Masters of the Steel String Guitar

Arhoolie Records – 485

Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2000
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country
[Tracklist]
01 I Don't Love Nobody: Wayne Henderson (1:56)
02 Cannonball Blues: Wayne Henderson (1:47)
03 A Coat of Many Colors: Wayne Henderson, Linda Lay (3:27)
04 Carter Family Medley: Wayne Henderson (3:17)
05 Alabama Jubilee: Wayne Henderson (2:06)
06 Walking Mama: John Cephas and Phil Wiggins (4:08)
07 Prison Blues: John Cephas and Phil Wiggins (5:09)
08 John Henry: John Cephas, Phil Wiggins and Eddie Pennington (4:31)
09 Lost John: Eddie Pennington (4:08)
10 Dark as a Dungeon: Eddie Pennington (5:09)
11 Eddie's Medley: Eddie Pennington (4:54)
12 I'll See You in My Dreams: Eddie Pennington, Linda Lay (4:03)
13 Northern Lights: Johnny Bellar (3:16)
14 Heaven: Johnny Bellar (3:10)
15 Aloha Oe: Johnny Bellar (3:12)
16 Sweet Dreams: Johnny Bellar, Linda Lay (3:25)
17 Guitar Rag: Johnny Bellar, Wayne Henderson, John Cephas, Eddie Pennington (4:05)
18 Where the Roses Never Fade: Eddie Pennington, Johnny Bellar (3:51)
[Credits]
Producer: Chris Strachwitz, Joe Wilson and Segrid Pearson, Liner Notes: Joe Wilson, Designer: Morgan Dodge, Segrid Pearson and Joe Wilson, Recorder: John Vengrouskie, Engineer: Bill Wolf
[Notes]
The sound of a steel string guitar (sometimes referred to as steel string acoustic guitar) is a louder, brighter sound than a nylon string guitar. This collection brings together four musicians considered to be masters of steel string guitars. The four musicians, Wayne Henderson, John Cephas, Eddie Pennington, and Johnny Beller, represent the broad spectrum of Americana roots music. Each performs individually and in ensemble settings, with all joining in on the "Guitar Rag." Vocalist and bassist Linda Lay, guitarist David Lay and harmonicist Phil Wiggins provide accompaniment.

Etta Baker & Cora Phillips: Carolina Breakdown

Music Maker Relief Foundation – MMCD-56

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2006
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Appalachian Music, Piedmont Blues, Country Blues
[Tracklist]
01 John Henry (03:36)
02 Crow Jane (02:21)
03 Going Down The Road Feeling Bad (01:59) 04 Railroad Bill (01:33)
05 Baby I'll Be True (01:36)
06 On The Other Hand Baby (04:02)
07 Never Let Your Deal Go Down (02:07)
08 MIssissippi Blues (03:46)
09 Broken Hearted Blues (05:10)
10 Police Dog Blues (03:32)
11 Marching Jaybird (02:59)
12 Carolina Breakdown (02:56)
13 John Henry (02:01)
14 Going Down The Road Feeling Bad (03:38)
15 On The Other Hand Baby (03:07)
16 Broken Hearted Blues (03:45)
[Credits]
Etta Baker (banjo/guitar/vocals) Cora Phillips (guitar)
Producer: Wayne Martin, Liner Notes: Taj Mahaland and Wayne Martin, Photographer: Timothy Duffy, Designer: Jaimey Easler, Engineer: Wes Lachot and Lesley Williams
[Notes]
Etta Baker is the premier Piedmont blues guitarist. This incredible set was recorded in the 1980s at the height of her instrumental prowess! Features rare recordings of Baker dueting with her elder sister Cora Phillips. Etta Baker is a National Folk Heritage Award Winner and was featured on NPR's Morning Edition in March 2005. She was born in 1913 and has been playing guitar since the age of three. She plays the guitar everyday, and is constantly working on new arrangements.

Instrumental Music of the Southern Appalachians

Tradition Everest – TLP 1007

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue
Country: US
Released: 1956
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Appalachian Music
[Tracklist]
A01 Cripple Creek: Hobart Smith (01:50)
A02 Pateroller Song: Hobart Smith (01:44)
A03 One Dime Blues: Etta Baker (03:02)
A04 Sourwood Mountain: Mr. Boone Reid (01:52)
A05 Going Down the Road Feeling Bad: Etta Baker (01:26)
A06 Amazing Grace: Mrs. Edd Presnell (01:46)
A07 The Girl I Left Behind Me: Richard Chase (01:28)
A08 Marching Jaybird: Mr. Lacey Phillips (01:22)
A09 John Brown's Dream: Hobart Smith (01:34)
A10 Sally Goodin': Mrs. Edd Presnell (01:03)
B01 Railroad Bill: Etta Baker (02:41)
B02 Soldier's Joy: Mr. Lacey Phillips (02:01)
B03 Molly Brooks: Richard Chase (01:22)
B04 Pretty Polly: Hobart Smith (01:30)
B05 Johnson Boys: Mr. Boone Reid (01:31)
B06 John Henry: Etta Baker (02:40)
B07 Drunken Hiccups: Hobart Smith (01:13)
B08 Shady Grove: Mrs. Edd Presnell (01:11)
B09 Bully of the Town: Etta Baker (02:59)
B10 Skip to My Lou: Richard Chase (01:07)
[Credits]
Boone Reid (banjo) Hobart Smith (fiddle) Mrs. Edd Presnell (dulcimer) Lacey Phillips (banjo) Richard Chase (harmonica) Etta Baker (guitar)
Recorder: Diane Hamilton and Liam Clancy, Liner Notes: Paul Clayton
[Notes]
A group of 20 field recordings of various dances ("Cripple Creek," "Pateroller Song"), folk songs ("Sally Goodin," "The Girl I Left Behind Me," unexpectedly haunting and affecting on harmonica), blues, children's songs ("Skip to My Lou"), and hymns ("Amazing Grace," in an astonishingly beautiful rendition for solo dulcimer), made by Liam Clancy, Paul Clayton, and Diane Hamilton in Virginia and North Carolina during the summer of 1956. They confined themselves to recording local instrumentalists (no singers), including blues guitarist Etta Baker, who was one of Taj Mahal's early mentors. The recordings, as one would expect, have a raw spontaneity that comes from impromptu performance, and the quality of the digital transfer is excellent, with no distortion and surprisingly little background noise. Other players include Boone Reid (banjo), Hobart Smith (fiddle), Mrs. Edd Presnell (dulcimer), Lacey Phillips (banjo), and Richard Chase (harmonica). The raw nature of the recordings is emphasized by little touches, like the foot-stomping one hears in the background of Phillips' rendition of "John Brown's Dream." - AllMusic Review by Bruce Eder

An Historic Reunion: Sara And Maybelle The Original Carters

Columbia – CS 9361

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1966
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country
[Tracklist]
A1 While the Band Is Playing Dixie (04:09)
A2 Higher Ground (03:11)
A3 Lonesome Pine Special (02:13)
A4 Hand That Rocks the Cradler (02:53)
A5 Three Little Strangers (03:20)
A6 The Ship That Never Returned (02:26)
B1 Weary Prodigal Son (02:48)
B2 Sun of the Soul (03:05)
B3 Farther On (03:24)
B4 Happiest Days of All (03:06)
B5 Goin' Home (02:54)
{Credits]
Sara Carter (autoharp/guitar/vocals) Maybelle Carter (autoharp/banjo/guitar/vocals)
Producer: Frank Jones and Don Law, Liner Notes: Johnny Cash, Designer: Thomas Molesky
[Nptes]
Two of the original three Carters reunite for a one-off some twenty years after they'd last sang together, and nearly a decade after the the third original, A.P., had died. The careening, transcendent harmonies that they create are as moving as anything from their heyday, perhaps more so given the context. The Carter Family represent one of those precious moments in the arts culture where we're all reminded that the real stuff of human yearning and questioning needn't be mediated by the fashions and commercial interests of the self-appointed media elites located in urban centres. A moving album in both theory and actuality.

