Roscoe Holcomb, born Roscoe Halcomb on September 5, 1912 in Daisy, Kentucky, was an American singer, banjo player, and guitarist. Before his music career, he worked as a coal miner, construction laborer, and farmer. Holcomb's debut album The Music of Roscoe Holcomb & Wade Ward was released in 1962 on Folkways Records. He followed this with The High Lonesome Sound (1965) and Close to Home (1975), also on Folkways Records. His repertoire included old-time music, hymns, traditional music, and blues ballads. Holcomb's distinctive nasal singing style was influenced by the Old Regular Baptist vocal tradition. He gave his last live performance in 1978. Holcomb passed away on February 1, 1981. Posthumously, several compilations were released including The High Lonesome Sound (1998) and An Untamed Sense of Control (2003).
