Red Star Singers: The Force of Life

Paredon – P-1023

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1974
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A1 Still Ain't Satisfied (2:26)
A2 Sunshine Silver Mine (5:39)
A3 I Won't Go (3:05)
A4 Can't Be Free Till Everybody Else Is (4:55)
A5 Vietnam Will Win! (5:52)
B1 Belly Of The Monster (8:00)
B2 A Women's Health Song (2:09)
B3 Pig Nixon (4:40)
B4 The Force Of Life (5:36)
[Credits]
Gary Lapow (guitar/vocals) Bonnie Lockhart (percussion/vocals) Ron Rosenbaum (guitar/vocals) Mike Margulis (bass/horn/vocals)
Technician: Richard Cohen, Artwork: Jane Norling and Karen Garrison, Photographer: Leonard Freed and Peter Ober, Engineer: John Vieira and Bob deSousaWanderer
[Notes]
The Red Star Singers were a San Francisco Bay–area group formed in 1971 "out of the needs of four individuals to unify, share, and socialize our personal experiences as musicians and revolutionaries." Members were Gary Lapow (guitar and lead vocals), Ron Rosenbaum (guitar and vocals), Mike Margulis (bass, French horn and vocals), and Bonnie Lockhart (percussion and lead vocals). This 1974 release, their only album recording, reflects their views of the social and political events of the period (Vietnam, Watergate, mine workers' safety). Although recorded in a sound studio, the band invited friends to sit in for several of the selections, most notably for the performance of "Pig Nixon" and "The Force of Life." The liner notes provide a brief biography about the group, the story behind the recording, and the song lyrics with music notation.

Peter Rowan & Don Edwards: High Lonesome Cowboy featuring Tony Rice and Norman Blake

Western Jubilee WJRC117520

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2002
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Country, Old Time
[Tracklist]
01 Take Me Back To The Range (4:12)
02 The Old Chisolm Trail (4:19)
03 Ramblin' Cowboy (4:31)
04 Reno Blues (3:26)
05 The Old Grey Mare Came Tearing Out Of The Wilderness (2:06)
06 Trail To Mexico (2:32)
07 The Night Guard (4:03)
08 Buddies In The Saddle (3:29)
09 Goodbye Old Paint (4:16)
10 Midnight On The Stormy Deep (9:04)
11 I'm Going To Leave Old Texas Now (6:00)
[Credits]
Peter Rowan (guitar/mandolin/banjo/vocals) Don Edwards (guitar/vocals) Norman Blake (guitar) Tony Rice (guitar) Nancy Blake (guitar) Billy Brigh (mandolin)
Producer: Don Edwards and Peter Rowan, Photographer: Owen Perkins and Donald Kallaus, Designer: David Weed and Jenna Shearn, Engineer: Sam McFadin, Doug Wilson, Butch Hause, Robert Vosgien and Pete Papageorges
[Notes]
High Lonesome Cowboy is a collaboration between legends of the acoustic music scene - cowboy singer Don Edwards, bluegrass pioneer Peter Rowan, roots icons Norman and Nancy Blake, and bluegrass guitar favorite Tony Rice. It was a top-selling recording when initially released by the Western Jubilee Recording Company in 2002 and was nominated for Best Traditional Folk Album at the 45th Grammy Awards. High Lonesome Cowboy showcases the heritage common to the traditional music of the Western ranges and the old-time mountain music of Appalachia. The eleven selections feature a mix of traditional songs and the works of songwriters foundational to the development of folk and country music, including Woody Guthrie, Bill Monroe, and Maybelle Carter.

