The Wallins & Chandlers– The “Royal” Families
Cecil Sharp collected music from many families in Madison County in 1916, but two of those—the Wallin family—namely Mitchell Wallin and his half-sister Mary Bullman Sands – and the Chandler family – namely Lloyd Chandler – began a long line of musical talent in Madison County.
They lived a simple life, tucked away in an area known to the locals as Sodom Laurel singing their ballads to relieve the burdens of the day. Gathering on porches at the end of the day with relatives and neighbors, playing the fiddle and other instruments was the heart of their social life. And, in that process, the music lived on. The two premiere families joined together when Mitchell Wallin’s nephew, Lee, married Berzilla Chandler. The legacy would continue with their children (especially Doug and Jack) and reach beyond to cousins and neighbors.