Virginia Traditions: Early Roanoke Country Radio

BRI Record – BRI 010

Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1988
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country, Public Broadcast
[Tracklist]
A01 A Radio Medley (1934): The Texas Troubadours (5:17)
A02 Stone Mountain Rag (1929): Roanoke Jug Band (3:13)
A03 Happy Roving Cowboy (1941): The Texas Troubadours (2:28)
A04 Lollipop (1939): The Texas Troubadours (1:31)
A05 Natural Bridge Blues (1941): The Texas Troubadours (1:48)
A06 Georgia Wagoneer (1941): Roanoke Entertainers (1:21)
A07 True Blue Bill (1941): Johnnie Autry (2:29)
A08 Paddy On The Turnpike (1948): Dixie Playboys (0:55)
A09 Cherokee Maiden (1951): Dixie Playboys (1:51)
A10 Look Down That Lonesome Road (1948): Wanderers Of The Wasteland (3:15)
A11 Union County (1950): Dixie Playboys (1:39)
A12 God, Please Protect America (1952): Dixie Playboys (2:15)
B01 Blue Ridge Entertainers (1941): Roy Hall And His Blue Ridge Entertainers (14:16)
B02 Tommy Magness Radio (1947): Tommy Magness, The Orange Blossom Boys (15:57)
[Credits]
Liner Notes: Kip Lornell, Editors: Linda Linnartz, Vaughan Webb, Nellie Kritter and Roddy Moore, Photographer: Charlie Holloway, Engineer: Alan Stoker
[Notes]
Few states in this country can boast of more diverse folkways than Virginia. Many of the material objects—such as barns, tools, and furniture—reflect the traditions that shaped the lives of its earliest settlers and the generations of Virginians who followed. The Commonwealth's performance traditions of songs, tunes, and tales also tell of a shared heritage involving all classes of people in every facet of life. Because traditions naturally change over time, the documentation of Virginia folk culture is an ongoing process essential to our understanding of the past, present, and future. By recording the folkways of Virginia, the Blue Ridge Institute of Ferrum College and its BRI Record label strive to foster a greater appreciation of our folk roots through an array of interpretive programs.

Traditional Cajun Accordion An Instruction by Gérard Dôle

Folkways Records – FM 8363

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1977
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Cajun
[Tracklist]
A01 Octaves (1:02)
A02 Scale of C (1:34)
A03 Bass acc. Two Step in C (1:10)
A04 Right and Left Hands (1:28)
A05 Right Hand Chord C (1:09)
A06 Right Hand Chord G (0:11)
A07 Right Hand Chord G7 (0:39)
A08 Two-Step in C: Colinda (3:20)
A09 Two-Step C: Bayou Pompon (4:24)
A10 Bass acc. Waltz in C (0:45)
A11 Exercise Right and Left Hands (1:09)
A12 Waltz in C: Gabriel (2:06)
A13 Waltz in C: Grand Marais (5:22)
B01 Scale in G (1:17)
B02 Right Hand Chords D (0:18)
B03 Two-Step in G: La Queue de Tortue (3:40)
B04 Two-Step in G, "Madam Bosso" (4:22)
B05 Two-Step in G, "Allons a Lafayette" (4:42)
B06 Two-Step in G, "J'Etais au Bal Hier au Soir" (4:51)
B07 Waltz in G, "Jolie Blonde" (5:55)
B08 Appendix "Dance de Mardi Gras" in A minor, in D minor, "Cocodrie Stomp" in F (1:55)
[Credits]
Gérard Dôle (cajun accordion/vocals)
Designer: Ronald Clyne, Photographer: Noelle Dôle
[Notes]
This instructional album in the performance of the traditional Cajun accordion was recorded by Gérard Dôle at his home in Paris, France, in 1977. Dôle, an early aficionado of Cajun music, often performed in clubs in the Paris area and elsewhere in Europe, to enthusiastic response. The liner notes contain detailed written instructions and musical notations for the various styles of playing. Dôle compares and contrasts the traditional accordion and melodeon, a small diatonic accordion. The liner notes include several Cajun songs in their original French followed by their respective English translations.

J.T. - Steve Earle & The Dukes

New West Records – NW5492

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: Apr 9, 2021
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country
[Tracklist]
A1 I Don't Care (01:54)
A2 Ain't Glad I'm Leaving (02:52)
A3 Maria (02:46)
A4 Far Away In Another Town (03:06)
A5 They Killed John Henry (02:35)
A6 Turn Out My Lights (02:35)
B1 Lone Pine Hill (02:42)
B2 Champagne Corolla (03:35)
B3 The Saint Of Lost Causes (05:01)
B4 Harlem River Blues (03:05)
B5 Last Words (04:21)
[Credits]
Steve Earle (guitar/mandolin/harmonica/vocals) Chris Masterson (guitar/mandolin/piano/vocals) Jeff Hill (bass/cello/vocals) Eleanor Whitmore (fiddle/mandolin/organ/vocals) Ricky Ray Jackson (steel guitar/dobro/vocals) Brad Pemberton (drums/percussion/vocals)
Producer: Steve Earle, Cover Art: Tony Fitzpatric, Designer: Tom Bejgrowicz, Photographers: Sara Sharpe and Shervin Lainez, Egineers: Jeff Powell, Ray Kennedy and John Rooney
[Notes]
On August 20, 2020 the world lost an amazing light with the passing of Justin Townes Earle. Justin was a vibrant songwriter who could play the blues, country, and rock n roll all in the same song. In his short career, Justin released eight albums and one EP that all manage to sound classic and yet inventive. Justins father, Steve Earle, pays tribute to his son by recording an album of songs written by Justin titled, J.T. The album consists of ten Justin Townes Earle songs as well as one song written by Mr. Earle shortly after Justins passing. J.T. features fan favorites such as Harlem River Blues, Far Away In Another Town and Champagne Corolla along with lyrically heavy songs like, The Saint of Lost Causes and Turn Out My Lights.

The Byrds: Sweetheart of the Rodeo

CBS – S63353

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: Netherlands
Released: 1968
Genre: Rock, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country Rock
[Tracklist]
A1 You Ain't Going Nowhere (2:39)
A2 I Am A Pilgrim (3:42)
A3 The Christian Life (2:34)
A4 You Don't Miss Your Water (3:51)
A5 You're Still On My Mind (2:27)
A6 Pretty Boy Floyd (2:37)
B1 Hickory Wind (3:35)
B2 One Hundred Years From Now (2:43)
B3 Blue Canadian Rockies (2:05)
B4 Life In Prison (2:47)
B5 Nothing Was Delivered (3:34)
[Credits]
Roger McGuinn (guitar/banjo/vocals) Chris Hillman (bass/mandolin/guitar/vocals) Gram Parsons (guitar/piano/organ/vocals) Kevin Kelley (drums)
[Notes]
The Byrds' Sweetheart of the Rodeo was not the first important country-rock album (Gram Parsons managed that feat with the International Submarine Band's debut Safe at Home), and the Byrds were hardly strangers to country music, dipping their toes in the twangy stuff as early as their second album. But no major band had gone so deep into the sound and feeling of classic country (without parody or condescension) as the Byrds did on Sweetheart; at a time when most rock fans viewed country as a musical "L'il Abner" routine, the Byrds dared to declare that C&W could be hip, cool, and heartfelt. Though Gram Parsons had joined the band as a pianist and lead guitarist, his deep love of C&W soon took hold, and Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman followed his lead; significantly, the only two original songs on the album were both written by Parsons (the achingly beautiful "Hickory Wind" and "One Hundred Years from Now"), while on the rest of the set classic tunes by Merle Haggard, the Louvin Brothers, and Woody Guthrie were sandwiched between a pair of twanged-up Bob Dylan compositions. While many cite this as more of a Gram Parsons album than a Byrds set, given the strong country influence of McGuinn's and Hillman's later work, it's obvious Parsons didn't impose a style upon this band so much as he tapped into a sound that was already there, waiting to be released. If the Byrds didn't do country-rock first, they did it brilliantly, and few albums in the style are as beautiful and emotionally affecting as this. -- AllMusic Review by Mark Deming

