Songs of the Great Lakes Collected by Edith Fowke

Ethnic Folkways Library – FE 4018

Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: US
Released: 1964
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A1 E. C. Roberts, The - Red Iron Ore: Stanley Baby (4:53)
A2 The Maggie Hunter: C. H. J. Snider (3:39)
A3 The Dreadnaught: C. H. J. Snider (3:07)
A4 James Bird: O. J. Abbott (3:55)
A5 The Fayette Brown: Stanley Baby (0:47)
A6 The Loss of the Antelope: C. H. J. Snider (5:14)
A7 Homeward Bound: Stanley Baby (0:50)
B1 The Cumberland's Crew: Stanley Baby (2:58)
B2 The Cumberland's Crew: Orlo Brandon (1:49)
B3 The Merrimac: Orlo Brandon (1:27)
B4 The Schooner Persian's Crew: Stanley Baby (5:34)
B5 The Wreck of the Asia: C. H. J. Snider (3:16)
B6 The Trip of the Bigler: Stanley Baby (9:25)
[Credits]
Producer and Recorde: Edith Fulton Fowke, Designer: Ronald Clyne
[Notes]
This 1964 Folkways release, recorded and produced by Edith Fulton Fowke, is a collection of songs dealing primarily with sailing on the Great Lakes of North America. Fowke’s research relies heavily on stories and songs as recollected by descendants of former Great Lakes sailors. The vocal performances on this release are both rousing and authentic. Liner notes include brief biographies of the performers as well as lyrics and explanations supplemental to the songs.

Classic Field Recordings

Landmark Country Sessions from a Lost Era

JSP Records – JSP77131

Format: 4 x CD, Compilation, Remastered
Country: UK
Released: 2010
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Country
[Disc One]
01 Long Tongue Women: Johnny Barfield (02:36)
02 Ain't I Right?: Johnny Barfield (03:01)
03 Desert Lullaby: Johnny Barfield (02:51)
04 Heartaches and Tears: Johnny Barfield (03:30)
05 Don't Take My Memories: Johnny Barfield (02:44)
06 Love Me Only: Johnny Barfield (02:56)
07 Boogie Woogie: Johnny Barfield (02:41)
08 Everybody's Tryin' to Be My Baby: Johnny Barfield (02:47)
09 My Poodle Doodle Dog: Johnny Barfield (02:57)
10 That Little Shirt My Mother Made for Me: Johnny Barfield (03:09)
11 It Ain't No Good: Johnny Barfield (03:11)
12 The New Boogie Woogie: Johnny Barfield (03:07)
13 The Story of Love Divine: The McClendon Brothers with Georgia Dell (02:35)
14 Gamblin' on the Sabbath: The McClendon Brothers with Georgia Dell (02:56)
15 My Little Mountain Lady, Queen of Alabam: The McClendon Bros with Georgia Dell (02:40)
16 Heaven Bound Gold: The McClendon Brothers with Georgia Dell (02:55)
17 Free as I Can Be: The McClendon Brothers with Georgia Dell (02:51)
18 Red Roses, Sweet Violets So Blue: The McClendon Brothers with Georgia Dell (02:51)
19 Keep Your Love Letters, I'll Keep Mine: The McClendon Brothers with Georgia Dell (02:37)
20 Goodbye Baby, Goodbye: The McClendon Brothers with Georgia Dell (02:38)
21 Love Hunting Blues: The McClendon Brothers with Georgia Dell (03:21)
22 There's a Grave in the Wilderness: Dewey Bassett / Gassie Bassett (03:11)
23 The Great Final Agreement: Dewey Bassett / Gassie Bassett (02:54)
24 Blue Moon: Dewey Bassett / Gassie Bassett (02:32)
25 Back Water Blues: Dewey Bassett / Gassie Bassett (02:02)
[Disc Two]
01 Rock City Blues: Dewey Bassett / Gassie Bassett (02:48)
02 Lonesome Life of Worry: Dewey Bassett / Gassie Bassett (02:54)
03 Burning of Cleveland School: Roy Shaffer (02:42)
04 My Sweetheart Has Gone and Left Me: Roy Shaffer (02:56)
05 Girl That Married My Mind: Roy Shaffer (03:10)
06 Mollie Married a Travelin' Man: Roy Shaffer (02:59)
07 Howell's Railroad: Roy Shaffer (02:59)
08 Lost John: Roy Shaffer (03:02)
09 Fiddle and Guitar Running Wild: Four Pickled Peppers (02:33)
10 Fox Hunter's Luck: Four Pickled Peppers (02:21)
11 He Turned Around and Went the Other Way: Four Pickled Peppers (02:56)
12 Long anf Bony: Four Pickled Peppers (03:24)
13 Farmer Grey: The Tennessee Ramblers (02:58)
14 Whoa, Mule, Whoa: The Tennessee Ramblers (02:51)
15 There Are No Disappointments in Heaven: The Tennessee Ramblers (02:45)
16 Your Soul Never Dies: The Tennessee Ramblers (02:34)
17 T.B. Killed My Daddy: The Pine Ridge Boys (02:46)
18 Little Paper Boy: The Pine Ridge Boys (02:43)
19 Precious Thoughts of Mother: Happy Valley Boys (02:39)
20 Shattered Love: Happy Valley Boys (02:57)
21 What a Change One Day Can Make: Pete Pyle (02:46)
22 Forbidden Love: Pete Pyle (02:58)
23 I Am On My Way to Heaven: Walter Couch / Wilks Ramblers (02:51)
24 Just Over in the Glory Land: Walter Couch / Wilks Ramblers (03:04)
25 I'm Glad I Counted the Cost: Walter Couch / Wilks Ramblers (02:11)
[Disc Three]
01 One Year Ago Today: J.H. Howell (02:39)
02 No Deep True Love: J.H. Howell's Carolina Hillbillies (03:11)
03 Coupon Song: J.H. Howell's Carolina Hillbillies (03:03)
04 Bury Me Out on the Prairie: J.H. Howell's Carolina Hillbillies (02:47)
05 Disappointed in Love (I Wish I Had Never Met Sunshine): J.H. Howell (02:33)
06 Rocking Alone in an Old Rocking Chair: J.H. Howell (02:19)
07 The Answer to "Disappointed in Love": J.H. Howell (02:25)
08 Cowboy Jack: J.H. Howell (02:20)
09 When I Was a Baby: Walter Hurdt & His Singing Cowboys (02:08)
10 Bungalow Big Enough for Two: Walter Hurdt & His Singing Cowboys (02:29)
11 I'll Remember You, Love in My Prayers: George Wade (02:24)
12 I'm Not Angry with You Darling: George Wade (02:23)
13 Don't Put a Tax on Beautiful Girls: Coley / Hinson / Pitts (03:09)
14 I'll Keep on Loving You: Coley / Hinson / Pitts (03:00)
15 Four or Five Times: Carolina Crackerjacks (03:35)
16 All My Natural Life: Carolina Crackerjacks (02:18)
17 You Are My Sunshine: Leon Hyatt / Julian Johnson (02:52)
18 Farther Along: Leon Hyatt / Julian Johnson (03:12)
19 Homecoming Time in Happy Valley: Grady Cole / Hazel Cole (02:31)
20 I'll Never Leave Old Dixieland Again: Grady Cole / Hazel Cole (02:43)
21 Little Blue Eyed Blonde, Goodbye: Grady Cole / Hazel Cole (02:36)
22 It's So Hard to Be Just a Pal to You: Grady Cole / Hazel Cole (02:40)
23 Fourteen Days in Georgia: Hill Brothers (02:50)
24 Chesapeake Bay: Hill Brothers (02:42)
25 I Want My Black Baby Back: Hill Brothers (03:00)
[Disc Four]
01 Slim Girl: Blind Fiddler (02:38)
02 Maggie: Blind Fiddler (02:36)
03 Soap Box Blues: Jack Pierce (02:34)
04 Rabbit Blues: Jack Pierce (02:25)
05 Big Fat Gal: Lester "Pete" Bivins (03:03)
06 Knocking On the Hen House Door: Lester "Pete" Bivins (02:57)
07 Minor Blues: Lester "Pete" Bivins (03:02)
08 Married Life Blues: Lester "Pete" Bivins (03:19)
09 Back in My Home Town: Lester "Pete" Bivins (03:34)
10 Home with Mother and Dad in the West: Lester "Pete" Bivins (03:19)
11 How Many Biscutis Can I Eat?: Gwen Foster (02:50)
12 Side-Line Blues: Gwen Foster (03:00)
13 With My Banjo on My Knee: Louisiana Lou (02:18)
14 A Package of Love Letters: Louisiana Lou (03:23)
15 The Export Gal: Louisiana Lou (03:25)
16 Sinful to Flirt: Louisiana Lou (02:24)
17 Go 'Long Mule: Louisiana Lou (03:06)
18 If You See My Saviour: Southern Melody Boys / Odus / Woodrow (03:13)
19 Tribulation Days: Southern Melody Boys / Odus / Woodrow (02:48)
20 Down in Baltimore: Southern Melody Boys / Odus / Woodrow (03:30)
21 Wind the Little Ball of Yarn: Southern Melody Boys / Odus / Woodrow (02:17)
22 Sweet Locust Blossoms: Southern Melody Boys / Odus / Woodrow (02:33)
23 I'll Remember You, Love, in My Prayer: Southern Melody Boys / Odus / Woodrow (02:51)
24 My Family Circle (Will the Circle Be Unbroken): The Rouse Brothers (03:02)
25 Orange Blossom Special: The Rouse Brothers (02:56)
[Notes]
First off, the songs collected on this four-CD, 100-track box of early country and old-time sides released in the 1930s and early '40s aren't exactly field recordings, at least not in the normal sense. The artists compiled here, ranging from string bands like the Tennessee Ramblers and the Pine Ridge Boys to duos like Dewey & Gassie Bessett and polished (for the era) solo singers like Johnny Barfield, were professional musicians to some degree and these recordings were made with an eye to being commercial on the radio, whether or not they actually achieved that aim. That doesn't make them somehow less authentic, however, since these tracks are only a slight half-step removed from the music played on rural back porches throughout America in the 1930s and 1940s and they prefigure the more stylized and codified motifs of what would eventually come to be known as country music. Among the highlights in this expansive box are Johnny Barfield's "Ain't I Right" (a version of the folk tune "Railroad Bill"), Smith's Carolina Crackerjacks' "There Are No Disappointments in Heaven," the Tennessee Ramblers' "Don't Put a Tax on Beautiful Girls," and a truly haunting version of "Maggie" by Blind Fiddler. There's a lot of history collected here, and listening to these 100 tracks, one can almost hear modern country music coming just around the bend.-- AllMusic Review by Steve Leggett