Dom Flemons Presents Black Cowboys

Smithsonian Folkways – SFW CD 40224

Series: African American Legacy Recordings
Format: CD, Album, Stereo
Country: US
Released: Mar 23, 2018
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
01 Black Woman (1:41)
02 Texas Easy Street (3:52)
03 One Dollar Bill (3:42)
04 Going Down the Road Feelin' Bad (2:38)
05 Tyin' Knots in the Devil's Tail (2:50)
06 Home on the Range (4:32)
07 Ol' Proc (3:16)
08 John Henry y los vaqueros (1:59)
09 Po' Howard / Gwine Dig a Hole to Put the Devil In (5:15)
10 Knox County Stomp (2:06)
11 He's a Lone Ranger (3:41)
12 Steel Pony Blues (4:34)
13 Little Joe the Wrangler (3:40)
14 Charmin' Betsy (3:58)
15 Goodbye Old Paint (5:32)
16 Lonesome Old River Blues (2:42)
17 The March of Red River Valley (1:57)
18 Old Chisholm Trail (2:06)
[Credits]
Dom Flemons (guitar/dobro/bones/banjo/vocals) Dante Pope (bones/vocals) Brian Farrow (fiddle/vocals) Jimbo Mathus (mandolin/kazoo) Alvin Youngblood Hart (guitar) Dan Sheehy (guitarrón) Stuart Cole (bass)
Producer and Liner Notes: Dom Flemons, Producer: Daniel E. Sheehy, Liner Notes: Jim Griffith and Vania Kinard, Artwork: William Matthews, Photographer: Timothy Duffy, Engineer: Pete Reiniger, Bronson Tew and Charlie Pilzer
[Notes]
Dom Flemons presents Black Cowboys pays tribute to the music, culture, and the complex history of the golden era of the Wild West. In this single volume of music, the first of its kind, Flemons explores and re-analyzes this important part of our American identity. The songs and poems featured on the album take the listener on an illuminating journey from the trails to the rails of the Old West. This century-old story follows the footsteps of the thousands of African American pioneers who helped build the United States of America. 60 minutes, 40-page booklet with extensive notes and photos.

Tim O'Brien: Traveler

Howdy Skies Records – SUG-CD-3978

Format: CD, HDCD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2003
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
01 Kelly Joe's Shoes (03:33)
02 I've Endured (03:29)
03 Turn the Page Again (03:43)
04 Let Love Take You Back Again (04:21)
05 Restless Spirit Wandering (05:03)
06 Another Day (04:20)
07 On the Outside Looking In (04:07)
08 Forty-Nine Keep on Talkin' (03:27)
09 Family History (04:29)
10 Fell into Her Deep Blue Eyes (05:05)
11 Travelers (04:39)
12 Less & Less (03:25)
[Credits]
Tim O'Brien (mandolin/guitar/bouzouki/vocals) Dirk Powell (accordion/banjo/bass) John Doyle (guitar/bouzouki) Ray Bonneville (harmonica/vocals) Jerry Douglas (dobro) Béla Fleck (banjo) Casey Driessen (fiddle) Kenny Malone (percussion) Dennis Crouch (bass) Edgar Meyer (bass) Darrell Scott (vocals) Jon Randall Stewart (vocals) Jonell Mosser (vocals)
[Notes]
Traveler arrives like some horseman from the dusty past. His news is blunt, if not apocalyptic, with warnings that the future promises only "rotting flesh and broken bone." His chaps are stained with blood shed during the Civil War, and the trail he's followed from then until now runs alongside the Mississippi before melting into "a road without end" that winds back toward where our memories began. O'Brien lays all this out with help from some impressive players, but even the often incendiary Béla Fleck joins with them in toning down the fireworks and creating evocative settings through the most minimal gestures -- a slow-motion guitar arpeggio, a keening fiddle, a note here or there to complement O'Brien's relaxed delivery. It's significant, perhaps, that the album opens with "Kelly Joe's Shoes," an ode to a pair of beat-up sneakers that gave O'Brien some pretty good mileage, and ends with "Less & Less," which celebrates the joys of moving through life with as little baggage as possible. From music through message, Traveler just about gets it right.-- AllMusic Review by Robert L. Doerschuk

