September 30, 2018

Woody Guthrie: Ballads of Sacco and Vanzetti

Smithsonian Folkways SF CD 40060

Format: CD, Reissue, Remastered
Country: US
Released: 1996
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
01 The Flood And The Storm (3:38)
02 Two Good Men (3:47)
03 I Just Want To Sing Your Name (2:39)
04 Red Wine (3:57)
05 Suassos Lane (3:29)
06 You Souls Of Boston (4:14)
07 Old Judge Thayer (4:16)
08 Vanzetti's Rock (3:30)
09 Vanzetti's Letter (7:50)
10 Root Hog And Die (3:39)
11 We Welcome To Heaven (3:48)
12 Sacco's Letter To His Son (3:21)
[Credits]
Woody Guthrie (guitar/vocals) Pete Seeger (tracks:12/banjo/vocals)
Recorder and Producer: Moses Asch, Producer: Jeff Plac, Producer and Liner Notes: Anthony Seeger, Designer: Visual Dialogue
[Notes]
Recorded between 1946 and 1947. Woody Guthrie was one of the twentieth century's greatest poets and songwriters, and his songs about Sacco and Vanzetti include some of his best songs. The murder trial of Sacco and Vanzetti was one of this century's most controversial. Sacco and Vanzetti's story was dramatic; their front-page trial was filled with dubious procedures; and the years of appeals and their eventual execution led to protests around the world. These songs, written and recorded nearly twenty years later, have been carefully remastered from the original acetate discs and are presented with a previously unpublished letter by Guthrie to the judge in the case. Produced by Moses Asch. Reissue compiled by Anthony Seeger and Jeff Place.

September 23, 2018

Los TexManiacs: Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center


Experience an authentic musical taste of Texas with Grammy Award® winners Los TexManiacs. Led by Max Baca, Los TexManiacs have a unique Tex-Mex sound that combines traditional conjunto with elements of blues, country, and Rock ‘n’ Roll, brilliantly performed on accordion by virtuoso and Flaco Jimenez protégé Josh Baca.

September 19, 2018

Creedence Clearwater Revival: Willy And The Poor Boys

Fantasy 8397

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 02 Nov 1969
Genre: Rock
Style: Blues Rock, Rock & Roll, Classic Rock
[Tracklist]
A1 Down On The Corner (2:43)
A2 It Came Out Of The Sky (2:58)
A3 Cotton Fields (2:53)
A4 Poorboy Shuffle (2:25)
A5 Feelin' Blue (5:05)
B1 Fortunate Son (2:20)
B2 Don't Look Now (It Ain't You Or Me) (2:08)
B3 The Midnight Special (4:10)
B4 Side O' The Road (3:21)
B5 Effigy (6:28)
[Credits]
John Fogerty (guitar/piano/maracas/cowbell/harmonica/vocals) Tom Fogerty (guitar/vocals) Stu Cook (bass/vocals) Doug Clifford (drums/washboard) Booker T. Jones (organ) Steve Cropper (guitar) Donald "Duck" Dunn (bass) Al Jackson, Jr. (drums)
Photographer: Chris Clough
[Notes]
Willy and the Poor Boys is the fourth studio album American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released by Fantasy Records in November 1969, and was the last of three studio albums that the band released in that year. The album was remastered and reissued on 180 Gram Vinyl by Analogue Productions in 2006. The album features the songs "Down on the Corner", from which the album got its name, and "Fortunate Son", which is a well known protest song. Creedence also makes their own version of "Cotton Fields" on this album, which reached the #1 position in Mexico.

September 11, 2018

Sarah Ogan Gunning: A Girl Of Constant Sorrow

Topic Records 12T171

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue
Country: UK
Released: 1967
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A01 I Am a Girl of Constant Sorrow (Roud 499) (1:41)
A02 Loving Nancy (Roud 4938) (1:53)
A03 Old Jack Frost (Roud 4924) (1:11)
A04 May I Go With You, Johnny? (Roud 401; Laws O33) (1:52)
A05 The Hand of God on the Wall (Roud 4925) (2:42)
A06 Down on the Picket Line (Roud 4935) (1:17)
A07 I Hate the Company Bosses (Roud 4927) (4:07)
A08 I'm Going to Organize (Roud 4936) (1:17)
A09 Christ Was a Wayworn Traveler (Roud 4937) (2:58)
A10 Why Do You Stand There in the Rain? (Roud 4930) (1:27)
B01 Dreadful Memories (Roud 4934) (2:27)
B02 Old Southern Town (Roud 4931) (1:46)
B03 I Have Letters from My Father (Roud 4932) (4:12)
B04 Captain Devin (Roud 533; Laws L13A; Henry H792) (1:42)
B05 Gee Whiz, What Have They Done to Me? (Roud 4929) (1:54)
B06 Davy Crockett (Roud 3589) (1:06)
B07 Battle of Mill Spring (Roud 627; Laws A13) (2:19)
B08 Just the Same Today (Roud 4916) (2:58)
B09 Sally (Roud 180; Laws P9; G/D 6:1219; Henry H72) (1:58)
B10 Oh, Death (Roud 4933) (2:13)
[Credits]
Sarah Ogan Gunning (vocals)
Liner Notes: Archie Green
[Notes]
Like other folksingers, her repertoire encompasses a variety of emotions: anger at needless poverty and exploitation, affirmation of self-help as a way of life, pleasure in love, solace in religion, peace in death. Sarah prodigious talent has permitted her to fuse disparate radical elements with traditional forms to create a handful of significant songs beyond the legacy of well-known material left to her by her family.