Ola Belle Reed and Southern Mountain Music on the Mason-Dixon Line

Dust-to-Digital – DTD-40

Format: 2 x CD, Album
Country: US
Released: Aug 21, 2015
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style:Appalachian Music
[Disk One]
01 Uncloudy Day (02:28)
02 My Home's Across the Blue Ridge Mountain (02:33)
03 Bringing in the Georgia Mail (02:03)
04 Train 45 (01:53)
05 The Worried Man Blues (02:03)
06 The Worried Man Blues (02:31)
07 The Ranger's Command (03:47)
08 Big Kid's Barroom (03:03)
09 The Miller's Will (03:57)
10 Black Jack Davy (01:57)
11 John Hardy (02:42)
12 Single Girl (02:16)
13 Kitty Wells (02:13)
14 The Orphan Girl (03:18)
15 I've Always Been a Rambler (03:24)
16 Undone in Sorrow (02:56)
17 You Led Me to the Wrong (03:52)
18 Absalom My Son, My Son (00:50)
19 Amazing Grace (03:34)
20 Six Feet of Earth (02:31)
21 All the Dark Places (02:42)
22 I'm Going Through (04:37)
23 I've Endured (04:09)
24 I've Endured (02:34)
[Disk Two]
01 Undone in Sorrow (02:45)
02 Plucking the Strings (01:45)
03 Cherokee Shuffle (03:02 04 I'm Longing for a Love I'll Never Know (02:20)
05 Sally Goodin (01:18)
06 Story of Tom Moore, the Gravedigger (01:16)
07 Footprints Left Below (03:14)
08 Leave It There (03:13)
09 Six Hours on the Cross (03:59)
10 John Hardy (01:04)
11 Cherokee Eyes (02:52)
12 High on a Mountain (00:48)
13 Fiddle on the Wall (04:01)
14 Rachel (01:46)
15 The Old Swinging Bridge (02:56)
16 John Hardy/John Henry (01:25)
17 Stolen Love (03:20)
18 The Buzzard and the Monkey (01:17)
19 The Pussycat and the Bulldog (00:43 20 Preacher and the Bear (01:04)
21 Turkey in the Straw (00:29)
22 Ryestraw (01:13)
23 The Butcher Boy (03:10)
24 Simple Man (02:27)
25 1,000 Light Years Away (01:50)
26 I Feel Like Traveling On (03:25)
27 New River Train (02:16)
28 Salt Creek (02:44)
29 Cumberland Gap (00:52)
30 Boxes Full of Memories (02:42)
31 Father, Listen (04:17)
32 My Home's Across the Blue Ridge Mountains (02:15)
33 Family Graveyard (04:31)
34 Over in the Gloryland (03:02)
[Credits]
Ola Belle Reed (banjo/vocala)
Liner Notes: Clifford R. Murphy, Douglas Dowling Peach and Henry Glassie, Designer: Debbie Berne, Enginerrs: Joy Graves, Mike Graves, Clifford R. Murphy and Henry Glassie
[Notes]
Ola Belle Reed (1916–2002) was one of the all-time greatest performers of Appalachian music. Ola Belle Reed and Southern Mountain Music on the Mason-Dixon Line combines Reed’s 1960s recordings, some of the earliest she ever made and available here for the very first time, with modern-day field recordings of her descendants and those she inspired within her Appalachian community. This deluxe edition highlights Reed's deep repertoire—folk ballads, minstrel songs, country standards and originals—and traces the impact her music made and is still making today. The two-CD set is accompanied by a luxurious publication tracing Reed's influence and the folklorists who have tracked it: Henry Glassie, who first heard Alex and Ola Belle play in 1966 at the back of the Campbell's Corner general store, and Clifford R. Murphy, who, four decades later, recorded Reed's modern successors in Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania.

The Very Best of the Carter Family

60 Original Recordings on 3CDs
Not Now Music - NOT3CD297

Format: CD, Compilation
Country: UK
Released: March 15, 2019
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country
[Disc One]
01 Wildwood Flower
02 Anchored In Love
03 Wabash Cannonball
04 The Little Black Train
05 Sinking In The Lonesome Sea
06 I'm Thinking Tonight Of My Blue Eyes
07 Lulu Walls
08 Maple On The Hill
09 The Dying Soldier
10 Kitty Waltz
11 Diamonds In The Rough
12 Just A Few More Days
13 Black Jack David
14 The Rambling Boy
15 Sweet Fern
16 Answer To Weeping Willow
17 Waves On The Sea
18 There's No One Like Mother To Me
19 He Never Came Back
20 Bury Me Beneath The Willow
[Disc Two]
01 The Picture On The Wall
02 Keep On The Sunny Side
03 Sailor Boy
04 The Foggy Mountain Top
05 Forsaken Love
06 In The Shadow Of Clinch Mountain
07 Chewing Gum
08 We Parted By The Riverside
09 Just Another Broken Heart
10 Single Girl, Married Girl
11 My Clinch Mountain Home
12 On The Rock Where Moses Stood
13 My Old Cottage Home
14 They Call Her Mother
15 The Mountains Of Tennessee
16 In The Shadow Of The Pines
17 Little Girl That Played On My Knee
18 The Grave On The Green Hillside
19 When I'm Gone
20 When The Evening Sun Goes Down
[Disc Three]
01 John Hardy Was A Desperate Little Man
02 Angel Band
03 I'll Be All Smiles Tonight
04 The Titanic
05 Little Darling, Pal Of Mine
06 Coal Miner's Blues
07 Lover's Lane
08 Who's That Knocking On My Window
09 In The Valley Of The Shenandoah
10 My Dixie Darling
11 The Wandering Boy
12 There'll Be No Distinction There
13 Dark Haired True Lover
14 You Denied Your Love
15 Lonesome Valley
16 Meet Me By The Moonlight Alone
17 You Are My Flower
18 God Gave Noah The Rainbow Sign
19 The Storms Are On The Ocean
20 Farewell Nellie
[Credits]
Sara Carter (guitar/autoharp/vocals) Maybelle Carter (guitar/vocals) A.P. Carter (vocals)
[Notes]
It has been argued that one day in history marks the real beginning of country music... On 31 July 1927 talent scout Ralph Peer arrived in Bristol, Tennessee offering anyone and everyone who came along $50 for new songs. Among those who arrived and auditioned that historic day was A.P. Carter, who arrived with his wife Sara and sister in law Maybelle. Ralph Peer later said that his talent lay in being where the lightning is going to strike . Peer recognised that the songs which poured out of the Carter Family were historic, but also extremely marketable. For the next 15 years, the Carter Family dominated the airwaves of American radio. But such was their legacy that nearly a century on, the music that the Carters injected into the mainstream lives on. The material heard on this comprehensive 3CD collection formed the foundation of not one, but three important strands in the development of popular music. It was the songs of the Carter Family which underpinned country & western music, the 1950s skiffle boom and the 1960s folk revival.

