, and he said he would rather have that instrument than a new Cadillac.

Since then, Audrey has continued making fiddles, and she has made more than 1,000 dulcimers and some other string instruments. She has worked with Archie Powers, who also apprenticed under Albert Hash, and has helped a number of people get started making instruments, including Archie’s son Carl. Audrey has made fiddles that have sold for as much as $13,000, and she was once featured on Country Music Television, but she has also been very generous with her craft helping musicians in need get their hands on an instrument.

Audrey enjoys singing folk songs around the house, and she and her daughter harmonize well with each other. With her shop right beside her house, she spends at least a little bit of each day working on making instruments. She particularly enjoys carving figures in the peghead of her fiddles. Audrey has lived in Ashe County, NC for about 15 years. She welcomes visitors interested in her fiddles, and she tells great stories with a wonderful sense of humor.

Audrey Hash Ham
1976 Bear Wallow Rd.
Lansing, NC 28643
336-384-4198