Spanish and Mexican Folk Music of New Mexico

Ethnic Folkways Library – FE 4426

Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1952
Genre: Latin, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Latin, Folk
[Tracklist]
A1 Matachines Dances: James Trujillo with Sam and Modesto Garcia (1:35)
A2 Matachines Dances: James Trujillo with Sam and Modesto Garcia (1:03)
A3 Huapango: Garcilian Pacheco (3:12)
A4 Entriega de Novios: Felix Ortega (3:59)
A5 Polka: Librado Leyba and Eddie Ortiz (1:29)
A6 La Luna Se Va Metiendo: Alfred Campos and Edwin Lobato (2:13)
A7 Cuatro Caminos: Alfred Campos and Edwin Lobato (2:52)
A8 El Zapatero: Arthur L. Campa (0:42)
A9 Grasshopper Waltz: Daniel Lopez (1:27)
B1 Cancion Ingles: Jacobo Maestas (1:12)
B2 Hymn of Farewell: n/a (2:56)
B3 Corrido de Elena: Felix and Consuelo Ortega (3:48)
B4 Jesusita: Vidal Valdez and Lupe Rodriguez (2:54)
B5 Para Que Me Sirvo el Vino: Vidal Valdez and Lupe Rodriguez (1:41)
B6 Trovo del Viejo Vilmas: Arvino Martinez (3:49)
B7 Cuna: Jacobo Maestas and Victor Frescas (2:00)
[Credits]
Producer & Recorder: J.D. Robb, Designer: Ronald Clyne
[Notes]
The tracks on this album have been selected from the several hundred recordings that comprise the J.D. Robb collection of southwestern popular and folk music. Most of these were recollected in New Mexico.

Smithsonian Folkways American Roots Collection

Smithsonian Folkways – SFW40062

Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1996
Genre: Jazz, Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Gospel, Bluegrass, Cajun, Folk, Country
[Tracklist]
01 Penitentary Blues: Lightnin' Hopkins (2:56)
02 Sweet Old Chicago: Roosevelt Sykes (2:58)
03 Blue Moon of Kentucky: Bill Monroe (2:02)
04 If I Had a Hammer (Hammer Song): Pete Seeger (2:13)
05 Lafayette: Lucinda Williams (3:45)
06 Bosco Stomp: Nonc Allie Young, Bessyl Duhon, and Rodney Balfa (3:04)
07 Better Day: Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee (3:04)
08 Long Road to Travel: Lonnie Johnson (2:22)
09 The Cuckoo Bird (The Coo-Coo Bird): Doc Watson and Clarence Ashley (2:35)
10 Pretty Saro: Doug and Jack Wallin (2:32)
11 Freight Train: Elizabeth Cotten (2:46)
12 Old Joe Bone: The New Lost City Ramblers (2:00)
13 Have a Feast Here Tonight: Bill Monroe and Doc Watson (2:24)
14 Freedom Road: Josh White (2:21)
15 This Land is Your Land: Woody Guthrie (2:19)
16 Two Good Men (Sacco and Vanzetti): Woody Guthrie (3:49)
17 Black Girl (In the Pines): Lead Belly (2:10)
18 Irene (Goodnight Irene): Lead Belly (2:18)
19 Somebody's Been Fooling #1: Big Joe Williams (2:52)
20 Hesitation Blues: Dave Van Ronk (2:34)
21 I'm Gonna Be an Engineer: Peggy Seeger (4:31)
22 Delgadina: Mercedez López (2:16)
23 I Was Standing by the Bedside of a Neighbor: Michele Lanchester and Sweet Honey (3:22)
24 Virgo: Mary Lou Williams (2:29)
25 Syl-O-Gism: Mary Lou Williams (3:31)
26 We Shall Overcome: The Freedom Singers, Dorothy Cotton, and Pete Seeger (2:42)
[Credits]
Compiler & Producer: Anthony Seeger & Amy Horowitz, Designer: Visual Dialogue, Engineer: David Glasser & Lea Anne Sonenstein
[Notes]
Twenty-six tracks from outstanding Smithsonian Folkways recordings present a panorama of American Roots music. Blues, Bluegrass, ballads, topical songs, and jazz are performed by master musicians. If you have never heard of Smithsonian Folkways or Folkways before, this collection will take you on a trip through American Music; if you have heard some already, you will still be delighted by the breadth and variety of this collection.

Buell Kazee Sings and Plays

Folkways Records – FS 3810

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue
Country: US
Released: 1958
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A01 East Virginia (4:11)
A02 Butcher's Boy (4:28)
A03 Dance Around My Pretty Little Miss (8:55)
A04 Wagoner's Lad (3:11)
A05 Yellow Pups / Fox Chase (5:02)
A06 John Hardy (2:37)
B01 John enry (2:28)
B02 The Moonshiner (1:50)
B03 Darling Corey (1:47)
B04 Cumberland Gap (1:54)
B05 Cock Robin (2:15)
B06 Old Grey Mare (1:28)
B07 Amazing Grace (2:21)
B04 When Moses (2:32)
B08 My Christian Friends (3:50)
B09 Bread of Heaven (2:39)
B10 Eternity (2:37)
B11 The White Pilgrim (0:47)
[Credits]
Buell Kazee (banjo/vocals)
Producer & Recorder: Gene Bluestein, Liner Notes: Buell Kazee, Photographer: Jack Rosenthal
[Noted]
Buell Kazee (1900–1976) grew up playing the five-string banjo in the traditional frailing style ("thrashing" style, as he called it). As a teenager, he began to study religion and ended up spending most of his life as a preacher. Despite his view that banjo music "did not harmonize" with the life of the church, he remained a musician and began recording in 1927 (several of his recordings appear on the Anthology of American Folk Music.

Hootenanny Tonight!

Folkways Records – FN 2511

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1954
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A01 Cowboy's Gettin' Up Holler: Pete Seeger (0:30)
A02 Muleskinner Blues: Pete Seeger, Sonny Terry, and Jerry Silverman (3:33)
A03 Great Gettin' Up Morning: Leon Bibb, Laura Duncan, and Betty Sanders (2:11)
A04 Varsovienne: Earl Robinson (4:59)
A05 The Rich Man and the Poor Man: Bob and Louise DeCormier (3:03)
A06 Talking Union: Pete Seeger (3:01)
A07 Dance Me a Jig: Elizabeth Knight and Jerry Silverman (3:03)
A08 Le Cycle du Vin: Sylvia Kahn and Jean Hart (2:47)
A09 Wimoweh: Pete Seeger (1:48)
B01 Dark as a Dungeon: Bob DeCormier and Pete Seeger (2:43)
B02 Children's Peace Song: Jackie Berman (2:13)
B03 Home in that Rock: The Jewish Young Folksingers (2:19)
B04 Hamentashen: The Jewish Young Folksingers (1:49)
B05 Riding the Dragon: Betty Sanders (1:15)
B06 California Blues: Sonny Terry (3:09)
B07 Depression: Les Pine (5:20)
B08 Every Night When the Sun Goes In: Elizabeth Knight and Al Moss (3:55)
B09 Told My Captain: Leon Bibb (2:30)
B10 America the Beautiful: Pete Seeger (2:19)
[Credits]
Producer and Liner Notes: Irwin Silber
[Notes]
Sing Out! defines hootenanny as 'a riproaring party, a wing-ding, a blow-out." Recorded at two hootenannies in New York City in 1954, the performances on this album fit the description! Participants include Pete Seeger, Sonny Terry, Leon Bibb, Sylvia Kahn, and many others.

Hobart Smith In Sacred Trust

The 1963 Fleming Brown Tapes

Smithsonian Folkways – SFW40141

Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2005
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Old Time
[Tracklist]
01 Heaven's Airplane (1:30)
02 Banging Breakdown (1:41)
03 Buck Creek Girls (2:09)
04 Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss (0:59)
05 Brown Skin Blues (3:02)
06 John Brown’s Dream (1:13)
07 Cuckoo Bird (1:45)
08 Cripple Creek (2:08)
09 John Greer’s Two-Step (2:22)
10 Wabash Blues (2:39)
11 Jim And Me (2:24)
12 Old Joe Clark (2:35)
13 John Henry (2:17)
14 Give Me Your Heart (1:46)
15 What Did The Buzzard Say To The Crow (1:14)
16 Soldier’s Joy (2:59)
17 Uncloudy Day (3:39)
18 I Feel So Good (0:55)
19 Cumberland Gap (3:21)
20 Jim Along (2:59)
21 Soldier’s Joy (1:24)
22 Railroad Bill (Intro) (0:44)
23 Railroad Bill (2:43)
24 Old Joe Clark (1:58)
25 Wayfaring Stranger (2:38)
26 Chatham Hill Serenade (0:56)
27 I’ll Meet You When The Sun Goes Down (1:30)
28 Indian March (1:12)
29 Walking Boss (2:24)
30 Woman At The Well (2:28)
31 Clog Dance With Guitar (1:05)
32 Black Annie (2:20)
33 Wildwood Flower (0:59)
34 Full Of Music As I Could Be (1:43)
35 Katie Went A-Fishin' With A Hook And Line (1:38)
36 K.C. Moan (3:20)
[Credits]
Hobart Smith (banjo/guitar/harmonica/piano/fiddle/vocals)
Producer & Liner Notes: Stephen Wade
[Notes]
On this album of never-before-released work, mountain music virtuoso Hobart Smith (1897–1965) plays banjo, fiddle, guitar, and piano in addition to singing, clog dancing, and reminiscing. Taped shortly before he died by fellow banjo player Fleming Brown, Smith brings us back to a vanished era in these deeply personal recordings. Cardboard slip-cover, 80-page booklet, historical photos, lyrics, two tablatures, 36 tracks, 72 minutes. Produced and annotated by Stephen Wade.

