This Mercer County native was an important old-time and bluegrass musician who helped keep traditional West Virginia music alive and inspired many women musicians.

As a teenager, she moved to Baltimore, where she shared Appalachian music and began recording albums. Many of her songs were about life in West Virginia and the struggles of coal miners and working people. Dickens wrote music for films and earned major recognitions for her work, including a National Heritage Fellowship. She was inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame for her lasting impact on American folk music.