Frank Proffitt

Folk-Legacy Records – FSA-1

Format: Vinyl, LP, Reissue
Country: US
Released: 1962
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Old Time
[Tracklist]
A1 Trifling Woman (2:18)
A2 Cluck Old Hen (2:23)
A3 Morning Fair (2:50)
A4 Bonnie James Campbell (1:27)
A5 Lord Randall (3:29)
A6 Handsome Molly (1:45)
A7 Reuben Train (2:57)
A8 Tom Dooley (2:44)
A9 I'm Going Back To North Carolina (1:54)
B1 Moonshine (1:41)
B2 Rye Whiskey (2:31)
B3 I'll Never Get Drunk No More (2:35)
B4 Wild Bill Jones (3:27)
B5 Gyps Of David (2:57)
B6 Song Of A Lost Hunter (4:24)
B7 Sourwood Mountain (2:31)
B8 Going Across The Mountain (2:16)
[Credits]
Frank Proffitt (banjo/vocals)
Recorder, Editor and Liner Notes: Sandy Paton
[Notes]
Frank Proffitt was a musician, luthier, farmer, and carpenter whose source of traditional Appalachian music reached far past the borders of his home of North Carolina. Proffitt is best known for his singing and self-accompanying homemade fretless banjo playing. On this record Frank Proffitt sings "Tom Dooley", a once obscure murder ballad that went on to sell over six million copies after it was recorded and popularized by the Kingston Trio in 1958. These field recordings taken by Sandy Paton make up this impactful first release on Folk-Legacy Records and followed the release of Frank Proffitt Sings Folk Songs, a Folkways release also recorded by Sandy Paton prior to founding Folk-Legacy Records. In the years that followed, Proffitt would become an inspiration to performers of mountain music, playing his homemade banjos and dulcimers at the Newport and Chicago folk festivals, and the 1964 New York World's Fair.

American Skiffle Bands

Folkways Records – FA 2610

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1957
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Jug Band
[Tracklist]
A1 Raise a Ruckus Tonight: The Mobile Strugglers (3:11)
A2 Rock Me, Baby: The Mobile Strugglers (2:56)
A3 My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean: The Mobile Strugglers (3:40)
A4 Trouble, Trouble Followed Me All of My Days: The Mobile Strugglers (3:40)
A5 Interview with Virgil Perkins: Virgil Perkins (1:42)
A6 Goin Around the Mountain, Darlin' Bessie: Virgil Perkins and Jack Sims (3:55)
A7 John Henry: Virgil Perkins and Jack Sims (4:30)
B1 Harmonica and Guitar Blues: The Memphis Jug Band (3:16)
B2 Tippin' Round: The Memphis Jug Band (4:44)
B3 Interview and Solos: a. Old John Booker, You Call That Gone: Gus Cannon (4:13)
B4 What You Gonna Do, Baby, When Your Troubles Get Like Mine: The Memphis Jug Band (2:41)
B5 Interview with Will Shade and Charlie Burse: Will Shade and Charlie Burse (2:51)
B6 Take Your Fingers Off It (2:57)
[Notes]
The skiffle band—a kind of ensemble that nearly disappeared after the 1920s—uses homemade or inexpensive instruments, including washboards, harmonicas, jugs, washtub basses, kazoos, tin flutes, woodblocks, and slide whistles to play a variety of songs. The recordings featured here were made between 1954 and 1957, and the musicians are mostly older men.