Clifton Chenier: Louisiana Blues and Zydeco

Arhoolie Records – ARH09053

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 1990
Genre: Blues, Zydeco, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Louisiana Blues, Zydeco
[Tracklist]
01 Zydeco et Pas Sale (3:06)
02 Lafayette Waltz (3:04)
03 Louisiana Two-Step (4:47)
04 Clifton's Waltz (3:06)
05 Louisiana Blues (3:26)
06 Hot Rod (3:08)
07 Banana Man (4:14)
08 Ay-Tete-Fee (3:16)
09 It's Hard (4:59)
10 I Can't Stand (3:24)
11 I Can Look Down at Your Woman (2:41)
12 Accordion Boogie (3:21)
13 Banana Man (4:33)
14 Ay, Ai Ai (3:27)
15 Clifton's Blues (Where Can My Baby Be) (3:29)
16 Let's Rock Awhile (3:46)
17 Elmore's Blues (2:40)
18 Clifton's Two Step (3:38)
19 Zydeco et Pas Sale (3:13)
[Credits]
Clifton Chenier (accordion/harmonica/vocals) Elmore Nixon (piano) Cleveland Keyes (guitar) Fulton Antoine (bass) Robert St. Judy (drums) Cleveland Chenier (ubboard) Madison Guidry (drums)
Liner Notes: Chris Strachwitz
[Notes]
This is the 2005 edition of the classic 1960s release. An alternate 1990 version with slightly different tracks is also available here. Zydeco music, which melds French, Native American, and blues traditions, is popular among the many French-speaking Black Creoles living along the Texas-Louisiana Gulf coast. That its appeal reaches well beyond the region is partly because of Clifton Chenier, who is often credited with introducing the music to audiences outside of his native southwestern Louisiana. This collection features some early recordings by Chenier; he plays accordion and sings in French Creole patois and English.

American Folk Songs for Christmas

Mike, Peggy, and Penny Seeger and members of their friends

Rounder Records – 0268/0269

Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1989
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A01 Stars In The Heaven (1:06)
A02 Oh, Watch The Stars (2:12)
A03 Great Big Stars (0:52)
A04 Shine Like A Star In The Morning (2:18)
A05 Bright Morning Stars Are Rising (3:01)
A06 Rise Up, Shepherd And Follow (2:08)
A07 Shepherd, Shepherd (0:55)
A08 Don't You Hear The Lambs a-Crying (1:35)
A09 Found My Lost Sheep (2:20)
A10 Look Away To Bethlehem (1:40)
A11 How Many Miles To Bethlehem? (1:20)
A12 Jehovah Hellelujah (1:30)
A13 Joseph And Mary (2:50)
A14 A Virgin Most Pure (2:01)
A15 Baby Born Today (2:04)
B01 Go Tell It On The Mountain (1:32)
B02 Shepherds, Rejoice (1:27)
B03 The New Born Baby (1:35)
B04 Oh, Mary And The Baby, Lamb (0:58)
B05 Star In The East (2:24)
B06 Babe Of Bethlehem (2:58)
B07 Child Of God (1:53)
B08 Cradle Hymn (3:16)
B09 Ain't That a-Rocking All Night (2:15)
B10 Sing-a-Lamb (1:32)
B11 Mary, What You Gonna Name That Pretty Baby? (2:10)
B12 Sing Hallelu (2:24)
B13 Mary Had A Baby (3:04)
C01 Jesus Borned In Bethlea (3:23)
C02 Wasn't That A Might Day (1:14)
C03 January, February The Last Month Of The Year (2:02)
C04 Poor Little Jesus (2:52)
C05 Heard From Heaven Today (2:37)
C06 'Twas A Wonder In Heaven (1:29)
C07 Mariner's Hymn (1:20)
C08 O Mary, Where Is Your Baby? (2:14)
C09 Yonder Comes Sister Mary (2:27)
C10 The Blessings Of Mary (2:47)
C11 Awake (2:13)
C12 Exultation (0:47)
C13 Children Of The Heavenly King (1:47)
D01 Singing In The Land (3:20)
D02 Rejoice My Friends (1:09)
D03 The Twelve Apostles (2:58)
D04 Holy Babe (4:26)
D05 Twelve Days Of Christmas (3:55)
D06 The Angel Band (2:30)
D07 Almost Day (1:30)
D08 Heaven Bell Ring (1:34)
D09 A Mince Pie Or A Pudding (1:40)
D10 Christmas Day In The Morning (1:53)
D11 Turkey Run Away (0:45)
D12 Breaking Up Christmas (2:54)
[Credits]
Mike Seeger (autoharp/banjo/fiddle/guitar/harmonica/jawharp/mandolin/vocals) Peggy Seeger (banjo/concertina/guitar/piano/vocals) Penny Seeger (bells/dulcimer/guitar/mandolin/vocals) Ewan MacColl (vocals) Calum MacColl (guitar/guitar/psaltery/vocals) Kirsty MacColl (vocals) Kitty MacColl (vocals) Sonya Cohen (guitar/vocals) Kim Seeger (dulcimer/spoons/vocals)
[Notes]
This set is based on the famous Ruth Crawford Seeger book of the same name. Among the 53 (!) songs are "Bright Morning Stars Are Rising," "Look Away to Bethlehem," "Go Tell It on the Mountain," "Sing Hallelu," and "Breaking up Christmas." Mike Seeger, Penny Seeger, Peggy Seeger, Sonya Cohen, Calum MacColl, Ewan MacColl, Kitty MacColl and Kim Seeger accompany their own vocals on traditional acoustic instruments. Liner notes explain the traditions behind these lesser-known Christmas songs, and the cover is decorated with wonderful woodcuts.-- AllMusic Review by Roundup Newsletter

Elizabeth Cotten: Shake Sugaree

Smithsonian Folkways – SFW40147

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2004
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
01 Shake Sugaree (5:03)
02 Take Me Back To Baltimore (1:59)
03 Washington Blues (3:38)
04 I'm Going Away (3:25)
05 Fox Chase (3:42)
06 Ontario Blues (3:45)
07 Fare You Well, My Darling (2:03)
08 Untitled / Georgie Buck (3:01)
09 Mama, Nobody's Here But The Baby (0:53)
10 Mama, Nobody's Here But The Baby (1:36)
11 Look And Live, My Brother (1:52)
12 Jesus Lifted Me (2:08)
13 Jesus Is Tenderly Calling (1:39)
14 Buck Dance (1:52)
15 Ruben (2:13)
16 Oh, Miss Lulie Gal (1:31)
17 Can't Get A Letter From Down The Road (1:44)
18 Shoot That Buffalo (1:40)
19 Boatman Dance (1:48)
20 Hallelujah, It Is Done (1:34)
21 Holy Ghost, Unchain My Name (1:25)
22 Little Brown Jug (2:22)
23 Delia (2:12)
24 Ball The Jack (2:34)
25 Till We Meet Again (2:03)
26 When The Train Comes Along (2:45)
[Credits]
Elizabeth Cotten (guitar/vocals) Brenda Evans (vocals)
Producer: Mike Seeger, Mary Monseur, D.A. Sonneborn & Daniel Sheehy, Liner Notes: John Ullman & Mike Seeger, Designer: Sonya Cohen Cramer, Photographers: David Gahr, Jim Mys, John Cohen, Mark Sandson & Sue Sandson, Recorders: Dan Seeger, Mike Seeger & Toshi Seeger
[Notes]
Elizabeth "Libba" Cotten (1896-1987) wrote her well-known song "Freight Train" at the age of 11 and sang it for nearly 80 years. Through her songwriting, her quietly commanding personality, and her unique left-handed guitar and banjo styles, she has inspired and influenced generations of younger artists. Cotten was declared a National Heritage Fellow by the National Endowment for the Arts in 1984, and was recognized by the Smithsonian Institution as a "living treasure." She received a Grammy Award in 1985 when she was 90. These essential 1965-66 recordings include ten previously unreleased tracks. 26 tracks. 60 minutes. Reissued from Folkways 31003.

