Born on November 12, 1935, in Rugby, Virginia, Thornton Lee Spencer grew up surrounded by traditional music. His father, Orie, played the fiddle, but his primary influence was his brother-in-law, Albert Hash. He played guitar to back-up Albert and one day expressed interest in a fiddle on the wall. Albert had a trip planned and told Thornton if he could learn “Chicken Reel” and “Ragtime Annie” by the time he returned from the trip, he would give the fiddle to Thornton. Albert showed him the tunes and Thornton had them down by the time Albert returned from the trip.

Some of Thornton’s other local fiddle influences were Corbit Stamper of Whitetop, VA, Muncey Gaultney of Ashe County, NC, and Otis Burris of Galax, VA. He was also a fan of the recordings of G.B. Grayson, Fiddlin’ Arthur Smith, and Clayton McMichen.

In his early years of playing music, he often played with guitarist Ted Trivett and also joined up with a group of local friends from the Cabin Creek area of Whitetop to form a band called the Virginia Mountain Boys. He was drafted in the 1950s and spent time in Fort Benning (GA), Fort Sam Houston (TX), West Point (NY), and Reykjavik (Iceland), where he took his fiddle along and often played.

Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, he played with several different bands including The Blue Ridge Mountain Boys with Leon Hill (Fries, VA), Junior Frank, and Frank Aldridge, and The Spring Valley Boys with Sonny Funk (Fries, VA) on banjo and Dale Poe (Independence, VA) on guitar. He later played for a period with the New River Ramblers of Independence, VA.

In 1975, he first met Emily Paxton at the Speedwell Fiddler’s Convention. Soon after, they both were invited to a party in Grayson County at the home of old-time banjo player Stuart Carico and started dating. They were married in 1976 and played often in a band with Flurry Dowe, Leon Hill, and Kenneth Blevins (Whitetop, VA).

The Whitetop Mountain Band name was originally used by Albert Hash in the 1940s, and was reformed in 1976 with Albert joining with Thornton, Emily, and Flurry Dowe. By 1977, Tom and Becky Barr had also joined the band. In the early 1980s, Flurry Dowe would leave the band and Emily would take over banjo duties. Fred Taylor of West Jefferson, NC joined as an additional guitar player. Albert Hash would pass away in 1983.

After Albert's passing, Thornton and Emily continued the band with various members. Johnny and Nancy Gentry were long-term members who made several recordings with the band from the 1990s until the 2000s. After they left the band, Spencer Pennington, Martha Spencer, Ersel Fletcher and Debbie Bramer eventually joined the group. In the 2000s, the Whitetop Mountain Band embarked on a nation-wide tour of the United States as part of the Crooked Road tourism initiative. They also toured the United Kingdom multiple times.

In addition to playing music, Thornton also taught fiddle and guitar at Wilkes Community College, Mount Rogers Combined School, and the Crouse House in Alleghany County. He enjoyed passing on the tunes and stories that had been taught to him throughout his life.

Visit www.whitetopmountainband.com.
Production by Kilby Spencer, design by Wes Freeman.
All photos by Mark V. Sanderford except for front cover photo and army days photo. Special thanks to John Schwab, Virginia Folklife, and Never Met a Stranger studios.