September 8, 2018

Carolina Chocolate Drops: Leaving Eden

Nonesuch 7559-79627-1

Format: Vinyl, LP, CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2012
Genre: Rock, Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country, Piedmont Blues, Folk
[Tracklist]
01 Riro's House (2:02)
02 Kerr's Negro Jig (1:09)
03 Ruby, Are You Mad At Your Man? (3:46)
04 Boodle-De-Bum-Bum (4:03)
05 Country Girl (3:22)
06 Run Mountain (2:01)
07 Leaving Eden (4:36)
08 Read 'Em John (1:54)
09 Mahalla (1:54)
10 West End Blues (3:02)
11 Po' Black Sheep (3:21
12 I Truly Understand That You Love Another Man (2:34)
13 No Man's Mama (4:00)
14 Briggs' Corn Shucking Jig / Camptown Hornpipe (2:54)
15 Pretty Bird (4:04)
[Credits]
Rhiannon Giddens (banjo/fiddle/vocals) Hubby Jenkins (banjo/guitar/mandolin/vocals) Adam Matta (bass/beatbox/tambourine/vocals) Dom Flemons (banjo/drums/guitar/jug/quills/vocals) Leyla McCalla (cello/vocals)
Producer: Buddy Miller, Managers: Dolphus Ramseur, Chris Colburn, Timothy Duffy, Designers: Al Quattrocchi, Jeff Smith, Photographers: Bill Steber, Leyla Mccalla, Engineers: Mike Poole, Gordon Hammond, Robert C. Ludwig
[Notes]
The Carolina Chocolate Drops, a contemporary string band trio who, under the watchful eye of mentor Joe Thompson, re-created the look, feel, and sound of a 19th century black North Carolina string, fiddle, and jug band ensemble, crafted their first studio recordings into perfect facsimiles of the group's influences. The Drops were always at their best on-stage, however, where the gospel stomp of those mountain rhythms and the kinetic energy the band gave off completed the feel of a living, breathing history lesson. Those old string bands could turn on a dime, and the Chocolate Drops reproduced that art, turning their live sets into a black string band revival show. The studio albums felt like they were a bit encased in glass compared to the live performances. For this outing, however, the Chocolate Drops found the perfect producer in Buddy Miller, who recorded the band live in a single room, and the result is a wonderfully immediate album that feels like a Saturday night house party-- complete with moonlight, dust flying from the carpet under the feet of dancers, and crickets and night bird calls out the open windows. The sound breathes, and the Drops shine. Traditional pieces like "Po' Black Sheep" become stomping revivals, born again in a new century. "Ruby, Are You Mad at Your Man?" becomes a clawhammer banjo-driven mountain blues, with Rhiannon Giddens' vocal making it seem like Janis Joplin just wandered into the party, a feat she repeats with the album's marvelous last track, "Pretty Bird" (complete with crickets in the background). The Carolina Chocolate Drops may be intent on reproducing a sound from over a century ago, but they do an amazing job of translating it into the 21st century without diminishing it. This set feels like a Saturday night throwdown under the summer stars. It almost seems timeless, perhaps because it defies time. (AllMusic Review by Steve Leggett)

September 7, 2018

Round The Heart Of Old Galax Vol. 1

County Records 533

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1980
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country
[Tracklist]
A1 The Old Hickory Cane: Ernest V. Stoneman
A2 Two Little Orphans: Ernest V. Stoneman, Eck Dunford, George Stoneman
A3 No More Goodbyes: Ernest V. Stoneman, Kahle Brewer, Irma Frost
A4 John Hardy: Ernest V. Stoneman, Herbert Sweet, Earl Sweet
A5 Barney McCoy: Eck Dunford, Ernest V. Stoneman, Hattie Stoneman, I. Edwards
A6 There's A Light Lit Up In Galilee: Ernest V. Stoneman, Hattie Stoneman, Eck Dunford
A7 Lonesome Road Blues: Kahle Brewer, Bolen Frost, Ernest V. Stoneman
B1 Flop Eared Mule: Kahle Brewer, Bolen Frost, Ernest V. Stoneman
B2 Tell Mother I Will Meet Her: Ernest V. Stoneman, Kahle Brewer, W. Mooney
B3 Buffalo Gals: Kahle Brewer, Bolen Frost, Ernest V. Stoneman
B4 I Am Resolved: Ernest V. Stoneman, Kahle Brewer, Irma Frost
B5 Sweet Bunch Of Violets: Ernest V. Stoneman, Kahle Brewer
B6 Too Late: Ernest V. Stoneman, Hattie Stoneman, Eck Dunford
B7 New River Train: Herbert Sweet, Earl Sweet, Ernest V. Stoneman
[Credits]
Liner Notes and Producer: Wayne Martin, Cover: Richard Nevins
[Notes]
Features a good cross-section of the musicrecorded commercially in the the 1920s and 30s by Ernest V. "Pop" Stoneman with his family and associates. Stoneman has not been held in high regard by some who value "the Galax Sound," for he was something of an opportunist who carved out a professional career for himself. Yet his repertoire sprang from the diverse streams of tradition found in his home area, and included ballads, sentimental songs, sacred songs, humorous songs, and instrumental music. Many of Stoneman's performances utilized the more or less standard string band alignment of fiddle, guitar, and banjo. Some of the most accomplished instrumentalists from Galax recorded with Stoneman, such as fiddlers Kahle Brewer and Eck Dunford. Stoneman was also one of the few early country musicians to record with a parlour organ, an instrument which has played a large role in many family music traditions in the South. (Reviewed by Paul L. Tyler)

