Bob Stone
2011 Florida Folk Heritage Award
Bob Stone has been a practicing folklorist since 1990. An engineer by training, he has worked with HistoryMiami, the Augusta Heritage Workshops, and the Florida Folklife Program. Now a self-employed folklorist, Stone began documenting Florida's traditional culture as a member of the Bureau of Florida Folklife in White Springs. Specializing in documentary photography and media production, he has contributed to numerous projects that have enhanced our understanding of the state's diverse folklife, including Florida Cattle Ranching: Five Centuries of Tradition, On My Way to Heaven, and theVoices of Florida radio series. As a researcher skilled in documenting musical traditions, he has assisted with dozens of compilations from varied cultural communities, including multiple Sacred Steel Guitar albums and Music From the Sunshine State, as well as contributing segments to National Public Radio's All Things Considered. Additionally, he has penned essays for anthologies and other publications featuring notable Floridia musicians and artists. In 2010, his extensive research on the sacred steel guitar tradition culminated in the publication of Sacred Steel: Inside an African American Steel Guitar Tradition. Stone has worked tirelessly for two decades as a passionate advocate and proponent of the folk arts in Florida, assisting numerous artists and musicians from all over the Sunshine State.