Hand-Me-Down Music: Old Songs, Old Friends - Vol. 1

Traditional Music of Union County, North Carolina
Folkways Records – FES 34151

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1979
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Old Time
[Tracklist]
A01 Cacklin' Hen: Roy Pope and the Carolina Homeboys (1:37)
A02 Froggie Went-A-Courtin': Otis High and Flarrie Griffin (2:35)
A03 Captain Karo: Otis High (0:50)
A04 Hook and Line: Bascom Traywick (1:32)
A05 Jack and Joe: John A. Bivens (2:19)
A06 Young Ladies Take Warning: Otis High (1:24)
A07 Lady Bride and Three Babes: Seena Helms (2:01)
A08 Katy Kline: Horace Helms (1:50)
A09 Grandma's Advice: John A. Bivens (1:09)
A10 Fire on the Hillside: Roy Pope and the Carolina Homeboys (2:00)
B01 It Rained Five Days: Willie Hamilton (2:07)
B02 Can't Hit Lucky: Willie Hamilton (1:50)
B03 John Henry: Willie Hamilton (1:38)
B04 Leather Britches: Roy Pope (1:01)
B05 Holler Jimmy Riley Ho: Henry Griffin (0:51)
B06 Patsy Beasley: Henry Griffin (2:38)
B07 In the Resurrection Morning: Bascom Traywick (2:17)
B08 Christian Pilgrim: Seena Helms (1:45)
B09 Pioneer Courtship: Seena Helms (1:28)
A10 Soldier's Joy: Horace and Karen Helms (2:59)
[Credits]
Producer and Recorder: Karen G. Helms, Recorder: Otto Henry, Photographer: Doug Helms and Jeff Griffin, Designer: Ronald Clyne
[Notes]
Various local musicians and singers from Union County, North Carolina, perform 20 folk melodies that have been handed down from generation to generation. Recorded by Karen G. Helms and Otto Henry, the collection consists of both vocal and instrumental performances. Perhaps the best known track is the children’s folk song "Froggie Went-A-Courtin," performed a capella by Otis High and Flarrie Griffin. This 1979 release identifies the performers for each track; no other recording information is available.

Old Timey Songs for Children Played and Sung by the New Lost City Ramblers

Folkways Records – FC 7064

Format: Vinyl, LP, 10", Album
Country: US
Released: 1960
Genre: Children's, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Children's
[Tracklist]
A1 Old Bell Cow (3:12)
A2 Hopalong Peter (2:09)
A3 Beware, Oh Take Care (2:23)
A4 Soldier, Soldier Will You Marry Me (1:25)
A5 Eyes are Blue (1:35)
A6 Charley He's a Good Ol' Man (2:13)
A7 Adam in the Garden Pinnin' Leaves (1:25)
A8 Chewing Gum (2:37)
B1 Cotton Eyed Joe (1:15)
B2 Jennie Jenkins (2:34)
B3 Barbara Allen (3:24)
B4 Hop High Ladies (Hop Up Ladies) (2:31)
B5 Rabbit Chase (2:36)
B6 Common Bill (1:47)
B7 Johnny Get Your Gun (1:39)
[Credits]
The New Lost City Ramblers: John Cohen (banjo/guitar/vocals) Tom Paley (banjo/vocals) Mike Seeger (fiddle/guitar/autoharp/vocals)
[Notes]
On this record, the New Lost City Ramblers perform traditional children's songs from the Appalachian Mountains, characterized by the fiddle, the banjo, and a strong narrative. As John Cohen writes in the liner notes, there are "some songs with common sense and common nonsense...songs to listen to, songs you can sing to others. Some of these songs I heard when I was a kid—and some of them I wish I had heard then." Favorites include "Cotton Eyed Joe," "Barbara Allen," and "Hop High Ladies."

Arkansas At 78 RPM: Corn Dodgers & Hoss Hair Pullers

Dust-to-Digital – DTD-36

Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2014
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country
[Tracklist]
01 Searcy County Rag: Ashley's Melody Men (02:54)
02 Get Along Home, Miss Cindy: Pope's Arkansas Mountaineers (03:24)
03 The Higher Up the Monkey Climbs: Fiddling Bob Larkin & His Music Makers (03:02)
04 My Ozark Mountain Home: George Edgin's Corn Dodgers (03:16)
05 Just Give Me the Leavings: Dr. Smith's Champion Hoss Hair Pullers (03:01)
06 Bath House Blues: Ashley's Melody Men (02:54)
07 Fort Smith Breakdown: Luke Highnight's Ozark Strutters (02:48)
08 Eigth of January: Arkansas Barefoot Boys (03:00)
09 McLeods Reel: Bob Larkan (02:53)
10 The Old Dinner Pail: A.E. Ward & His Plow Boys (03:18)
11 My Castle on the Nile: Wonder State Harmonists (02:25)
12 Dry and Dusty: The Morrison Twin Brothers String Band (02:45)
13 Jaw Bone: Pope's Arkansas Mountaineers (03:03)
14 Arkansas Hard Luck Blues: Lonnie Glosson (02:45)
15 Paddy, Won't You Drink Some Good Old Cider?: Bob Larkin & His Music Makers (02:57)
16 Corn Dodger No. 1 Special: George Edgin's Corn Dodgers (02:59)
17 Ozark Mountain Rose: Bonnie Dodd / Murray Lucas (02:32)
18 Ozark Waltz: The Morrison Twin Brothers String Band (02:59)
19 Robinson County: L.O. Birkhead / R.M Lane (03:07)
20 The Arkansas Hotel: George Edgin's Corn Dodgers (03:05)
21 Going to Leave Old Arkansas: A.E. Ward & His Plow Boys (03:08)
22 Petit Jean Gallop: Wonder State Harmonists (03:02)
23 Silver Nail: Bob Larkan (02:56)
24 Drunkard's Hecups: Reaves White County Ramblers (02:52)
25 Turnip Greens: Wonder State Harmonists (02:46)
26 Lonnie's Fox Chase: Lonnie Glosson (03:18)
[Credits]
Producer: April G. Ledbetter, Steven Lance Ledbetter and Carrie Beth Hodge, Designer: Cubby West, Liner Notes: Tony Russell, Engineer: Michael Graves
[Notes]
Arkansas pretty much represented the cultural wild frontier for the rest of the United States when commercial recording began in the early 1900s, home to unhinged string bands, fiddle players, and banjo pickers, and if the tunes recorded by Arkansas musicians in those days were pretty much standard string band material, well, things just seemed to be a little crazier when it was filtered through the Ozarks. This fascinating set, drawn from 78s released between 1928 and 1937, features some odd and even spooky sides, like Pope's Arkansas Mountaineers' "Jaw Bone," which veers along on its own inner madness, George Edgin's Corn Dodgers' "Corn Dodger Special No. 1," and a version of "Cacklin' Hen" that sounds like a drunken string band (with a cello!) trying to be a flock rhythmic chickens and somehow actually pulling it off. There are many such wonders here, making this set yet another fine and vital Dust-to-Digital release.-- AllMusic Review by Steve Leggett

Cold War Countdown: Country Music Goes To Cold War (1952-1972)

Iron Mountain Analogue Research Facility – IMAR 117

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Compilation
Country: US
Released: April 13, 2019
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country
[Tracklist]
A1 God Please Protect America: Moore & Napier (2:34)
A2 I'm No Communist: Grandpa Jones (2:28)
A3 Ain't I Right: Johnny Freedom (3:14)
A4 Freedom Monkey: Doc Williams (2:40)
A5 The Bearded Bandit of Cuba: Art & Glenda Davis (2:10)
A6 The Bay of Pigs: Red River Dave (2:22)
A7 Ballad of Two Brothers: Autry Inman (3:30)
A8 Fall-Out: Red Castle (2:02)
B1 Little Boy Soldier: Wanda Jackson And The Party Timers (2:36)
B2 Crazy Viet Nam War: Stringbean and His 5 String Banjo (2:42)
B3 Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town: Mel Tillis (2:46)
B4 Congratulations (You Sure Made A Man Out of Him): Arlene Harden (4:00)
B5 One More Time, Billy Brown: The Shacklefords (4:02)
B6 The Patriot: Marie Roberson (2:14)
B7 The Craziest War of the Universe: Jefferson County Bluegrass Boys (2:34)
B8 The War Keeps Draggin' On: The Wilburn Brothers (2:54)
[Notes]
War, Patriotism, Pathos, Paranoia and Propaganda in the Country Music Experience. Vinyl Relics recovered from abandoned Fall-Out Shelters and excavated from beneath wastelands of Radioactive Rubble… Country Music Artefacts from the Cold War Era: Hyper-Patriotic Anthems, Delirious Cowpoke Agitprop Diatribes, Peacenik Protestations and Heartfelt Homefront Lamentations. Years in the making – 'Cold War Countdown’presents 16 tempestuous tirades of Red-Scare Pinko-Subversion, Iron Curtain-Clad Simian Freedom Fighters, Bearded Despots, Flower Power Fall-Out, the War Wizened, the Walking Wounded and Heart-Wrenching Fallen Heroes. Often originally waxed on microscopic labels and distributed in minuscule amounts, these Broadside Balladeers decry the Worldwide Communist Conspiracy, Apocalyptic Holocausts, Bureaucratic Mission Creep and Problematic Personal Grooming. A Red-Hot fission of Atomic-Era 45s – some of these sides are impossibly rare and are reissued here for the very first time. All for your End-Times Bunker listening pleasure.