September 4, 2018

Gu-Achi Fiddlers: Old Time O'odham Fiddle Music

Canyon Records CR-8082

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 1997
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
01 Ali Oidak Polka (3:18)
02 Bareterro Two-Step (3:03)
03 Black Mountain Mazurka (3:51)
04 Blackie Polka (4:05)
05 Sonora Church Two-Step (4:18)
06 Hohokam Polka (3:13)
07 Libby Bird Song Mazurka (4:08)
08 Memories In Ajo Polka (3:37)
09 Pinto Beans Two-Step (3:28)
10 E.J. Special Polka (3:29)
11 Cababie Two-Step (3:19)
12 Dawn Mazurka (3:15)
[Credits]
Elliot Johnson and Lester Vavages (fiddles) Wilfred Mendoza (guitar) Gerald Leos, Sr. (drums) Tommy Lopez (bass drum)
Producers: Robert Doyle, Raymond Boley and Stephen Butler, Liner Notes: Jim Griffith and Stephen Butler, Designer: Larry Lindahl Design, Engineer: Jack Miller
[Notes]
This is the first commercial recording of the fiddle band music of the Tohono O'odham people of Southern Arizona. Utilizing instruments originally introduced by Spanish missionaries, the fiddle band sound is highly unique utilizing violins, guitar, and drums playing polkas, two-steps, and mazurkas. The result is an exciting sound and one of Southern Arizona's richest musical traditions.

September 3, 2018

Ramblin' Blues: David Davis & The Warrior River Boys


David Davis & The Warrior River Boys have long been recognized as contemporary leaders in the traditional bluegrass music scene. On their latest release Didn't He Ramble: Songs of Charlie Poole, they expand their base to include earlier influences of folk and acoustic music roots. Through a masterful and exciting collection of songs, originally recorded by the legendary Charlie Poole and his North Carolina Ramblers in the 1920s and 1930s, a generation before Bill Monroe is credited with founding bluegrass music, they show that you can create music that is both fresh and timeless. This album is greater than a simple tribute; The Warrior River Boys have reinvigorated this music, in a new form, with all the fire and energy of the originals. They take the legacy another step further, into the contemporary revival of traditional bluegrass. Didn't He Ramble: Songs of Charlie Poole not only breathes new life into Poole's work, but brings a spirit of fun that is as infectious as the music itself!

September 2, 2018

Brother Oswald

Rounder Records 0013

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1972
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass & Country
[Tracklist]
A1 End Of The World (2:50)
A2 Island March (2:35)
A3 Sailing Along (3:50)
A4 Kansas City Kitty (2:40)
A5 Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain (3:17)
A6 Farewell Blues (2:38)
A7 Echo Chimes (2:28)
B1 Wabash Cannonball (1:38)
B2 Prairie Queen (2:37)
B3 Tennessee Waltz (2:50)
B4 Song Of The Islands (3:00)
B5 Dobro Chimes (2:41)
B6 I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (2:54)
B7 Two Different Worlds (2:54)
B8 Carry Me Back To The Mountains (2:10)
[Credits]
Brother Oswald (dobro) Charlie Collins (guitar) Norman Blake (guitar/mandolin/dobro) Tut Taylor (mandolin/dobro)
Producers: Mike Melford and Tut Taylor
[Notes]
Recorded at Glaser Sound Studios, Nashville, on January 1972. As a member of Roy Acuff's Grand Ole Opry band, Bashful Brother Oswald played a dumb-hick hillbilly character for the sake of comic relief, his slapstick antics and clown-like apparel making him an audience favorite -- but his dobro playing was no joke. During the Depression, Oswald found work playing Hawaiian-style dobro music at a Flint, Mich., radio station. When he was picked up by Acuff later in the decade, he brought with him the weeping, island-flavored style of playing that is one of the defining characteristics of country music. While Oswald was not solely responsible for this sound, his role as a key player in the modern country vocabulary is indisputable. Although he worked mainly as a sideman, he did record a couple of solo efforts on which he sang as well as played, showcasing a taste for old-time Bluegrass and singing in a friendly, weathered voice.