Bluegrass Class of 1990: A Rounder Records Sampler

Rounder Records – CD AN 07

Format: CD, Sampler
Country: US
Released: 1998
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
01 Lost and I'll Never Find the Way: Ricky Skaggs (02:07)
02 I'll Love Nobody But You: Jim & Jesse (02:18)
03 Let the Whole World Talk: The Johnson Mountain Boys (02:41)
04 Love You in Vain: Alison Krauss (02:23)
05 Bitter Green: Tony Rice (02:44)
06 Feast Here Tonight: David Grisman (02:33)
07 Old Devil's Dream: The Nashville Bluegrass Band (02:32)
08 What Was I Supposed to Do?: Lynn Morris (02:49)
09 Leather Britches: Sam Bush (03:43)
10 Old Home Place: J.D. Crowe (02:49)
11 Devil, Take the Farmer: Dry Branch Fire Squad (03:53)
12 Mansion on the Hill: Whistein Brothers (02:23)
13 Medley: Fiddler's Dream / Whiskey Before Breakfast: Norman Blake / Tony Rice (04:40)
14 This Old House: The Rice Brothers (04:56)
15 Foolish Heart: Alison Krauss (03:27)
16 Whitewater: Béla Fleck (03:10)
17 Preachin', Prayin', Singin': The Bluegrass Album Band (02:33)
18 Don't Worry: The Johnson Mountain Boys (03:00)
19 John Henry: Tony Furtado (02:43)
20 I Ain't Broke (But I'm Badly Bent): David Grisman (01:58)
21 Greenlight on the Southern: Tony Rice (03:23)
22 No Hiding Place: The Nashville Bluegrass Band (02:49)
[Notes]
This compilation album reads like a who's-who of the progressive bluegrass/new acoustic music movement: pros like mandolinist David Grisman, guitarist Tony Rice, dobro player Jerry Douglas and a pre-Flecktones Bela Fleck are all represented, as well as the (very) young Alison Krauss and many, many others. -- AllMusic Review by Rick Anderson

Fast Folk Musical Magazine Vol.1 No.1

Fast Folk Musical Magazine – FF 101

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1984
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A1 Drummer Boy: David Indian and Mark Dann (6:26)
A2 Don't Ever Call Your Sweetheart by His Name: Christine Lavin and Mark Dann (2:21)
A3 The Girls of Denmark: Eric Andersen (5:08)
A4 Ottomanelli: Germana Pucci, Jill Burkee, Peter Lewy, and Mark Dann (4:26)
A5 Indiana: Tom McGhee and Mark Dann (3:34)
A6 Tom's Diner: Suzanne Vega (2:15)
B1 So Long to Love: Brian Rose, Mark Dann, Christine Lavin, and Jack Hardy (3:22)
B2 I Saw a Stranger with Your Hair: John Gorka and Mark Dann (3:36)
B3 Big Mistake, As performed by Left Field: Left Field (2:31)
B4 Rain: Jim Glover, Ned Treanor, M.G. Ivice, and Mark Dann (2:42)
B5 Don't Play No Andrews Sisters: Baby Gramps (2:36)
B6 Don't Slip Away: Cyrus Clarke (4:05)
[Credits]
Producer: Jack Hardy, Recorder: Mark Dann
[Notes]
Fast Folk Musical Magazine debuted in January 1984 as the successor to The CooP folk music magazine. The editorial goal of Fast Folk was to promote the performance of "noncommercial artistic music," also known as American folk music. This collection of includes performances by veteran folk singer Eric Anderson ("The Girls of Denmark") and emerging singer-songwriters Christine Lavin (the witty "Don’t Ever Call Your Sweetheart By His Name") and Suzanne Vega ("Tom's Diner"). Itinerant street performer Baby Gramps contributes "Don't Play No Andrews Sisters," longtime folk singer Jim Glover performs "Rain," and Left Field, formed during the 1981 baseball strike, adds their political song "A Big Mistake" to the mix. A 20-page copy of the magazine accompanies the music.

