In the midst of our hectic editing schedule (we’re working on two deadlines simultaneously!), we received a most welcome surprise from the daughter of someone who’s been in one of our films, though we never had the pleasure of knowing him: . You’ll recognize Samuel as the guitarist and singer of the song “Shuttle Car Driving Man” that’s featured in Harlan County USA. Samuel was not one of the striking miners, but he came down from West Virginia to support the strikers during the U.M.W. of A. march featured about an hour into the film. Recently, Samuel’s daughter Lisa contacted us to say that Samuel died on March 7, 2006, which we are very sad to hear. Samuel has always been a memorable character from the film, and we’re glad that he shared his music with us and all the people who get the chance to see the film. In memory of Samuel Hager, here is a photo of him performing “Shuttle Car Driving Man.”

- Cabin Creek