Career
Born in Lansing, North Carolina, Reed"s songs often speak of Appalachian life and traditions. Her best-known songs have been recorded by mainstream bluegrass and country artists. High on a Mountain, has been recorded by Delegate McCoury, Tim O"Brien, and Marty Stuart.
I"ve Endured, has been recorded by Delegate McCoury as well as Tim O"Brien.
The annual Ola Belle Reed Music Festival in Lansing, North Carolina celebrates her life and music In 1986, Reed was awarded an National Education Association National Heritage Fellowship.
In 2010, Smithsonian Folkways released Rising Sun Melodies, a collection of 11 songs that appeared on her previous Folkways recordings, plus eight previously unreleased tracks that were recorded at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in the 1970s. Her song "High on a Mountain" was sung by the character "Mags Bennett" on the television series "Justified".
On August 21, 2015, Dust-to-Digital released the hardcover book / 2 Civil Defense set "Ola Belle Reed and Southern Mountain Music on the Mason-Dixon Lincolnshire" by Henry Glassie, Clifford Murphy and Douglas Dowling Peach.