Sharyn McCrumb
An Appalachian storyteller who weaves the haunting ballads and deep history of the mountain South into bestselling novels of mystery and memory.
Born 1948 (age 78)·American writer·Birthday: February 26·Baby Boomers
Biography
Sharyn McCrumb was born in Wilmington, North Carolina, but her heart belongs to the misty peaks of the Smoky Mountains, where her ancestors have lived for generations. With degrees in communications and literature, she started writing satirical mysteries but found her true voice when she turned to the folklore of Appalachia. Her 'Ballad' novels, beginning with 'If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O,' are not conventional whodunits; they are layered tales where past and present collide, and crimes are rooted in the land's ancient grudges and songs. She treats the mountains not as a backdrop but as a living character, meticulously researching local history, genealogy, and even forensic anthropology to ground her stories. McCrumb's work challenges stereotypes, presenting Appalachia in its full complexity—a place of profound beauty, resilient people, and enduring stories. She has become a vital cultural chronicler, ensuring that the voices of the mountains are heard far beyond their hollows.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Sharyn was born in 1948, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Sharyn Was Born
The biggest hits of 1948
#1 Movie
The Red Shoes
Best Picture
Hamlet
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Sharyn's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1948Born
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1953Started school
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1961Became a teenager
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1964Could drive
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1966Could vote
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1969Turned 21
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1978Turned 30
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 40
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 50
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 60
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 70
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 78 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Her 'Ballad' novel 'The Ballad of Frankie Silver' was a New York Times Notable Book.
- Awarded the Wilma Dykeman Award for Regional Historical Literature from the East Tennessee Historical Society.
- Her NASCAR-themed novel 'St. Dale' won a Library of Virginia Award and was featured at the National NASCAR Hall of Fame.
- Inducted into the Grand Masters Hall of Fame by the Southeastern Mystery Writers of America.
Did You Know?
She is a distant relative of frontier folk hero Davy Crockett.
She once worked as a writer for the U.S. Air Force and taught journalism at the University of Virginia.
She is a competitive ballroom dancer.
Her research for 'The Ballad of Frankie Silver' involved studying 1830s court documents and visiting the site of the last hanging in Frankie's county.
“I write about the Appalachia that I know, which is not the Appalachia of the evening news.”
