Ray Hicks, the last of a long line of Appalachian story tellers has died, of prostate cancer.

Hicks could spin a yarn in the vernacular of the original Appalachian settlers, a vernacular that was heavily influenced by Elizabethan English, coming as it did from 17th century English kept alive in isolated mountain settlements:

He was adept at the "cantefable," a story form rare among white Americans in which a story teller suddenly might burst into song. He might even add a riff on his harmonica.

...He occasionally earned a little cash by telling stories to school classes. But mostly he spun tales — and cured warts — for free, believing that stories, just like the Bible, were meant for joy and teaching people how to live.

We've lost more than a little bit of history with his passing.