In The Pines: Tar Heel Folk Songs & Fiddle Tunes

Old-Time Music of North Carolina 1926-1936

Old Hat Records – CD1006

Format: CD, Album, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2008
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Old Time
[Tracklist]
01 In The Pines: Dock Walsh (3:08)
02 Mountain Sweetheart: The Red Fox Chasers (2:56)
03 Mistreated Blues: Carolina Buddies (3:10)
04 Johnson City Hop: Carolina Ramblers String Band (2:46)
05 DAre You Sure?: Dixon Brothers & Mutt Evans (3:14)
06 The Rose With A Broken Ste: North Carolina Cooper Boys (3:02)
07 Jack Of Diamonds: Ben Jarrell (2:43)
08 Otto Wood: Thompson & Cranford (2:36)
09 Richmond Square: The Highlanders (2:58)
10 Will, The Weaver: Charlie Parker & Mack Woolbright (2:52)
11 Lindy: Proximity String Quartet (2:56)
12 Working On The Railroad: Blankenship Family (2:41)
13 Carolina's Best: The Grady Family (3:12)
14 Banjo Sam: Wilmer Watts & The Lonely Eagles (3:05)
15 New River Train: Cauley Family (2:39)
16 Little Bunch Of Roses: Clarence Greene (2:42)
17 That Lonesome Valley: Carolina Ramblers String Band (2:52)
18 Honeysuckle Rag: Blue Ridge Mountain Entertainers (2:57)
19 A Pretty Gal's Love: Whitter - Hendley - Small (2:42)
20 Tom Dooley: Grayson & Whitter (3:08)
21 The Longest Train: J.E. Mainer's Mountaineers (3:10)
22 Sweet Freedom: E.R. Nance Family with Clarence Dooley (2:27)
23 Sunny Home In Dixie: Frank Jenkins' Pilot Mountaineers (3:10)
24 My Home's Across The Blue Ridge Mountains: Carolina Tar Heels (3:20)
[Credits]
Producer: Marshall Wyatt, Liner Notes: Wayne Martin, Photographers: Tony Russell & Kip Lornell, Engineers: Christopher C. King & Jeff Carroll
[Notes]
In the early days of the recording industry, North Carolina was a hotbed of string bands playing traditional Appalachian folk-rooted music. This compilation collects 24 such recordings from the era immediately preceding and following the onset of the Depression, many of them quite obscure. Listeners with a general knowledge and appreciation of early American folk recordings might have heard of the Dixon Brothers and Mainer's Mountaineers, but for the most part, these performers will probably be unfamiliar to everybody except scholars and aficionados in the field. While they might have originated in the same region, this music shares many of the characteristics of early American recordings of what was then marketed as hillbilly music: plaintive heartfelt singing (and sometimes harmonizing); lively ensemble playing by varying combinations of guitar, fiddle, and banjo; and a repertoire growing out of traditional folk songs, even if the songs were sometimes written by the musicians (such as the one penned by Cranford & Thompson in honor of outlaw Otto Wood). The most renowned of these specific tracks by far is the first recorded version of "Tom Dooley" (by Grayson & Whitter in 1929), about 30 years before the Kingston Trio took it to the top of the charts, though both the tune and arrangement are much different in this early guise. Some other songs continue to echo as standards in the American popular music consciousness, such as "That Lonesome Valley" (here done by Carolina Ramblers String Band), "In the Pines" (here performed by "Dock" Walsh), and a variation of "In the Pines," "The Longest Train" (here presented by Mainer's Mountaineers). The 24-page booklet is of exceptional quality, with historical liner notes that comment upon each track and even offer a history of outlaw Otto Wood, as well as superb vintage photos of North Carolina folk musicians.-- AllMusic Review by Richie Unterberger

Scottdale String Band: Old Folks Better Go To Bed

Early Country Blues, Rags, & Breakdowns

Arhoolie Records – ARH7054

Label: Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2014
Genre: Blues, World, & Country
Style: Country Blues, Breakdown
[Tracklist]
01 Chinese Breakdown (03:03)
02 Carbolic Rag (03:14)
03 Carolina Glide (03:05)
04 Stone Mountain Wobble (03:14)
05 Southern Blues (03:02)
06 Old Folks Better Go to Bed (02:50)
07 My Own Iona (03:10)
08 Hiawatha Breakdown (03:07)
09 Scottdale Stomp (02:51)
10 Silver Bell (03:16)
11 In the Shade of the Parasol (03:09)
12 Green Mountain Polka (03:12)
13 Kohala March (03:14)
14 The Moonshiners' Waltz (03:20)
15 Coughdrop Blues (03:15)
16 Scottdale Highballers (03:16)
17 Sitting on Top of the World (03:10)
18 Down Yonder (02:56)
19 Japanese Breakdown (03:13)
[Credits]
Barney Pritchard (guitar) Belvey Freeman (banjo-mandolin) Marvin Head (guitar)
[Notes]
In the first golden age of country music from the mid-1920s until the early 30s the Scottdale String Band held one of the leading names in OKeh Records' catalog of Old Time Tunes. The band took its name from the cotton mill village of Scottdale located between Decatur and Clarkston in DeKalb County Georgia. Groups of mandolins banjos and guitars in varying combinations were quite well represented on records in those years. But the Scottdale String Band's extensive and diverse legacy of sparkling performances ranging from ragtime tunes and popular songs to waltzes breakdowns and blues sets them apart from their contemporaries.

The Continuing Tradition

Vol. 1: Ballads A Folk-Legacy Sampler

Folk-Legacy Records – FSI75

Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilationr
Country: US
Released: 1981
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A1 The False Knight Upon the Road: Tony & Irene Saletan (3:36)
A2 Black Jack Gypsy: Ed Trickett with the New Golden Ring (5:37)
A3 Five Nights Drunk (Our Goodman): Max Hunter (4:31)
A4 Lost Jimmy Whelan: Joan Sprung (3:46)
A5 Renardine: Joe Hickerson with the New Golden Ring (5:49)
B1 The Butcher Boy: Betty Smith (3:38)
B2 Green Island Shore: Gordon Bok (2:02)
B3 Driving Saw-Logs on the Plover: Helen Bonchek Schneyer (6:07)
B4 Buffalo Skinners: Harry Tuft (3:53)
B5 Working on the New Railroad: Sara Grey with the New Golden Ring (5:59)
B6 I'll Hit the Road Again: Grant Rogers (2:32)
[Credits]
Liner Notes: Sandy & Caroline Paton, Cover Artwork: Gordon Bok Photographer: Sandy Paton
[Notes]
This collection of ballads, originally compiled in 1981 from unreleased archival materials, presents a wide range of artists from the Folk-Legacy Records catalog. Though all derived the Anglo-American tradition, the ballads on this record are of several origins, including orally-transmitted Child ballads, printed broadsides, and occupational ballads. For those unacquainted with Folk-Legacy Records, this release provides a strong introduction to the label.

Elizabeth Mitchell: The Sounding Joy

Christmas Songs In and Out of the Ruth Crawford Seeger Songbook

Smithsonian Folkways – SFW45074

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2013
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
01 Oh, Mary And The Baby, Sweet Lamb (1:36)
02 Mary Had A Baby (3:11)
03 Rise Up, Shepherd, And Follow (2:43)
04 January, February (Last Month Of The Year) (4:00)
05 Joseph And Mary (The Cherry Tree Carol) (4:40)
06 Shine Like A Star In The Morning (2:19)
07 Joy To The World (3:06)
0 Christmas Day In The Morning (2:19)
9 Mother's Child (Child Of God) (2:28)
10 Sting-A-Lamb (1:56)
11 Great Big Stars (1:34)
12 Baby Born Today (2:37)
13 Ain't That A-Rockin' All Night (1:57)
14 Cradle Hymn (2:41)
15 Bright Morning Stars Are Rising (3:14)
16 Sing Hallelu (1:46)
17 The First Noel (2:41)
18 The Blessings Of Mary (4:05)
19 Oh, Watch The Stars (2:17)
20 Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming (1:42)
21 Mary Was The Queen Of Galilee (2:25)
22 Silent Night (3:22)
23 Singing In The Land (5:48)
24 Children, Go Where I Send Thee (6:56)
[Credits]
Elizabeth Mitchell (harmonium/vocals) Warren Defever (bass/guitar) Byron Isaacs (bass/guitar) Nancy Chusid (Bass) Molly Mason (bass/dulcimer) Larry Campbell (banjo/mandolin) Michael Merenda (vanjo/vocals) Suzan-Lori Parks (harmonica/washboard/vocals) John Sebastian (harmonica/vocals) Peggy Seeger (guitar/vocals) Happy Traum (guitar/vocals) Ruth Ungar (fiddle/vocals) Dan Zanes (harmonica/vocals) Chris Wood (bass/vocals) Clem Waldmann (drums/percussion) Jay Ungar (banjo/fiddle/viola) Kirsten Jacobson (flute/piano) Elizabeth Jerez-Clarke (harp) Jean Cook (fiddle) Abby Newton (cello) Emily Schaad (viola)Gail Ann Dorsey (vocals) Ken Ejinkonye (vocals) Lyn Hardy (vocals) Amy Helm (vocals) Michael Littleton (vocals) Penny Littleton (vocals) Storey Littleton (vocals) Natalie Merchan (vocals) Aoife O'Donovan (vocals) Joan Osborne (vocals) Anna Padgett (vocals) Sophia Reynolds (vocals) Simi Stone (vocals) Teresa Williams (vocals)
Daniel Littleton (bells/guitar/harmonica/harmonium/kalimba/percussion/piano/xylophone/vocals)
Producer & Liner Notes: Elizabeth Mitchell & Daniel Littleton, Liner Notes: Natalie Merchant, Cover Artwork: Brian Selznick, Designer: Sonya Cohen Cramerr, Photographer: Jana Leon, Engineers: Justin Guip, Elijah Walker & Pete Reiniger
[Notes]
The Sounding Joy is a spirited collection of folk carols drawn from Ruth Crawford Seeger's 1953 songbook American Folk Songs for Christmas. Featuring Elizabeth Mitchell and a luminary list of her musical family, friends, and neighbors, this album celebrates the spirit of community and homespun traditions that existed in times before the commercialization of Christmas. Natalie Merchant, Aoife O'Donovan, Amy Helm, John Sebastian, Dan Zanes, Happy Traum, and many others including special guest Peggy Seeger all add their voices to pay tribute to a collection revered in the canon of American Music. 70 minutes, 32-page booklet with photos.

