He had been an officer in the United States Army, a veterinarian who operated a zoo for jungle animals, and a professional luthier who hand-crafted his own instruments. But by his own admission, George Orthey was not much of a musician.
“I don’t know anything about music,” Orthey once said in an interview with the Patriot-News. “I can’t play any of it. In fact, I’m very hard of hearing.”
While playing them himself was not his goal, when it came to actually crafting the instruments, particularly the autoharp, Orthey said, “that was different. For whatever reason what I made proved to be remarkable, and I really don’t take any credit myself.”
Orthey’s death earlier this week at age 87 has led to an outpouring of memories and tributes in Newport where the craftsman had established the annual Mountain Laurel Autoharp Gathering.
“Even before the public festival began, George and his wife Mary Lou hosted several gatherings on their Newport farm for owners of his Dulci-Harps,” said Kathie Hollandsworth, Festival Director, in a statement on the Mountain Laurel Autoharp Gathering website. “Then they made the decision to open their farm, and their home, to anyone who was an autoharp enthusiast. They initiated the Mountain Laurel Autoharp Gathering and the accompanying Championship in 1991. The festival was a monumental annual undertaking for them and the small group who supported their efforts in making the Gathering possible, and each year it only improved under their leadership. When they turned the Gathering over to a Board of Directors in 2001, it was a thriving, healthy enterprise that gave the Board a firm foundation to continue presenting the oldest and largest festival dedicated to the autoharp. The gratitude that MLAG collectively has for George and Mary Lou’s efforts cannot be overstated.”
But Orthey’s influence in roots, bluegrass and Americana music went far beyond the bounds of Perry County.
READ MORE: Obituary for Colonel George F. Orthey VMD Jr.
“He brought in different performers, from other countries sometimes,” said Jasmine Colbert, executive director of the Perry County Council of the Arts. “There were people who came in for events from Japan. They would stop in and say hello when they were in town.”
Musicians such as June Carter Cash, Johnny Cash, Bryan Bowers, Dog Watson, Mike Seeger, Patsy Stoneman, Bob Lewis, Little Roy Lewis, Bill Clifton and Ivan Stiles all availed themselves to instruments that Orthey made by hand. Some of them would even attend the Mountain Laurel Autoharp Gatherings.
“It was all George who brought them here,” Colbert said. “That’s how we became a hub of it, and George had a hand in it.”
One of Orthey’s goals, Colbert said, was that “he wanted the autoharp as an instrument to remain relevant.”
“If you hear bluegrass music, you hear picking and things in music recently,” she said, noting a revival in roots and American music in recent years has also seen a resurgence in instruments like the autoharp, with artists ranging from Dolly Parton to Taylor Swift. “He was excited about that. He was always trying to pass the torch to young people. That was a thing that meant a lot to him. He wanted to stay relevant, and I think that they have. ”
“He would always ask me if I flew in on my magic carpet,” Colbert added, laughing about the reference to her first name and the film “Aladdin.” “He was the only one who ever really asked me that.”
Orthey is survived by his two sons, George F. Orthey III and W. Scott Orthey, as well as their families and a total of four grandchildren; his sister Eugenia MacKellar; and his dear friend Marian Wood. A viewing for Orthey will be held at Highland Presbyterian Church, 11 Church Road, Newport, from 3-5pm on August 20. Burial will follow at Wrights Church Cemetery, Millerstown. In lieu of flowers please consider a contribution in his name to the Gary Sinise Foundation or the charity of your choice.
For more information on the Mountain Laurel Autoharp Gathering, click here.