The Isaacs: Songs for the Times

New Day - 0254

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2020
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Southern Gospel
[Tracklist]
01 Ain't No Grave (Gonna Hold My Body Down) (05:31)
02 Through It All (03:09)
03 The Wilderness (04:06)
04 Just Over Yonder (03:07)
05 The Love of God (04:24)
06 The Times They Are a Changing (03:39)
07 Peace in Trusting (03:23)
08 Give Him What You Got (02:49)
09 Medley of Hymns (06:30)
10 Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around (05:01)
[Credits]
Lily Isaacs (vocals) Ben Isaacs (bass/chorus) Sonya Yeary (mandolin/vocals) Rebecca Bowman (guitar/vocals) Jakobi Bowman (chorus) Levi Bowman (chorus) Shane McConnell (chorus) Gene McDonald (chorus) Michael Rogers (chorus) Angie Primm (chorus) Jason Crabb (chorus) Sarah Davison (chorus) Stephen Burwell (fiddle) Aubrey Haynie (fiddle) Bryan Sutton (banjo/guitar) Josh Swift (dobro) Gordon Mote (piano) Nathan Fauscett (drums/percussion)
[Notes]
Like the Mylon Hayes Family, the Isaacs provide listeners a collection of previously recorded songs with three new songs. Songs For The Times mixes some traditional bluegrass sounds along with progressive Southern Gospel songs. The vocal line-up of the Isaacs has remained consistent with Sonya Yeary (soprano), Becky Bowman (alto), Lily Isaacs (2nd alto/harmony) and Ben Isaacs (lead/baritone).

The Legendary Peg Leg Howell

Testament Records T-2204

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1964
Genre: Blues, World, & Country
Style: Country Blues
[Tracklist]
A1 Blood Red River
A2 John Henry
A3 Uncle Sam Blues
A4 Jack Rabbit Blues
A5 Worried Blues
B1 Jelly Roll Blues
B2 Jo Jo Blues
B3 Skin Game Blues
B4 Coal Man Blues
B5 Let Me Play With Your Yo-Yo
[Credits]
Peg Leg Howell (guitar/vocals)
Producer: Peter J. Welding, Designer: Robert J. Billings, Photographer:George Mitchell, Editor: Robert G. Koester, Recordeer: C. P. Matthews
[Notes]
76 year old one-legged bluesman rediscovered in stinking poverty in 1963 by two young blues enthusiasts. Now with no legs left he expresses pleasure that one is carrying a guitar. Within a few weeks he records an album for them on reel to reel tape. The voice wavers occasionally, the guitar playing can be erratic - but sometimes beautiful - and some of the songs are little more than single-entendres, but the piece is an absolutely fascinating listen.

Songs of Courting and Complaint Sung by Peggy Seeger

Folkways Records – FA 2049

Format: Vinyl, LP, 10", Album
Country: US
Released: 1955
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A1 Whistle, Daughter, Whistle (1:45)
A2 When I Was Single (2:55)
A3 House Carpenter (4:08)
A4 When First Unto This Country a Stranger I Came (1:56)
A5 All of Her Answers Were No (3:17)
B1 The Young Man Who Wouldn't Hoe Corn (1:49)
B2 The Wagoner's Lad (1:47)
B3 Long Lonesome Road (2:18)
B4 The Butcher Boy (2:20)
B5 The Old Maid's Song (1:54)
B6 Katy Cruel (2:12)
B7 Leatherwing Bat (2:11)
[Credits]
Peggy Seeger (banjo/vocals) Clark Weissman (guitar)
Producer: Jay Ball, Liner Notes: Charles Seeger, Cover Desing: Sara Ward, Engineer: Andrew Kazdin and Jean Pierre Radley
[Notes]
Peggy Seeger's honest, unadorned voice and Clark Weissman's deft guitar accompaniment grace this selection of ballads whose characters lament the trials of courting and the tribulations of ill-fated marriage. Seeger's liner notes include a short essay by her father, renowned musicologist Charles Seeger.

Will Slayden: African-American Banjo Songs from West Tennessee

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2001
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Appalachian Music
[Tracklist]
01 When The Train Comes Along (4:31)
02 Oh Lord, Meet Me There (4:30)
03 When The World's On Fire (4:36)
04 Spoonful (4:30)
05 Form The Line (5:08)
06 Get Up In The Morning Soon (5:07)
07 Glory, Glory Hallelujah (3:04)
08 When The Saints Go Marching In (5:21)
09 God Can Use You (4:44)
10 Ain't Had None In A Long Time (2:23)
11 Roll Down The Line (2:57)
12 John Henry (2:26)
13 Spoonful (2:53)
14 Get Away From The Window (2:58)
15 Shortnin' Bread (2:46)
16 Glory, Glory Hallelujah (3:03)
17 So Glad (2:57)
18 Joe Turner (3:42)
19 The Old Hen Cackled (3:02)
20 Good Thing Got More Than One (2:04)
[Credits]
Will Slayden (banjo/vocals)
Producer and Liner Noted: Bruce Nemerov, Charles Wolfe and David Evans, Photographer: Charles McNutt, Editor: Bruce Nemerov
[Notes]
In 1952, Charles McNutt was a young anthropology student in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was also a student of the banjo, and he developed an interest in the instrument’s African (and African-American) roots. Influenced by the field recordings of John and Alan Lomax, McNutt set out to locate and record an African-American banjo player near his home of Memphis, Tennessee. His journey led him to Will Slayden, a sharecropper in his 60s who had given up the instrument when he became a Christian some two decades prior. McNutt rented a portable reel-to-reel tape recorder, loaned Slayden an $8 banjo, and captured an afternoon of history using a hand-held microphone.

Betty Smith: Songs Traditionally Sung in North Carolina

Folk-Legacy Records – FSA53

Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: US
Released: 1975
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Appalachian Music
[Tracklist]
A1 Young Emily (3:42)
A2 False Knight In The Road (3:16)
A3 Omie Wise (3:02)
A4 Black Is The Color (4:34)
A5 Young Charlotte (4:58)
A6 Samanthra (1:57)
A7 Where Will I Shelter My Sheep Tonight (2:34)
B1 Awake, Awake, You Drowsy Sleeper (3:45)
B2 Foggy Dew (3:53)
B3 Red Rosy Bush (3:36)
B4 Mary Of The Wild Moor (3:19)
B5 Little Sparrow (1:58)
B6 Little Rosewood Casket (2:13)
B7 We'll Camp A Little While In The Wilderness (3:50)
B8 'Tis Sad To Part (1:36)
[Credits]
Betty Smith (guitar/autoharp/dulcimer/psaltery/vocals)
Liner Notes, Photographer and Recorded: Sandy Paton
[Notes]
Betty Smith was an educator and folksinger originally from Rowan County, North Carolina. As the folk revival was reaching its height in the 1960s with its focus on Appalachian music, Smith realized many of the songs she heard played were the same songs she learned as a child. Inspired to play this repertoire herself, she took to the folk-festival circuit, establishing herself as an authentic performer from the mountains of North Carolina. On this record, Smith plays a selection of traditional Appalachian songs sung in a pure, unaffected style, accompanying herself on guitar, dulcimer, and psaltery.