The Village Out West: The Lost Tapes of Alan Oakes

Field Recordings of the 1960s California Folk Music Scene

Smithsonian Folkways - SFW40245

Format: 2 x CD, Album
Released: 2021
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Old Time
[Disk One]
01 Beaumont Rag: Hank Bradley and Rick Shubb (3:13)
02 Oh, Had I A Golden Thread: Larry Hanks and Roger Perkins (3:58)
03 Westphalia Waltz: Ron Hughey, Frank Hicks, and Pete Everwine (2:52)
04 Raggedy Pat: LaWanda Ultan (1:37)
05 8th of January: The Sweet's Mill Mountain Boys with Kenny Hall (2:23)
06 Leaning on the Everlasting Arms: Merritt Herring (2:33)
07 The Billboard Song: Doc Watson (2:12)
08 Write Me a Few of Yo Lines: Mississippi Fred McDowell (4:22)
09 Milwaukee Blues: Dr. Humbead's New Tranquility String Band (2:49)
10 Swallow Song: Kathy & Carol (1:34)
11 Charlie's Neat and Charlie's Sweet / Weevilly Wheat: Jerry Houck, Larry Hanks, and Tom Ninkovich (2:04)
12 Girl I Left in Sunny Tennessee: Jim Ringer, Ron Tinkler, and the Sweets Mill Mountain Boys (2:08)
13 Gimme That Old Time Religion: Rev. Gary Davis (4:09)
14 Talking Union: Gene Bluestein (2:42)
15 All My Friends Gonna Be Strangers: Kilby Snow (1:54)
16 Texas Quickstep: The Sweet’s Mill Mountain Boys with Kenny Hall (1:15)
17 Long Time a-Growing: Caroline Paton (4:00)
18 Mardi Gras Dance: Jerry Houck (3:30)
19 Lady of Carlisle: Don Rollins (aka Abel Fortune) (3:59)
20 White Winged Dove: Mark Spoelstra (4:28)
21 Sardines and Pork and Beans: Sandy and Caroline Paton (1:22)
22 Hoop-e-Kack: Dad Crockett and Frank Hicks (2:29)
23 Down, Down, Derry Down: Merritt Herring (2:55)
24 Walking Down That Railroad Line: Larry Hanks and Mark Spoelstra (4:16)
25 Duna: Ed Trickett (2:11)
26 Orange Blossom Special: Hank Bradley, Rick Shubb, and Doc Watson (4:18)
[Disk Two]
01 Fire on the Mountain: The Sweet's Mill Mountain Boys with Kenny Hall (1:28)
02 When the Curfew Blows: Sandy and Jeanie Darlington (1:48)
03 Ragtime Annie: Hank Bradley and Rick Shubb featuring Doc Watson (2:58)
04 The Hounds are Out (The Innocent Hare): Allan MacLeod (3:15)
05 Bachelor Blues: The New Lost City Ramblers (1:13)
06 Jimmy Whelan: Roger Renwick (3:41)
07 Paddy, Won't You Drink Some Cider?: The Sweet's Mill Mountain Boys with Kenny Hall (1:17)
08 Good Night Waltz: Ron Hughey and Frank Hicks (2:08)
09 Searchin': Kathy & Carol with Will Scarlett (2:30)
10 The Clouds Gwine Roll Away: Doc Watson (2:41)
11 Northfield: Larry Hanks, Roger Perkins, Kathy Larisch, and Carol McComb (2:02)
12 Baby, Let Me Lay It on You: Rev. Gary Davis (2:56)
13 Talking Fishing Blues: Larry Hanks (5:01)
14 Sweet Sunny South: Jerry Houck (2:27)
15 Play Run Run: Mark Spoelstra (2:29)
16 Cherokee Shuffle: Hank Bradley and Sandy Rothman featuring Doc Watson (3:21)
17 Bringing Mary Home: Kilby Snow (2:34)
18 The Lost Trapper: The Sweet’s Mill Mountain Boys with Kenny Hall (1:38)
19 Don't Mistreat Nobody (Cause You Got a Few Dimes): Mississippi Fred McDowell (4:19)
20 Billy in the Lowground: Hank Bradley and Rick Shubb featuring Doc Watson (3:31)
21 The Curlew's Song: Merritt Herring (3:55)
22 Jamie Raeburn's Farewell: Will Spires (4:02)
23 Hesitation Blues: Rev. Gary Davis (4:06)
24 I'm a Rover and Seldom Sober: Sandy and Caroline Paton (2:54)
25 O, Them Golden Slippers: Hank Bradley and Rick Shubb (2:06)
[Credits]
Recorder: Alan Oakes, Producer and Liner Notes: Deborah Robins, Jeff Place and Henry H. Sapoznik, Liner Notes: Hank Bradley and James Deutsch, Designer: Cooley Design Lab, Engineers: Jordan Cunningham and Ronnie Simpkins
[Notes]
The Village Out West celebrates the underappreciated bastion of the Folk Revival that emerged in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1960s, a counterpoint to the seminal New York City scene that has dominated the historical narrative. Compiled from a vast array of recordings by autodidact recording engineer Alan Oakes, the two-CD set features legendary names like Hank Bradley, Rev. Gary Davis, Larry Hanks, Mississippi Fred McDowell, New Lost City Ramblers, and Doc Watson, as well as unsung heroes of the local California communities that turned the region into fertile ground for American music. This music triumphantly transcends the passage of the decades with its luminous and passionate presence, making the case for California as a crucial hotbed for some of the most impressive and diverse folk music of the 20th century.

John Hartford: Mark Twang

Flying Fish – FF 020

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1976
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
A1 Skippin In The Mississippi Dew (3:00)
A2 Long Hot Summer Days (3:38)
A3 Let Him Go On Mama (3:50)
A4 Don't Leave Your Records In The Sun (2:25)
A5 Tater Tate And Allen Mundy (3:40)
B1 The Julia Belle Swain (3:45)
B2 Little Cabin Home On The Hill Waugh Waugh (1:12)
B3 Austin Minor Sympathy (6:45)
B4 The Lowest Pair (1:05)
B5 Tryin' To Do Something To Get Your Attention (5:30)
[Credits]
John Hartford (banjo/guitar/fiddle/plywood/vocals)
Producer: Mike Melford, Liner Notes: John Hartford, Cover Art: W.C. Matthews, Illustratior: Willy Matthe, Photographers: Marty Gurnik, Michelle Kingsley & Fred Way Jr., Engineer: Claude Hill
[Notes]
Mark Twang is a 1976 album by American bluegrass singer-songwriter and instrumentalist John Hartford. Much of his songs for the album were inspired by Hartford's experiences working on a riverboat. The album was recorded all acoustic in the studio with Hartford by himself on all instruments and vocals. At the Grammy Awards of 1977, Mark Twang won the Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording.

Gérard Dôle and his Backdoor Cajuns: Hey Madeleine!

Folkways Records – FA 2627

Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: US
Released: 1985
Genre: Cajun, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Cajun
[Tracklist]
A1 Hey Madeleine! (2:39)
A2 Mon Couer T'Appelle2:32)
A3 Les Tracas du Hobo Blues (2:33)
A4 La Valse du Pont D'Amour (2:36)
A5 Lafayette (2:29)
A6 French Harp Stomp (1:44)
B1 Prepare Toi, Je Viens Te Chercher (1:36)
B2 Vilaine Catherine (2:35)
B3 Jolie Catin (3:20)
B4 Si tu Cherches le Vent (2:50)
B5 Les Tits Yeux Noirs (2:55)
B6 Je Suis Gone Sur Les Grands Chemins (2:33)
[Credits]
Gérard Dôle (melodeon/fiddle/mouth organ/jews harp/triangle/drums/vocals) Dominique Renaudin (guitar/triangle/vocals) Pierre Chalfoun (fiddle) Dominique Poncet (guitar) Alain Casalis (fiddle) Adrien Studer (fiddle) Bans Studer (mouth organ/vocals) Beatrice Foucher (triangle) Tuck Certano (guitar/mandolin) Eric Stefanelli (banjo) Claude Nesci (pedal steel/bass)
Liner Notes: Gérard Dôle, Photographer: Jean David Joset
[Notes]
Performed by Frenchman Gérard Dôle and his band, The Backdoor Cajuns, the material on this album comes from early recordings of Cajun music. According to Dôle, a "backdoor Cajun" is someone not born in Louisiana who has nonetheless become very attached to the music.

Jolie Holland: Wine Dark Sea

ANTI Records – ANTI- 7280-2

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: May 2014
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
01 On and On (3:56)
02 First Sign of Spring (4:52)
03 Dark Days (5:17)
04 Route 30 (4:50)
05 I thought It Was the Moon (4:01)
06 The Love You Save (5:13)
07 All the Love (4:10)
08 Saint Dymphna (6:14)
09 Palm Wine Drunkard (6:06)
10 Out on the Wine Dark Sea (5:51)
11 Waiting for the Sun (5:59)
[Credits]
Jolie Holland (piano/whistle/fiddle/guitar/vocals) Doug Weiselman (guitar/bass/reeds) Chanticleer Tru (vocals) Geoffrey Muller (bass) Adam Brisbin (guitar) Indigo Street (guitar) Steve Silverstein (guitar) Justin Veloso (drums) Dan Rieser (drums) Douglas Jenkins (cello) Larry Crane (piano/synthesizer)
Engineers: Douglas Jenkins, Larry Crane, Steve Silverstein & Garrett Hainesg
[Notes]
Singer and songwriter Jolie Holland has immersed herself in the love of the various American musics since the very beginning of her career. From country and folk to blues, gospel, jazz, and 19th century parlor songs, she has always translated these forms with uncommon depth and understanding in her uniquely revealing songs. That said, Wine Dark Sea is somewhat of a departure. Her players -- two drummers, three additional guitarists (all of whom often play simultaneously), and reeds, winds, and bass -- come from the more experimental side of New York's music scene.

