Benton Flippen

Who was Benton Flippen?

James Benton Flippen was an old-time fiddler from Mount Airy, North Carolina. He was one of the last surviving members of a generation of performers born in the early 20th century playing in the Round Peak style centering on Surry County, North Carolina. His contemporaries included Tommy Jarrell, Fred Cockerham, Kyle Creed, and Earnest East.

Flippen learned to play old-time music early in life from his father, uncles, and brothers. He has composed several original tunes and performed with the Camp Creek Boys. Of late he had been performing with Benton Flippen and the Smokey Valley Boys.

Flippen was a recipient of the 1990 North Carolina Folk Heritage Award.