Broadside Ballads Vol. 6: Broadside Reunion

Broadside Records – BR 315

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1972
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A01 Long Time Troubled Road: Eric Andersen (3:30)
A02 Train A-Travelin': Blind Boy Grunt (Bob Dylan) (2:04)
A03 Only Time Will Tell: Bobby Donaghey (1:58)
A04 Dreadful Day: Blind Boy Grunt (Bob Dylan) (1:04)
A05 I'm Goin' to Get My Baby Outa Jail: Len Chandler (5:05)
A06 Tate's Hell: Will McLean (2:52)
A07 A Very Close Friend of Mine: Richard Black (2:39)
A08 Moon Song: Mike Millius (1:48)
A09 Train for Auschwitz: Tom Paxton (3:53)
A10 Hunger and Cold: Phil Ochs (2:31)
B01 Changing Hands: Phil Ochs (2:43)
B02 Drums: Peter La Farge (7:59)
B03 The Ballad of Emmett Till: Blind Boy Grunt (Bob Dylan) (4:40)
B04 The Ballad of Donald White: Blind Boy Grunt (Bob Dylan) (4:32)
B05 Ballad of Jesse James: Sis Cunningham, Mike Millius, Wesley Houston and Friends (3:51)
[Credits]
Designer: Ronald Clyne, Photographer: Diana Davies
[Notes]
Released in 1972, after many of its artists had risen to international acclaim, Broadside Ballads, Vol. 6 contains previously unreleased songs that appeared in the folk publication Broadside Magazine, founded in 1962. With a lineup that includes Blind Boy Grunt (Bob Dylan), Peter La Farge, Phil Ochs, and Tom Paxton, Broadside Ballads, Vol. 6, is unique not only for its varied talent but also because of its source—the songs were mainly recorded during impromptu performances at Broadside's New York apartment throughout the 1960s with little more than guitar and vocals. One of the exceptions is "Drums," Peter La Farge's last public performance in Greenwich Village before his death in 1965.

Woody Guthrie: Poor Boy

Folkways Records - FTS 31010

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1968
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A1 Baltimore To Washington (2:58)
A2 Little Black Train (2:30)
A3 Who's Going To Shoe Your Pretty Feet (2:29)
A4 Slip Knot (2:34)
A5 Poor Boy (2:25)
A6 Mean Talking Blues (3:27)
A7 Stepstone (2:57)
B1 Bed On The Floor (2:27)
B2 Little Darling (2:13)
B3 Miner's Song (2:14)
B4 Train Blues (3:19)
B5 Danville Girl No. 2 (3:23)
B6 Ride Old Paint 3(3:04)
[Credits]
Woody Guthrie (guitar/vocals) Cisco Houston (vocals) Sonny Terry (harmonica)
Recorder: Moses Asch, Designer and Photographer: Craig Mierop
[Notes]
Woody Guthrie was perhaps the most important folk musician of the twentieth century, inspiring a generation of singers and musicians such as Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, and many more. Guthrie sang about many topics, but he was particularly known for being a voice of the poor and downtrodden, and the recordings on Poor Boy showcase this side of his work. The recordings were made in the mid-1940s and were originally released under the name Bed on the Floor. he liner notes feature an excerpt from Born to Win, Guthrie's book of drawings, letters, lyrics, and stories. Six tracks feature additional singing by Cisco Houston, and two feature harmonica accompaniment by Sonny Terry.

Chet Atkins with the Carter Sisters and Mother Maybelle 1949

Country Routes – RFD CD 37

Format: CD, Compilation
Country: UK
Released: 2006
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country
[Tracklist]
01 No Vacancy
02 Today
03 'Deed I Do
04 The Deaf Woman's Courtship
05 In The Pines
06 Eight More Miles To Louisville
07 Ain't It Hard To Love
08 No Tears In Heaven
09 She's Killing Me
10 I'm Fading Fast With The Tide
11 Blue Eyes Cryin' In The Rain
12 Carry Me Off To Old Virginny
13 Lord Lead Me On
14 Columbus Stockade Blues
15 Under The Hickory Nut Tree
16 When God Dips His Love In My Heart
17 What's The Use
18 Keep On The Sunny Side
19 In The Pines
20 Take Me Back To Tulsa
21 You Belong To Me
22 Meeting In The Air
23 Frankie And Johnny
24 Farther Along
25 I'll Be Thinking Of You Little Girl
[Credits]
Chet Atkins (guitar/vocals) Mother Maybelle (guitar/banjo/vocals) Helen Carter (vocals) Anita Carter (vocals) June Carter (vocals)
Remastering: Charlie Crump
[Notes]
After the original Carter Family trio stopped performing together, Maybelle Carter formed Mother Maybelle & the Carter Sisters in 1943 with her daughters Helen, Anita, and June Carter, and in 1947 Maybelle added a young Chet Atkins to the group to play electric lead guitar. This reconstituted Carter Family recorded some 60 songs in 1949 and 1950 to be used as live radio transcriptions, the earliest of which are included here (County Routes released the later sessions on CD in 2005 as The Carter Sisters and Mother Maybelle with Chet Atkins). The sound on these transcriptions is clear and sharp, and for those who only know the much more Appalachian-sounding A.P. Carter version of the Carter Family, it is a bit of a revelation, with a more modern Nashville veneer. A half-dozen or so of these tracks are Atkins guitar solos, and he sings an occasional lead vocal and a harmony or two, but it is the Carter sisters' joyous harmonies that really carry the show. Highlights include ensemble pieces like "You Belong to Me," "Someone's Last Day," "Under the Hickory Nut Tree" (featuring Atkins on the lead vocal), several short versions of "In the Pines," and a wonderful duet from Helen and Anita Carter on "Blue Eyes Cryin' in the Rain." -- AllMusic Review by Steve Leggett

Ballads of Black America

Folkways Records – FC 7751

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1972
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A1 The Deacons (5:44)
A2 Harriet Tubman (2:51)
A3 Benjamin Banneker (2:42)
A4 Frederick Douglass (3:45)
B1 Sojourner Truth (3:59)
B2 Leroy "Satchel" Paige (3:27)
B3 Martin Luther King (1:59)
B4 Paul Robeson (3:15)
[Credits]
Frederick Douglass Kirkpatrick (guitar/vocals) Pete Seeger (banjo) Jeanne Humphries (bass)
Producer: Carter Smith and James Hinton, Designer: Henry Post, Engineer: Frank Boucher
[Notes]
Joined by Pete Seeger on banjo and Jeanne Humphries on bass, Reverend F. D. Kirkpatrick pays tribute to historic black heroes through song. This recording project was inspired by a performance Kirkpatrick gave at an elementary school book fair in Brooklyn, New York, in 1969. Frustrated by the lack of books and music to teach children about the contributions African Americans made to the U.S.A. and the world, he decided to write and record a series of songs extolling the achievements of great black leaders. The liner notes feature biographies of all those honored, including Martin Luther King Jr., Paul Robeson, and Harriet Tubman. In 1978, Kirkpatrick recorded a second album for Folkways Records, F.D. Kirkpatrick Hosts the Louisiana Folk Fest (FW03843).