Where Did You Sleep Last Night

Lead Belly Legacy, Vol. 1

Smithsonian Folkways – SFW40044

Series: Lead Belly Legacy
Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1996
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country Blues
[Tracklist]
01 Irene (1:54)
02 Pick A Bale Of Cotton (1:32)
03 Good Morning Blues (2:27)
04 Grey Goose (1:27)
05 In The Pines (2:10)
06 Take This Hammer (2:17)
07 On A Monday (1:49)
08 Cotton Fields (2:09)
09 Bring A Little Water Sylvie (0:52)
10 Moanin' (1:03)
11 Laura (1:44)
12 Duncan And Brady (4;09)
13 Rock Island Line (2:06)
14 Big Fat Woman (1:14)
15 New Orleans (The Rising Sun Blues) (1:55)
16 Chicken Crowing For Midnight (1:07)
17 You Can't Lose Me Cholly (2:40)
18 Sally Walker (2:42)
19 Ha Ha This A Way (1:37)
20 Yellow Gal (1:19)
21 Green Corn (1:18)
22 Let It Shine On Me (3:32)
23 Meeting At The Building (1:02)
24 In The Evening When The Sun Goes Down (3:32)
25 Pigmeat (2:36)
26 Blind Lemon (1:43)
27 Bottle Up And Go (1:55)
28 Sukey Jump (1:08)
29 Old Riley (2:01)
30 4, 5, And 9 (2:37)
31 No Good Rider (2:08)
32 Shorty George (1:31)
33 Duncan And Brady (Acapella) (1:09)
34 Leaving Blues (2:21)
[Credits]
Lead Belly (guitar/vocals)
Producer and Compiler: Jeff Place, Anthony Seeger and Matt Walters, Compiler: Pete Reiniger, Recorder: Moses Asch, Mastering Engineer: Joe Gastwirt
[Notes]
Forty years after his death, Lead Belly's songs and style have continued to influence folk, blues, and rock artists including Neil Young, William Styron, Ben Harper, Keb' Mo, Dionne Farris, and the late Kurt Cobain (Nirvana). Between 1941 and 1947 Lead Belly recorded some of his best music in Moses Asch's tiny New York studio. The only surviving Asch masters of Lead Belly are now part of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. For the first time in almost 50 years these original acetates have been carefully remastered and newly annotated. 34 tracks, including Irene, Where Did You Sleep Last Night, In the Evening When the Sun Goes Down, and Rock Island Line. Originally released as a tribute to Lead Belly after his death in 1948, this reissue includes many out-takes and previously unreleased and alternate versions. Extensive notes include Lead Belly’s own song commentary. Annotated by Jeff Place. Compiled by Jeff Place, Anthony Seeger and Kip Lornell. "The soul expressed is full-fledged and sublime." — New England Folk Almanac

Putumayo Presents American Folk

Putumayo World Music – P240-A

Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2005
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Folk Rock
[Tracklist]
01 Pale Moon: Shannon McNally (4:37)
02 You Don't Make It Easy Babe: Josh Ritter (2:30)
03 She Don't Like Roses: Christine Kane (4:45)
04 Don't Look For Me: Jeffrey Foucault (3:01)
05 Pour: Lori McKenna (3:45)
06 I Had Something: Lucy Kaplansky (4:14)
07 Shirt: Peter Mulvey (3:07)
08 Boots Of Spanish Leather: Nanci Griffith (5:17)
09 Rowing Song: Patty Griffin (3:22)
10 Jubilee: (2:51)
11 Owensboro: Natalie Merchant (4:20)
12 Judge Not Your Brother: Eric Bibb (4:33)
[Credits]
Producer: Dan Storper, Liner Notes: Jim Bessman, Illustrator: Nicola Heindl, Designer: Liliane Van Balberghe, Photographers: Danielle Hutchins, George Leisey and Abigail Seymour, Engineer: Emily Lazar
[Notes]
Putumayo is primarily a world music label; whether the focus is Celtic, African, Middle Eastern, Caribbean, or Latin music, the vast majority of Putumayo's compilations have had some type of world music connection. But American Folk is an exception -- and while this compilation doesn't unearth the sort of delightfully unorthodox things Putumayo has a way of finding (such as Scottish and Japanese artists playing salsa), it is a disc that isn't lacking when it comes to quality. As its title suggests, this 46-minute, 12-track CD spotlights American folk recordings -- specifically, American folk-rock recordings of the '90s and 2000s. Instead of getting into folkies who made their mark in the '50s or '60s, American Folk sets out to demonstrate that folk-rock is alive and well in the 21st century -- and many of the artists are people who emerged in the '80s, '90s, or 2000s, including Patty Griffin, Lucy Kaplansky, Shannon McNally, Josh Ritter, Christine Kane, and Nanci Griffith (who shines on an intimate remake of Bob Dylan's "Boots of Spanish Leather"). Natalie Merchant, meanwhile, is in fine form on her 2003 recording of the traditional "Owensboro," which favors a sparer and more stripped-down approach than most of her recordings with 10,000 Maniacs or her 1995 solo debut Tigerlily. Given Putumayo's history of being ultra-adventurous, it wouldn't have been surprising if they had come up with something by artists who are really pushing the folk-rock envelope (such as Adam Brodsky and Deirdre Flint, two Philadelphia-based anti-folk/folk-rock artists known for their madcap, over-the-top humor). But while American Folk isn't as daring as other Putumayo releases, it's still a worthwhile, engaging disc that paints an attractive picture of folk-rock in the 21st century.-- AllMusic Review by Alex Henderson

Indian Summer: Original Soundtrack

Pete Seeger and Mike Seeger

Folkways Records – FS 3851

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono
Country: US
Released: 1960
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A1 Indian Summer: Complete Original Soundtrack (25:32)
B1 Horizontal Lines (6:10)
B2 The Many-Colored Paper (5:45)
B3 The Country Fiddle A (1:28)
B4 The Country Fiddle B (1:28)
B5 The Country Fiddle C (1:19)
[Credits]
Mike Seeger (fiddle/banjo/guitar/chalil/harmonica/organ/drum) Pete Seeger (guitar/banjo)
Producer: Jules Victor Schwerin, Liner Notes: Moses Asch, Designer: Ronald Clyne
[Notes]
Pete Seeger and Mike Seeger composed and performed the music for the soundtrack to Indian Summer, singing and playing fiddle, five-string banjo, guitar, twelve-string guitar, chalil (bamboo flute), harmonica, pump organ and drum. As Pete notes, this is an "attempt to demonstrate what can be done with relatively simple American folk instruments to provide a programmatic score closely following the action on the screen."

Pete Seeger at the Village Gate

With Memphis Slim and Wee Willie Dixon

Folkways Records – FA 2450

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono
Country: US
Released: 1960
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A1 I'm On My Way to Canaan's Land (3:19)
A2 Hieland Laddie (3:09)
A3 Tina Singu (2:53)
A4 Soon As We All Cook Sweet Potatoes (3:10)
A5 Worried Man Blues (3:54)
A6 Oh, Mary Don't You Weep (4:59)
B1 Don't You Weep After Me (4:08)
B2 Pretty Polly (2:46)
B3 Jacob's Ladder (4:43)
B4 Time's A-Getting Hard (2:23)
B5 Bayeza (2:41)
B6 The Quiz Show (3:14)
B7 New York City (1:58)
B8 The Midnight Special (1:53)
[Creduts]
Pete Seeger (banjo/vocals) Memphis Slim (piano/vocals) Wee Willie Dixon (bass/vocals)
Liner Notes: Pete Seeger, Photographer: David Gahr
[Notes]
A paean to the joys of live performance, this album features rousing singalongs, blues, spirituals, and songs from South Africa and the Bahamas. Willie Dixon and Memphis Slim join Seeger in this performance, which includes "The Quizmasters," Ernie Marrs' song about the deals politicians make with big business—written in 1959 but relevant today.

Blues Roots / Mississippi

Folkways Records – RBF 14

Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1966
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country Blues, Delta Blues
[Tracklist]
A1 Canned Heat Blues: Tommy Johnson (3:43)
A2 Big Fat Mama Blues: Tommy Johnson (3:18)
A3 Big Road Blues: Tommy Johnson (3:24)
A4 Barbecue Bust: Mississippi Jook Band (2:42)
A5 My Grey Pony: Big Joe Williams (3:12)
A6 Cigaret Blues: Bo Carter (3:22)
A7 All Around Man: Bo Carter (3:03)
B1 I Believe I'll Dust My Broom: Robert Johnson (3:05)
B2 Honeymoon Blues: Robert Johnson (2:24)
B3 That Lonesome Train Took My Baby Away: Charlie McCoy (3:02)
B4 Whiskey Head Man: Tommy McClennan (2:52)
B5 Bertha Lee Blues: Robert Petway (3:00)
B6 Miss Louisa Blues: Sonny Boy Williamson (3:04)
[Credits]
Compiled & Annotated: Samuel Charters, Designer: Ronald Clyne, Photographer: Ann Charters
[Notes]
From the early blues of Son House, Willie Brown, and Charley Patton to the assertive music of the Depression, the Mississippi delta has produced songs and singers with a fierce honesty that has ensured the style's enduring popularity. This selection features a range of songs and extensive liner notes.

