William August Marburg

In Loving Memory of William August Marburg - Bill Clifton

William August Marburg, known to generations of folk and bluegrass listeners as Bill Clifton, died on October 30, 2026 at the age of 95. Born on April 5, 1931, in Riderwood, Maryland, he devoted his life to ensuring that the traditional American music he loved would continue to be heard by future generations. As a musician, collector, publisher, festival organizer, and international ambassador for bluegrass, he carried the old songs to audiences across the United States and around the world.

Bill's love of traditional music began as a boy. Raised on a farm outside Baltimore, he discovered country and old-time music through radio broadcasts and worn 78-rpm records. Before long he was singing and playing guitar himself. What began as youthful fascination soon became a life's work.

While a student at the University of Virginia, Bill found others who shared his passion for traditional music. He helped form the Dixie Mountain Boys with Paul Clayton, Dave Sadler, Johnny Clark, and, for a time, the young Mike Seeger, who would later become one of America's leading traditional musicians and musicologists. Those years placed Bill at the crossroads of bluegrass, old-time country, and the emerging folk revival.

No one shaped Bill's understanding of traditional music more profoundly than A. P. Carter, who traveled the back roads of Appalachia collecting songs that might otherwise have been lost. Bill admired not only the music A. P. Carter preserved but the purpose behind it. As he later reflected, "A. P. Carter loved the music, and he wanted to make sure that the music lived on." Bill spent the rest of his life pursuing that same calling.

After graduating from the University of Virginia in 1954, Bill served in the United States Marine Corps, entering officer training at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. During his spare hours he compiled Bill Clifton 150 Old-Time Folk and Gospel Songs, introduced with a foreword by A. P. Carter and published with the support of Noah Adams of Blue Ridge Records. The songbook became a valued resource for bluegrass musicians and later formed part of the preservation legacy recognized by his induction into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.

Bill recorded extensively while continuing to preserve and promote the traditions he cherished. In 1961 he organized the landmark bluegrass festival at Oak Leaf Park in Luray, Virginia, recognized as one of the first bluegrass festivals in the United States. He also contributed to the organizational and promotional work of the Newport Folk Festival during its formative years, helping create places where traditional music could find new audiences.

Bill believed he had been given opportunities that many of the musicians he admired never had. Having traveled internationally from a young age, he recognized that he could bring their music to audiences they themselves had little opportunity to reach. In 1963, Bill and his family moved to England, where he introduced American bluegrass and old-time music throughout Europe. Later, while serving with the Peace Corps in the Philippines, he continued sharing the music wherever he lived, becoming one of bluegrass's earliest international ambassadors.

In 2008, Bill Clifton was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Association's Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in recognition of a lifetime devoted to preserving, performing, and advancing traditional American music.

Looking back on his career, Bill often said he was proudest of representing musicians who did not have the opportunity to bring their music to audiences beyond where they lived. Whether introducing bluegrass overseas, arranging performances for traditional musicians, or bringing old songs to new listeners, he believed his greatest contribution was helping others-and their music-be heard.

Bill's music carried him across the United States and around the world, but family remained at the heart of his life. He was married twice and often said he was thankful for each and every one of his ten children. He remained deeply appreciative of the encouragement and support of his first wife, Sarah-Lee, during the formative years of his career, and treasured the more than forty years he shared with his second wife, Tineke, whom he described as the love of his life.

He is survived by his sister, Ann Hoffman; his children Tad, Streett, Leelee, Chandler, Cameron, Grainger, Rush, Stella, Flory, and Laurel; 18 grandchildren; and 8 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his sisters Mary-Lynn Brett, Fifi Peck, and Martha Sadler; his wife Tineke; and three grandchildren.

In accordance with his wishes, a private family memorial service will be held. Those wishing to honor Bill's memory are invited to support the Carter Family Memorial Music Center (donate at https://carterfamilyfold.org/donate/ or send checks to PO Box 111, Hiltons, VA 24258) or simply to do what would have pleased him most: listen to an old song, learn it by heart, and pass it on.

The family of William August Marburg is being cared for by Farris Funeral Service & Crematory, 427 East Main Street, Abingdon, VA 24210, (276) 623-2700.