Sing Me Back Home: The Music Of Merle Haggard

Blackbird Presents – 8914027545

Format: 2 x CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2020
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country
[Tracklist]
01 What Am I Gonna Do (With The Rest Of My Life): Ben Haggard (4:54)
02 Heaven Was A Drink Of Wine: Ben Haggard & Aaron Lewis (4:04)
03 The Farmer's Daughter: Tanya Tucker (2:55)
04 I'm A Lonesome Fugitive: Bobby Bare (3:30)
05 0That's The Way Love Goes: Connie Smith (3:00)
06 Big City: John Anderson (3:05)
07 Carolyn/Daddy Frank: Toby Keith (4:10)
08 Don't Give Up On Me: Buddy Miller (3:10)
09 Footlights: Jake Owen & Chris Janson (4:26)
10 Going Where The Lonely Go: Lucinda Williams (3:39)
11 Kern River: Jamey Johnson (4:46)
12 Silver Wings: Alabama (1:52)
13 I Think I'll Just Stay Here And Drink: Hank Williams, Jr. (2:18)
14 Today I Started Loving You Again: Loretta Lynn (2:32)
15 Honky Tonk Night Time Man: Lynyrd Skynyrd (4:18)
16 Mama Tried: The Avett Brothers (3:02)
17 White Line Fever: John Mellencamp (4:53)
18 Rainbow Stew: Kacey Musgraves (2:28)
19 It's All In The Movies: Ronnie Dunn (3:19)
20 The Bottle Let Me Down: Billy F Gibbons (2:50)
21 Workin' Man Blues: Billy F Gibbons & Warren Haynes (6:04)
22 If We Make It Through December: Dierks Bentley (2:35)
23 Natural High: Sheryl Crow (3:32)
24 Misery And Gin: Miranda Lambert (3:01)
25 Pancho And Lefty: Willie Nelson & Kenny Chesney (4:38)
26 Sing Me Back Home: Keith Richards (5:14)
27 Reasons To Quit: Keith Richards & Willie Nelson (3:45)
28 Ramblin' Fever: Willie Nelson & Toby Keith (2:57)
29 Okie From Muskogee: Various (1:35)
[Credits]
Executive-Producer: Keith Wortman, Mark Rothbaum, Theresa Haggard, Music Director: Ben Haggard, Buddy Cannon, Don Was
[Notes]
Recorded Live On April 6th, 2017 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. The lineup for the Merle Haggard tribute concert—dubbed Sing Me Back Home. The Music of Merle Haggard—just got a little bigger with the addition of Sheryl Crow and Rolling Stones guitarist/vocalist Keith Richards. "Stuff happens, but you just have to be your own man, and have something to say," said Keith in a statement.

Jean Ritchie, Oscar Brand and David Sear: A Folk Concert in Town Hall, New York

Folkways Records – FA 2428

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono
Country: US
Released: 1959
Genre:Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A1 Shortnin' Bread
A2 Ha Ha This-A-Way
A3 Shady Grove
A4 The Rolling Of The Stones
A5 Pretty Polly
A6 The Admiral
A7 Dhrinnin Dhu Dhrinnin
A8 My Boy Willy
A9 Jenny Jenkins
B1 Poor Howard
B2 Lord Randall
B3 Ennery My Son
B4 The Inniskillin Dragoon
B5 Trip Trap Robbers In The Sea
B6 The Talking Atom
B7 Aiken Drum
B8 Fair And Tender Ladies
B9 Black-Eyed Susie [Credits]
Jean Ritchie (vocals) Oscar Brand (guitar/vocals) David Sea(guitar/vocals)
Designer: Ronald Clyne, Photographer: George Pickow
[Notes]
This live recording of three very different singers presents Jean Ritchie's southern ballads, Oscar Brand's sea songs and "atomic blues," and Dave Sear's repertoire of Scottish songs. The three enjoy working together, and their enthusiasm is audible in both the music and the spoken introductions to several tracks.

The Harry Smith Connection: A Live Tribute to the Anthology of American Folk Music

