Vester Jones was born just before the industrial revolution came to Appalachia.  He was born in a log cabin up on Buck Mountain, in the Bridle Creek area Grayson County.  Learning to play and sing the local repertoire at a very early age from his own family and his talented neighbors like the legendary Ward family, Vester was an accomplished musician by the time he left home at the age of 13, to find work in Tennessee in the railroad camps. In the early 1900’s work on the railroad insured a young worker that he or she would be exposed to people from all around, and for a young musician, it was the perfect place for Vester to learn a variety of tunes from a diverse group of workers.

            During this time, Vester developed both his deep, resonant singing voice and his distinct banjo playing together, becoming somewhat of a banjo troubadour.  He could play and sing the old favorites he remembered from Grayson County and was in demand around the night time railroad campfires.  After a few years, like many born on the Blue Ridge, he became homesick for the mountains and returned to Fries, the home of a burgeoning textile mile and also the home of many musicians including singing Henry Whitter.

            Finding his home region transformed by industrialization, Vester became a weaver at the textile mill and settled into a lifestyle filled with work and weekend music.  In 1920, he married Ruby Lee Underwood, and the two hosted frequent music parties after his shift at the mill.  Local musicians joined in as he performed a host of songs from his childhood including “Cluck Old Hen (a modal tune),” “Old Ruby,” “Old Jimmy Sutton,” and a host of other Grayson County tunes.

            True to his Grayson County upbringing, Vester’s banjo playing including a low string presence in “C” tuning that matched his bass vocals. He also utilized a number of slides, moving his left hand up the neck while maintaining a constant drive with his right hand.  He could be and often was a one man show, where the banjo “sang” the melody right along with his voice.

            Around 1958, a biologist turned folk collector by the name of Eric Davidson left Washington, DC to travel to Grayson County to record banjo music.  Accompanied by his collogues from the Smithsonian, Paul Newman, Caleb Finch, and Jane Rig, Eric recorded 73 open reel tapes full of Southern Appalachian music of all types.  The recording team made many trips to Grayson County, documenting the areas rich musical traditions up until 1984. 

            Among his most profound recordings are the several sides he recorded of Vesta Jones.  These recordings were featured on a release by Folkways Records (FS 3811) in 1962, entitled “Traditional Music from Grayson and Carroll Counties.” Vester’s tracks make up much of the album that also features the playing of Wade Ward and Glen Smith, both clawhammer masters.

            The Folkways Smithsonian recordings of Vester became very important to the many “folkies” in the northern states wanting to learn the traditional music of the Appalachians.  Vester’s tracks, that graciously included the words to many local old time songs, became very popular to learn and soon he had visitors coming to his home to learn directly from the master.

            Vester also was a frequent participant in local festivals and contests and would often be the center of many campsite jams.  His deep playing and dynamic voice on the Smithsonian recordings represent a lost era in the music of SW Virginia, that of the banjo soloist and singer, a modality that is ripe for a comeback.