If You Ain't Got The Do-Re-Mi

Smithsonian Folkways – SFW40195

Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: Mar 13, 2007
Genre: Reggae, Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Country Blues, Calypso
[Tracklist]
01 Wall Street Rag: Ann Charters (3:51)
02 Empty Pocket Blues: Pete Seeger (1:29)
03 Do-Re-Mi: Woody Guthrie (2:31)
04 Bill Morgan and His Gal: The New Lost City Ramblers (2:55)
05 One Meat Ball: Josh White (3:09)
06 Jim Fisk: June Lazare (2:51)
07 Gallis Pole: Lead Belly (2:44)
08 Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?: Joe Glazer (3:59)
09 Yankee Dollar: Lord Invader (2:28)
10 If I Had a Million Dollars: Speckled Red (4:25)
11 Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out: Rolf Cahn and Eric Von Schmidt (4:46)
12 If I Lose, I Don't Care: The New Lost City Ramblers (2:57)
13 Banks of Marble: Pete Seeger (3:13)
14 The Old Arm Chair: Gale Huntington (3:36)
15 The Money Rolls In: Derek Lamb (1:18)
16 Business: Pete Seeger (2:04)
17 If You Lose Your Money: Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee (2:40)
18 Union Maid: Almanac Singers (2:08)
19 Greenback Dollar: Kilby Snow (1:45)
20 The Miller and His Sons: Horton Barker (3:12)
21 Penny's Farm: Pete Seeger (1:47)
22 Billy Grimes the Rover: The New Lost City Ramblers (2:28)
23 Ida Mae: Joe Glazer (2:20)
24 Last Gold Dollar: Bascom Lamar Lunsford (1:15)
25 Black Dog Blues: The Stoneman Family (2:10)
26 I Don't Want Your Millions Mister: Almanac Singers (2:54)
27 Pretty Boy Floyd: Woody Guthrie (3:03)
[Credits]
Compilers: Jack Manischewitz and John Herzog, Liner Notes: Jeff Place, Designer: Joe Parisi, Engineer: Pete Reiniger
[Notes]
As a subject, money has always generated great interest. If You Ain't Got the Do Re Mi celebrates the songs and singers whose words express the human side of money: hope or frustration, criticism or humor, desire or avowed disinterest. This compilation from the Smithsonian Folkways archive marks the opening of the Museum of American Finance on New York City’s Wall Street, and lets the voices of Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Lead Belly, and other folk music legends ring out their stories of rags and riches. 24-page booklet. 74 minutes.

Levon Helm: American Son

MCA Records – MCA-5120

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1980
Genre: Rock, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country Rock, Blues Rock
[Tracklist]
A1 Watermelon Time In Georgia (3:53)
A2 Dance Me Down Easy (2:51)
A3 Violet Eyes (3:10)
A4 Stay With Me (3:03)
A5 America's Farm (3:09)
B1 Hurricane (4:04)
B2 China Girl (3:18)
B3 Nashville Wimmin (4:13)
B4 Blue House Of Broken Hearts (3:29)
B5 Sweet Peach Georgia Wine (3:51)
[Credits]
Levon Helm (drums/harmonica/vocals) Jerry Shook (guitar/mandolin) Buddy Emmons (steel guitar) Kenneth Buttrey (drums) Jerry Carrigan (drums) Hargus Robbins (piano) Bobby Ogdin (organ/piano) Billy Sanford (guitar) Henry Strzelecki (bass) Mitch Humphries (organ) Steve Gibson (guitar) Steve Schaffer (bass) Clifford Robertson (organ) Beegie Adair (piano) Buster Phillips (drums)
Producers: Jim Foglesong and Fred Carter, Jr., Designers: George Osaki and Andy Engel, Illustratior: Joo Chung, Engineers: Joe Mills, Ernie Winfrey and Bobby Bradley
[Notes]
While recording a few songs for the movie Coal Miner's Daughter, in which he played Loretta Lynn's father, Levon Helm and friends just kept the tape rolling. American Son offers ten songs (the single "Blue Moon of Kentucky" b/w "Working in a Coal Mine" offers two more) from those productive sessions. A band of Nashville veterans replaces the superstar lineup of Helm's first two albums. The resulting record has a relaxed groove that kicks in with "Watermelon Time in Georgia" and doesn't let up. The terrific "Hurricane" evokes the Band's second album, while "Violet Eyes" and "China Girl" are highlighted by engaging harmonies. American Son is considered by many to be Levon's best solo album.-- Allmusic Review by J.P. Ollio

Alice Stuart: All The Good Times

Arhoolie Records – ARH9034

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1964
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A1 Leavin' Home (2:20)
A2 I'll Pawn You My Gold Watch And Chain (2:30)
A3 Beatnick (2:30)
A4 Seven Daffodils (3:20)
A5 Black Jack David (2:00)
A6 James Alley Blues (2:30)
A7 Everyday Dirt (2:00)
B1 Once I Had Sweetheart (3:00)
B2 Stackerlee (4:10)
B3 Bad Girl (3:05)
B4 Seven Beers With The Wrong Woman (2:30)
B5 I Can't Help But Wonder (3:10)
B6 All The Good Times (2:25)
[Credits]
Alice Stuart (banjo/guitar/vocals)
Producer: Chris Scrachwitz, Photographer: Kelly Hart, Designers: Wayne Pope and Morgan Dodge
[Notes]
Americana "songster" Alice Stuart recorded her first album in 1964, following an appearance at the Berkeley Folk Music Festival. Her repertoire included traditional folk and old-time country and blues songs that were a staple of American folk music in the 1960s. This reissue includes eight songs not included on the original LP.

900 Miles and other R.R. Songs sung by Cisco Houston

Folkways Records – FA2013

Format: Vinyl, Album
Country: US
Released: 1953
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A01 900 Miles (3:41)
A02 Gettin' Up Holler (1:26)
A03 The Roamer (0:45)
A04 The Wreck of the Old 97 (1:21)
A05 Hobo Bill (1:29)
A06 The Great American Bum (1:55)
A07 The Brave Engineer (1:54)
A08 The Gambler (1:42)
A09 The Rambler (1:30)
A10 Railroad Bill (1:47)
A11 Worried Man Blues (3:01)
B01 Chisholm Trail (2:00)
B02 Diamond Joe (2:29)
B03 Old Paint (2:02)
B04 Little Joe, The Wrangler (2:41)
B05 The Dying Cowboy (3:03)
B06 Stewball (2:26)
B07 Trouble in Mind (3:30)
B08 Sweet Betsy from Pike (2:04)
B09 Tying a Knot in the Devil's Tail (2:21)
[Credits]
Cisco Houston (guitar/vocals)
Producer: Moses Asch, Introduction: Charles E. Smith, Photographer: Association of American Railroads
[Notes]
Railroaders and cowboys share a need for music to bolster their spirits during long days and to celebrate night's freedom. Cisco Houston sings ballads from the range and from the lonesome track, where "the drivers are still rolling, and the gamblers and work gangs, boomers and bums, are highballing it out of nowhere, nine hundred miles from home." CD combines original LP release along with FW02022 Cowboy Ballads.

John Hartford: Gum Tree Canoe

Flying Fish – FF289

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1984
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
A1 I'm Still Here (2:53)
A2 Way Down The River Road (2:17)
A3 Gum Tree Canoe (4:05)
A4 Your Long Journey (2:25)
A5 Jug Harris (2:24)
B1 Little Piece Of My Heart (3:11)
B2 Take Me Back To My Mississippi River Home (3:53)
B3 Lorena (4:44)
B4 Wrong Road Again (2:49)
B5 No Expectations (4:06)
[Credits]
John Hartford (banjo/guitar/fiddle/plywood/vocals) Sam Bush (mandolin) Roy Huskey (bass) Jack Clement (dobro/guitar/ukulele) Jerry Douglas (dobro) Mark Howard (guitar) Marty Stuart (mandolin) Kenny Malone (drums/percussion) Mark O'Connor (fiddle/guitar/mandolin) Billy Lee Riley (french harp) Richard Schulman (vocals) Jeannie Seely (vocals) Tommy Hannum (vocals)
[Notes]
Hartford's most even Flying Fish album, with equal measures of songwriting whimsy and expert musicianship, Gum Tree Canoe includes a number of tunes that would remain concert staples for the length of his career. From the relaxed stroll of the album's title track to a rendition of Doc Watson's "Your Long Journey" to an original breakneck bluegrass instrumental, "Jug Harris," there's not a clinker to be heard. Hartford's banjo playing is exceptional, as is the accompaniment provided by a host of fine country, bluegrass, and newgrass pickers, Roy Huskey, Jr., Sam Bush, and Jerry Douglas among them. Riverboat tales, an R&B staple, and the Rolling Stones couldn't sound more at home together than they do on this fine album from one of roots music's genuine originals. Flying Fish's remastered CD, issued in 2001, includes two previously unreleased tunes and a short written tribute by Hartford String Band banjo player Bob Carlin.-- AllMusic Review by Brian Beatty

Kathy & Carol

Elektra – EKS-7289

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo
Country: US
Released: 1965
Genre: Rock, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A1 Sprig Of Thyme (2:59)
A2 George Collins (2:46)
A3 The Blacksmith (3:51)
A4 Fair Beauty Bright (2:32)
A5 Green Rocky Road (2:28)
A6 The Grey Cock (4:48)
B1 Wondrous Love (2:25)
B2 Carter's Blues (2:57)
B3 Lady Maisry (4:04)
B4 Brightest And Best (3:08)
B5 Gold Watch And Chain (3:29)
B6 Just A Hand To Hold (4:55)
[Credits]
Kathy Larisch (guitar/vocals/autoharp) Carol McComb (guitar/vocals/autoharp)
Producer: Jac Holzman, Liner Notes: John Cohen and Kathy Larisch, Photographer: James Frawley, Designer: William S. Harvey, Recording Director: Paul A. Rothchild, Recorder: Paul A. Rothschild
[Notes]
The duo of Kathy Larisch (guitar/vocals/autoharp) and Carol McComb (guitar/vocals/autoharp) seemingly disappeared from the mid-'60s folk scene as quickly as they appeared, releasing only this long-player. Kathy & Carol (1965) contains a dozen acoustic and primarily time-honored selections, featuring sparse yet effective accompaniment from the pair themselves. In a literal sense of the word, they are traditionalists boasting unmatched interpretive skills. Although the performance style is on par with the likes of Joan Baez, Carolyn Hester, and Bonnie Dobson, the amalgamation of voices creates an ethereal timbre permeating every line. The closeness and precision of their harmonies is difficult to accurately describe. There is an intimacy and timelessness that lends itself well to the lovelorn and chaste "Sprig of Thyme," or the infusion of a disparate version of the Francis Child ballad "Lady Alice" on "George Collins." While McComb and Larisch are self-taught, the complexity within the grooves of the Carter Family classic "Gold Watch and Chain" indicates a sophistication and presumably innate musicality that, simply stated, cannot be taught. Kathy & Carol also illuminate the Carter Family's "Carter Blues," a song that, according to the notes on the rear of the original LP jacket, was learned via Mike Seeger. The ladies give it a propitious and youthful visage that practically defies the lyrical content, building instead upon an effortless delivery. The a cappella numbers, "Wondrous Love" and "Blacksmith," are similarly distinguished by a virtually intangible and otherworldly quality as the focus lies solely on the pure blend. Arguably, the most familiar melody on the album is "Just a Hand to Hold," perhaps better-known as "He Was a Friend of Mine." The adaptation here is credited by way of their labelmate, Mark Spoelstra, whose own reading can be found on his 5 & 20 Questions (1965). In 2004 Collectors' Choice Music issued Kathy & Carol (1965) on CD for the first time, restoring this unquestionable landmark for generations of folk enthusiasts to come.-- AllMusic Review by Lindsay Planer