Jimmie Rodgers: The Rough Guide To Country Legends

Music Rough Guides – RGNET1274LP

Format: Vinyl, Compilation
Countr: EU
Released: Jul 30, 2013
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country
[Tracklist]
A1 Mule Skinner Blues (Blue Yodel #8) (2:58)
A2 Somewhere Down Below The Mason Dixie Line (2:56)
A3 Frankie And Johnnie (2:51)
A4 Where There's A Tear In My Eye (3:09)
A5 My Blue-Eyed Jane (2:46)
A6 In The Jailhouse Now, No. 2 (2:54)
B1 Blue Yodel #1 (T for Texas) (3:23)
B2 Away Out On The Mountain (3:17)
B3 Dear Old Sunny South By The Sea (2:48)
B4 Jimmie Rodger's Last Blue Yodel (3:20)
B5 T.B. Blues (3:03)
B6 I'm Free (From The Chain Gang Now) (3:02)
[Credits]
Jimmie Rodgers (guitar/vocals)
Producer: Phil Stanton, Coordinator: Brad Haynes and Rachel Jackson, Designer: Brad Haynes
[Notes]
Jimmie Rodgers was, as his plaque at the Country Music Hall of Fame states, "the man who started it all," and his role as the father of country music is made all the more amazing by the fact that his recording and singing career only lasted a scant six years in the 1920s and '30s. His deceptively simple songs, often punctuated by his distinctive yodeling, merged hillbilly and cowboy folk with gospel, jazz, blues, and pop, and he bridged the gap between the vernacular artists of the recording industry's first years with the country stars who emerged in country's modern era. This double-disc set (a second bonus disc includes a sampler of the artists included in the Rough Guide to Country series, of which this set is a part) provides a quick introduction to the Singing Brakeman, the man who started it all.-- AllMusic Review by Steve Leggett

Mike Seeger: True Vine

Smithsonian Folkways – SFW CD 40136

Format: CD , Album
Country: US
Released: 2003
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Country
[Tracklist]
01 Breaking Up Ice In The Allegheny (1:47)
02 Coo Coo Bird (2:38)
03 Johnson Jinkson (2:52)
04 Little Rabbit, Where's Your Mammy? (3:18)
05 The Raftsman's Song (1:42)
06 Honeycutt's Holler (0:27)
07 Did You Ever See The Devil, Uncle Joe? (2:13)
08 Blow The Horn, Blow (2:10)
09 Old Man (2:46)
10 Spoonful (3:34)
11 Shouting In Jerusalem (3:19)
12 When Sorrows Encompass Me Round (1:39)
13 Calico (2:34)
14 Early In The Spring (3:14)
15 Freight Train (3:14)
16 Goodbye, My Little Darling (2:08)
17 Don't Let Your Deal Go Down (4:06)
18 I'm Gonna Go Huntin' For The Buffalo (1:39)
19 Granddad Jim's Waltz (1:56)
20 The Golden Willow Tree (7:02)
21 California Cotillion (2:36)
22 Young Johnnie (3:04)
23 Sail Away Ladies (3:19)
[Credits]
Mike Seeger (artist/recorder/producer/engineer)
Liner Notes: Jay Orr, Artwork: Laura Pharis, Designer: Sonya Cohen Cramer, Photographer: Ellen M. Martin and Mandi Wright, Engineer: Pete Reiniger
[Notes]
Mountain music legend Ralph Stanley said of six-time Grammy nominee Mike Seeger, "He's got his own style. He's an old-timer, and he does his style just fine." From the fertile ground of American folk music, through the roots of field recordings, vintage discs, and personal encounters with traditional artists, Seeger's creative spirit finds flower again on this solo album. True Vine reflects his connection to deep musical roots and represents the latest blossoming of his life-long exploration of diverse traditional musical styles.

Big Walter Horton With Carey Bell

Alligator Records – 4702

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1973
Genre: Blues, World, & Country
Style: Chicago Blues
[Tracklist]
A1 Have A Good Time (3:44)
A2 Christine (3:59)
A3 Lovin' My Baby (2:47)
A4 Little Boy Blue (3:12)
A5 Can't Hold Out Much Longer (2:48)
A6 Under The Sun (3:47)
B1 Tell Me Baby (3:12)
B2 Have Mercy (3:45)
B3 That Ain't It (2:37)
B4 Temptation Blues (3:39)
B5 Trouble In Mind (4:37)
[Credits]
Big Walter Horton (harmonica/vocals) Carey Bell (bass) Joe Harper (bass) Eddie Taylor (guitar) Frank Swan (drums)
Designer: Michael Trossman, Engineer: Stu Black
[Notes]
The teacher/pupil angle might be a bit unwieldy here. Bell was already a formidable harpist in his own right by 1972, when Horton made this album -- but there's no denying that a stylistic bond existed between the two. A highly showcase for the often recalcitrant harp master, and only his second domestic set as a leader.-- AllMusic Review by Bill Dahl