Smithsonian Folkways – SFW 40085

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 1998
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Gospel, Blues, Cajun, Country, & Jug
[Tracklist]
01 East Virginia Blues: Roger McGuinn, Jeff Tweedy, and Jay Bennett (2:45)
02 I'm on the Battlefield for My Lord: Ethel Caffie-Austin (2:36)
03 John Henry: John Jackson (3:21)
04 A Lazy Farmer Boy: Greg Hooven String Band (3:17)
05 Old Dog Blue: Lonnie Pitchford (3:03)
06 Home Sweet Home: The New Lost City Ramblers (3:13)
07 The Butcher Boy: Ginny Hawker and Tracy Schwarz (4:12)
08 John the Revelator: Ethel Caffie-Austin (2:36)
09 His Tapes Roll On: Peter Stampfel (4:43)
10 Minglewood Blues: John Sebastian and the J Band with Geoff Muldaur (3:42)
11 The Coo Coo Bird: Ella Jenkins (2:49)
12 Frankie and Johnny: John Jackson (2:51)
13 Sugar Baby: Roger McGuinn, Jeff Tweedy, and Jay Bennett (2:59)
14 Le Vieux Soulard et sa Femme (bon vieux mari): Balfa Toujours (2:37)
15 Spike Driver Blues: Dave Van Ronk (4:25)
16 Darling Corey: Greg Hooven String Band (2:31)
17 The Coo Coo Bird: Toshi Reagon (3:29)
18 James Alley Blues: Roger McGuinn, Jeff Tweedy, and Jay Bennett (3:23)
19 Nothing: The Fugs (3:01)
[Credits]
Recorder & Producer: Pete Reiniger, Producer & Liner Notes: Robert Santelli and Jeff Place
[Notes]
Powerful new interpretations of Southern musical traditions, recorded live in October, 1997, at the Barns of Wolf Trap. These contemporary versions of songs that either appeared on the Grammy-Award winning Anthology of American Folk Music or are associated with its compiler, Harry Smith (tracks 9 and 19), are a wild mix of styles from "gangsta folk" to gospel, blues, Cajun, country rock, jug band, and more. A stellar group of musicians pays tribute to the past and dramatically demonstrates the enduring vitality of America’s traditional music. Extensive notes, discographies, and photographs. Produced by Pete Reiniger, Jeff Place and Bob Santelli, and annotated by Jeff Place and Bob Santelli.

Down Home Saturday Night

Smithsonian Folkways – SFW CD 40182

Format: CD, Album, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2007
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Cajun, Hillbilly, Hill Country Blues, Texas Blues
[Tracklist]
01 Minglewood Blues: John Sebastian and the J Band with Geoff Muldaur (3:41)
02 White House Blues: Earl Taylor and the Stoney Mountain Boys (1:58)
03 Le Vieux Soulard Et Sa Femme: Balfa Toujours (2:37)
04 El Sinaloense: Mingo Saldívar y y sus Tremendos Cuatro Espadas (4:07)
05 It's Love Baby (24 Hours a Day): Erbie Bowser, T.D. Bell, and the Blues Specialists (4:09)
06 Big Ball’s in Cowtown: The Texas Playboys (3:06)
07 Pinetop’s Boogie Woogie: Memphis Slim (4:10)
08 Bill Morgan and His Gal: The New Lost City Ramblers (2:55)
09 You Keep On Doggin’ Me: Sonny Terry, J.C. Burris, Sticks McGhee (2:41)
10 Bosco Stomp: Nonc Allie Young, Bessyl Duhon, Rodney Balfa (3:01)
11 Walking Blues: Arbee Stidham, Memphis Slim, and Jump Jackson (3:10)
12 Hey Bartender, There’s A Bug In My Beer: Warner Williams and Eddie Pennington (2:43)
13 Oh Baby, You Don’t Have to Go: The Chambers Brothers (2:45)
14 Chiquitos Pero Picos: Los Polkeros de Ben Tavera King (2:00)
15 Uncle Bud: Boozoo Chavis and the Magic Sounds (2:56)
[Credits]
Compilers: Mark Gustafson, Brian Scott and Jeff Place, Mastering Engineer: Pete Reiniger
[Notes]
On any Saturday night, rollicking down-home music can be heard throughout the USA, be it bluegrass, blues, boogie woogie, country, Cajun, zydeco, Texas swing, or Texas Mexican conjunto. Down Home Saturday Night has them all. Smithsonian Folkways archivist Jeff Place compiled these 15 tracks of American regional and ethnic roots music with one idea in mind: to bring people together and have fun with music and musicians from across the land.