Bob Dylan: Self Portrait

Columbia – C2X 30050

Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, Textured Gatefold
Country: US
Released: Jun 8, 1970
Genre: Rock, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk Rock, Blues Rock, Country
[Tracklist]
A1 All The Tired Horses (3:11)
A2 Alberta #1 (2:55)
A3 I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know (2:22)
A4 Days Of 49 (5:42)
A5 Early Mornin' Rain (3:31)
A6 In Search Of Little Sadie (2:26)
B1 Let It Be Me (2:58)
B2 Little Sadie (1:58)
B3 Woogie Boogie (2:06)
B4 Belle Isle (2:28)
B5 Living The Blues (2:41)
B6 Like A Rolling Stone (5:14)
C1 Copper Kettle (3:32)
C2 Gotta Travel On (3:04)
C3 Blue Moon (2:26)
C4 The Boxer (2:45)
C5 The Mighty Quinn (Quinn, The Eskimo) (2:54)
C6 Take Me As I Am (Or Let Me Go) (2:59)
D1 Take A Message To Mary (2:44)
D2 It Hurts Me Too (3:16)
D3 Minstrel Boy (3:29)
D4 She Belongs To Me (2:42)
D5 Wigwam (3:08)
D6 Alberta #2 (3:20)
[Credits]
Bob Dylan (guitar/harmonica/keyboards/vocals) Performers: Al Kooper, Alvin Rogers, Albert W. Butler, Albertine Robinson, Barry McDonald, Bill Pursell, Bob Moore, Bob Wilson, Brenton Banks, Byron T. Bach, Carol Montgomery, Charlie Daniels, Charlie McCoy, David Bromberg, Dennis A. Good, Delores Edgin, Dottie Dillard, Doug Kershaw, Bubba Fowler, Emanuel Green, Frank C. Smith, Fred Carter, Jr., Frederick Hill, Garth Hudson, Gary Van Osdale, Gene A. Mullins, George Binkley, Hilda Harris, June Page, Karl T. Himmel, Kenneth Buttrey, Levon Helm, Lillian Hunt, Maeretha Stewart, Martha McCrory, Martin Katahn, Marvin D. Chantry, Millie Kirkham, Norman Blake , Oliver Mitchell, Peter Drake, Rex Peer, Richard Manuel, Rick Danko, Robbie Robertson, Ron Cornelius, Sheldon Kurland, Solie J. Fott, Stu Woods, Anthony Terron
Producer: Bob Johnston, Designer: Ron Coro, Paintin: Bob Dylan, Photographers: Al Clayton and John Cohen, Engineers: Don Puluse, Glynn Johns and Neil Wilburn
[Notes]
Self Portrait is the tenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on June 8, 1970, by Columbia Records. Self Portrait was Dylan's second double album (after Blonde on Blonde), and features many cover versions of well-known pop and folk songs. Also included are a handful of instrumentals and original compositions. Most of the album is sung in the affected country crooning voice that Dylan had introduced a year earlier on Nashville Skyline. Seen by some as intentionally surreal and even satirical at times, Self Portrait received extremely poor reviews.

Rock Goes Folk by the Topsiders

Josie – JOZ-4000

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono
Country: US
Released: 1963
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A1 Let The Good Times Roll (2:20)
A2 The Wayward Wind (2:06)
A3 Come Go With Me (2:43)
A4 Ain't That A Shame (3:06)
A5 Tammy (2:05)
A6 Diana (1:45)
B1 Heartbreak Hotel (2:15)
B2 Unchained Melody (2:50)
B3 Bye Bye Love (2:45)
B4 Venus (2:07)
B5 Devil Or Angel (2:55)
B6 Dream Lover (2:12)
[Credits]
Stu Hall (lead vocals) Sam MacMillan (banjo) Gaylen Oliver (guitar) Chuck Sunseri
[Notes]
The Topsiders decided to take popular hits of the day and rearrange them with a folk sound reminiscent of groups like the Weavers or the Kingston Trio. But they’re not just simply changing the style, they also change the chord progressions to make the songs sound more like folk songs. It’s an interesting experiment. Whether or not you think the experiment works depends on how much leeway you want to give these re-imagined versions.

The Unbroken Circle: The Musical Heritage of the Carter Family

Dualtone – 80302-01162-2

Format: CD, Album, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2004
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country, Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
01 Worried Man Blues: George Jones (3:11)
02 No Depression In Heaven: Sheryl Crow (3:20)
03 On The Sea of Galilee: Emmylou Harris with the Peasall Sisters(3:16)
04 Engine One-Forty-Three: Johnny Cash (3:38)
05 Never Let The Devil Get the Upper Hand of You: Marty Stuart & Fabulous Superlatives (4:50)
06 Little Moses: Janette and Joe Carter (2:19)
07 Black Jack David: Norman and Nancy Blake with Tim O'Brien (2:57)
08 Bear Creek Blues: John Prine (4:23)
09 You Are My Flower: Willie Nelson (2:39)
10 Single Girl, Married Girl: Shawn Colvin with Earl Scruggs and Randy Scruggs (2:19)
11 Will My Mother Know Me There?: The Whites with Ricky Skaggs (3:04)
12 The Winding Stream: Rosanne Cash (4:31)
13 Rambling Boy: The Del McCoury Band (4:24)
14 Hold Fast To The Right: June Carter Cash (2:55)
15 Gold Watch And Chain: The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band with Kris Kristofferson (4:06)
[Credits]
Producer: John Carter Cash
[Notes]
Country musicians, be they alternative, traditional, or neo-traditionalist, never tire of singing praises to the Carter Family. Heck, even the occasional rocker will say a few kind words about the Carter legacy. With this type of enthusiasm, there's never a bad time to put together a tribute album like The Unbroken Circle. The album is packed with VIPs like Emmylou Harris, George Jones, Sheryl Crow, and Willie Nelson, and it even includes no less than three Cashes (Johnny, June Carter, and Rosanne). Despite this impressive list, The Unbroken Circle gets a very rocky start with lukewarm efforts by Jones, Crow, Harris, and Johnny Cash. Jones and Cash sound fairly rough, and Harris' outing, backed by the Peasall Sisters, is underwhelming. Crow's appearance on a country record is somewhat surprising, and perhaps it was meant to add a little pizzazz to the disc. Unfortunately, she sings "No Depression in Heaven" as though she were auditioning for Freakwater. While the album never quite recovers from this early stumble, there are bright spots after those first four songs. Marty Stuart offers a truly superb version of "Never Let the Devil Get the Upper Hand of You," filled with creepy ambience and a fine vocal, while Janette and Joe Carter's take on "Little Moses" sounds more old-time than the Carter Family. There are solid offerings by Nelson, John Prine, and the Del McCoury Band before everything comes to a crash landing with the less polished contributions of June Carter Cash and Kris Kristofferson. While fans of the artists on this compilation may want to check it out, there are better Carter Family collections (Bristol by Ginny Hawker and Kay Justice and Songs of the Carter Family by Jody Stecher and Kate Brislin), and there's always the option of listening to the Carter Family themselves. -- AllMusic Review by Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.

Caribbean Folk Music, Vol. 1

Ethnic Folkways Library – FE4533

Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Box Set
Country: US
Released: 1960
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A1 Trulla de Navidad (Christmas Rush) (2:05)
A2 Baquine (3:18)
A3 Arada Dance (2:23)
A4 Kumina Dance (2:12)
A5 Heel and Toe Polka (1:27)
A6 So Them Bad Minded (Calypso) (2:10)
B1 Stickman (Calypso) (2:15)
B2 Old Calypso (2:55)
B3 Bele Dance Song (0:56)
B4 Seven Step (3:03)
B5 Bamboula Dance (1:16)
B6 Lapli Tombe (1:22)
B7 Down into the Village Sammy Rider (2:44)
C1 One Bright Summer Morning (2:25)
C2 Song to Chango (2:42)
C3 Balile (Give Him Room) (3:54)
C4 Fignole (5:43)
C5 Nous Allons Dodo (1:34)
C6 Soir, Un (2:10)
D1 Afeduani (2:39)
D2 Serenade (3:10)
D3 Ba Anansi (Brother Anansi) (3:17)
D4 Mazurka (2:51)
D5 Vals Guadaloupienne (1:06)
D6 Aura Waltz (3:10)
D7 Corrido de Pancho Villa (3:22)
[Credits]
Producer: Harold Courlander
[Notes]
Whether purely instrumental or with a chorus, each of these recordings manages to capture the spirit of the English, Spanish, and French speaking Caribbean. Many of the recordings are of dance music as music and dance are commonly linked in Caribbean cultures. Representing fifteen countries this collection speaks to the vibrant nature of the West Indies where even a song like "Nous Allons Dodo" or "We're Going to Sleep" is anything short of a lullaby.