User:Crtew/Lotus Dickey

Lotus Dickey (1911-1989) was an old-time musician from Orange County, Indiana who played fiddle and guitar and wrote songs, including "Indiana, My Home Sweet Home."

Lotus Dickey was born in Darke County, Ohio, until his parents moved to Orange County, Indiana, shortly before World War I. His father Marion Dickey named his son Lotus after he had been inspired by the Bhagavad Gita. Lotus Dickey himself was the father of eight children.

Dickey began performing in bands while in high school. After graduation in 1929, Dickey worked the family farm, and also in factories and construction. Although Dickey began writing songs in the 1930s, he wasn't widely recognized for his songs until appearing in a film called "Water From Another Time" while in retirement. Dickey was one of three senior citizens who appeared in the film, which was made by Richard Kane and Dillon Bustin, about the ways in which the older generation around Orange County expressed themselves through arts and crafts. Thereafter, he launched a late musical career, whereby he attended folk festivals and published his songs.

After his death, the city of Bloomington, Indiana, launched an annual festival and honored Dickey by naming it the "Lotus Dickey World Music & Art Festival," which has been held since 1994.

The musician Grey Larsen edited a songbook that compiled Lotus Dickey's music.


 * NPR
 * Lotus Dickey Music
 * WBIW
 * IDSNews
 * The Lotus Dickey Songbook