The Dixon Brothers: A Blessing To People

Bear Family Records – BCD 16817 DK

Country: Germany
Released: 2012
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country
[DISK 1]
01 Weave Room Blues (02:33)
02 Two Little Rosebuds (02:48)
03 Sales Tax On the Women (02:19)
04 Intoxicated Rat (02:40)
05 Not Turning Back (03:08)
06 White Flower for YouDorsey M. Dixon / Charles M. Fillmore (03:19)
07 Answer to Maple On the Hill, Pt. 1 (03:23)
08 Answer To Maple On the Hill, Pt. 3 (03:15)
09 Greenback Dollar, Pt. 2 (03:20)
10 Spinning Room Blues (02:37)
11 My Girl in Sunny Tennessee (03:25)
12 A Wonderful Day (02:57)
13 Are You Sure? (03:17)
14 That Old Vacant Chair (02:47)
15 I'm Just Here to Get My Baby Out of Jail, Pt. 2 (03:13)
16 Never to Be Sweethearts Again (03:32)
17 Bonnie Blue Eyes, Pt. 2 (Hush Little Bonnie) (02:38)
18 Ocean of Life (02:28)
19 Rambling Gambler (03:13)
20 Dark Eyes (02:56)
21 Easter Day (03:04)
22 That Old True Love (02:37)
23 Answer to Maple On the Hill, Pt. 4 (03:14)
24 Beautiful Stars (02:41)
25 I Will Meet My Precious Mother (03:01)
26 Weaver's Life (03:27)
27 Darling Do You Miss Me (02:40)
28 Little Bessie (02:28)
29 How Can a Broke Man Be Happy (02:55)
[DISK 2]
01 How Can a Broke Man Be Happy (02:54)
02 The School House Fire (03:15)
03 She Tickles Me (02:31)
04 Fisherman's Luck (02:29)
05 At Twilight Old Pal of Yesterday (02:48)
06 Call Me Pal of Mine (02:45)
07 I Won't Accept Anything for My Soul (03:26)
08 What Can I Give in Exchange (03:15)
09 What Would You Give in Exchange, Pt. 5 (03:09)
10 The Girl I Left in Danville (03:01)
11 Two Little Boys (02:28)
12 The Lonely Prisoner (02:40)
13 The Old Home Brew (02:25)
14 Always Waiting for You (03:19)
15 When Jesus Appears (03:11)
16 Satisfied at Last (02:46)
17 Shining City Over the River (02:30)
18 Honey It's Just Because (03:07)
19 Back to My Wyoming Home (02:37)
20 I Can't Tell Why I Love You (02:14)
21 Under the Old Cherry Tree (02:30)
22 Blessed Promise In Store (02:57)
23 Anywhere Is Home (02:39)
24 Beneath an Old Maple (02:46)
25 Fields On Fire (02:49)
26 The Blood of Jesus Saved Me (03:11)
27 Where Shall I Be (02:48)
28 Promise in the Book of Life (03:24)
29 Broken Hearted Girl (02:31)
30 Woman's Answer to 'What Is Home Without Love' (03:08)
[DISK 3]
01 Hobo Jack the Rambler (02:53)
02 More Pretty Girls Than One, Pt. 3 (03:27)
03 There's a Place in My Home for Mother (02:35)
04 Bootlegger's Story (02:28)
05 Wonder Who's Kissing Her, Pt. 2 (03:23)
06 Prisoner's Plea (02:42)
07 Faithless Husband (02:57)
08 Down with the Old Canoe (02:55)
09 I Didn't Hear Anybody Pray (03:44)
10 Glorious Light is Dawning (03:16)
11 Have Courage to Only Say No (03:01)
12 A Mother, A Father, A Baby (03:16)
13 A Church at the Foot of the Hill (02:36)
14 By Himself (02:39)
15 Tempted and Tried (03:23)
16 Time for Me To Go (02:22)
17 Beyond Black Smoke (02:26)
18 When Gabriel Blows His Trumpet for Me (03:00)
19 Speak Evil of No Man (03:18)
20 Jimmie and Sallie (02:52)
21 The Story of George Collins (02:58)
22 The Light of Homer Rogers (02:56)
23 After the Ball (02:23)
24 'Twas Only a Dream (02:57)
25 Answer to Broken Engagement (02:17)
26 By the Old Oaken Bucket, Louise (02:24)
27 Honey Baby Mine (02:23)
28 My Trundle Bed (02:27)
29 New Trouble (02:17)
[DISK 4}
01 Babies in the Mill (03:32)
02 The Factory Girl (02:15)
03 Hard Times in Here (02:25)
04 Weave Room Blues (01:16)
05 Twister Room Blues (02:01)
06 When Weaving Time Is Over (03:40)
07 The Wreck of the Old 97 (03:52)
08 The Cleveland School House Fire (07:04)
09 Wreck On the Highway (03:16)
10 Naomi Wise (02:55)
11 Our Johnny (02:34)
12 Mommy, Will My Doggie Understand? (02:09)
13 Bill Dodson's Last Run (03:20)
14 The Great Convoy (02:03)
15 Jesse James (02:52)
16 Give Me My Flowers While I'm Living (02:51)
17 Be at Home Soon Tonight, My Dear Boy (01:55)
18 Tomorrow(01:53)
19 The Worried Bum (01:53)
20 She Tickled Me (02:11)
21 Timothy Kelly (02:08)
22 The Burglar Man (01:54)
23 The Christmas CakeC. Frank Horn (01:23)
24 The Hungry Hash House (03:19)
25 I'm Not Turning Backward (03:08)
26 Somebody Touched Me (02:11)
27 Across the Shining River (02:21)
28 My Name In the Book (02:16)
29 When That Beautiful City Comes Down (02:51)
30 Will the Circle Be Unbroken (02:27)
31 I Shall Not Be Moved (02:08)
32 I Didn't Have a Friend (02:01)
33 The Church at the Foot of the Hill (03:11)
[Credits]
Dorsey Dixon (guitar/vocals) Howard Dixon (steel guitar/ vocals) Beatrice Dixon (guitar/vocals) Mutt Evans (banjo/guitar/mandolin/vocals) Frank Gerald (guitar/vocals)
Producers: Archie Green, Gene Earle, Ed Kahn and Richard Weize, Liner Notes: Patrick Huber and Cameron Shipp, Artwork: Mychael Gerstenberger, Illustrations and Photography: David Diehl, Joe Gerald, Norm Cohen, Tom Hanchett, Christopher C. King, Malcolm Vidrine, Tom Warlick and Frank Mare, Mastering: Christian Zwarg
[Notes]
While a four-volume series on Document presented the Dixon Brothers' complete work in chronological order, this four-CD box set goes yet better in its thoroughness. In addition to all the duo's commercially released 1936-1938 recordings, it has the sides Howard Dixon recorded with Frank Gerald; the ones Howard Dixon and Gerald cut with Mutt Evans, and the tracks (six previously unreleased) Dorsey Dixon did with his wife Beatrice. That takes up three of the four discs; the fourth CD is devoted to recordings Dorsey Dixon made as a solo artist in 1961 and 1962 during the folk revival, two-thirds of which were previously unissued. Adding up to 121 selections in all, it demonstrates the brothers' wide range (whether working together or in a different context) of repertoire, encompassing socially conscious songs about taxes and working conditions in textile mills; Appalachian country-folk arrangements of Tin Pan Alley tunes; country gospel, and other songs of romance and tragedy. As close-harmony pre-World War II country brother duos go, the Dixon Brothers may not be as accessible as some, like the Delmore Brothers and the Blue Sky Boys, as the vocals were less sweet and more wizened. It's a lot of homily-laden, often moralistic material to take in at once, and as even the liner notes admit, on the somewhat informal Dorsey Dixon early-'60s recordings (done shortly after Howard Dixon's death), "many of the songs he recorded varied little in key or tempo." Yet as a definitive consolidation of the Dixon Brothers' work, it's hard to imagine how this could be bettered, unless the four lost masters from a September 25, 1938 session (three by Howard Dixon and Frank Gerald, and one by the pair with Mutt Evans) can be found. -- AllMusic Review by Richie Unterberger

Lucinda Williams: Happy Woman Blues

Smithsonian Folkways – SF 40003

Format: Vinyl, LP, Reissued
Country: US
Released: 1990
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Blues, Folk, Country
[Tracklist]
A1 Lafayette (3:40)
A2 I Lost It (2:52)
A3 Maria (3:45)
A4 Happy Woman Blues (3:08)
A5 King Of Hearts (4:02)
B1 Rolling Along (2:46)
B2 One Night Stand (2:53)
B3 Howlin' At Midnight (3:49)
B4 Hard Road (2:29)
B5 Louisiana Man (2:23)
B6 Sharp Cutting Wings (Song To A Poet) (3:26)
[Credits]
Lucinda Williams (guitar/vocals) Mickey White (guitar/chorus) Rex Bell (bass/chorus) Malcolm Smith (fiddle/viola) Uncle Mickey Moody (steel guitar) Ira Wilkes (drums)
[Notes]
Lucinda Williams, whose musical style defies easy categorization, recorded her first album of original songs in 1980, supported by a six-member band. Her songs are a mix of traditional and alternative country, folk, and blues that reflect her Louisiana roots. The Village Voice music critic Robert Christgau gave Happy Woman Blues an "A–" and described Williams as a "guileless throwback to the days of the acoustic blues mamas" who "means what she says and says what she means." The vinyl reissue of Happy Woman Blues, which includes a liner notes booklet with the song lyrics, is part of the Smithsonian Folkways Vinyl Reissue Series, revisiting some of the most iconic and influential albums in our collection. For a limited time, we are offering Elizabeth Cotten's Folksongs and Instrumentals with Guitar, Lucinda Williams's Happy Woman Blues, and Mary Lou Williams as a Vinyl Bundle with Bonus Folkways Slipmat.

Erik Darling

Elektra – EKL154

Format: Vinyl, LP, Mono
Country: US
Released: 1958
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A1 Salty Dog (2:36)
A2 In the Evening (2:37)
A3 J. C. Holmes (2:44)
A4 Cumberland Mountain Bear Chase (4:38)
A5 Oh, What a Beautiful City (2:18)
A6 Pretty Polly (3:06)
B1 Paul and Silas (2:20)
B2 Hard Luck Blues (2:53)
B3 Banjo Medley (2:36)
B4 Aboline (2:46)
B5 Swannanoa Tunnel (2:52)
B6 Boil Weevu (3:58)
B7 Let Me Fly (1:30)
B8 Candy Man (2:49)
[Credits]
Erik Darling (guitar/banjo/vocals)
Artwork: Robert Hallett, Designer: Mark Morris, Photographer: Lawrence N. Shustak, Production Supervisor: Jac Holzman, Engineer: Leonard Ripley
[Notes]
Erik Darling was one of the most versatile performers to come out of the folk revival, a great picker of banjo, guitar, and 12-string guitar, adept at folk, blues, bluegrass, jazz, and pop, as his success with the Rooftop Singers proved. This is his first solo album, a showcase of the talents he brought to the Tarriers (one of the first folk groups to crack the pop charts) and the Weavers. He also possessed a distinct voice, a high tenor with a fragile, tremulous quality that made his singing instantly recognizable. Darling was also an in-demand session player for folk sessions, and this album shows why. His arranging, playing, and singing bring a pop sensibility to the music, without making it overly glossy. "Cumberland Mountain Bear Chase" is a cinematic tale of a boy on his first hunting trip, with Darling's banjo sounding like a river, running dogs, and a hunting horn. "Oh, What a Beautiful City" is a spiritual that Darling later sang with the Weavers, an uplifting tune with jazzy syncopated guitar picking. "Paul and Silas" is another spiritual, this one mournful and full of intimations of mortality, with a keening vocal to complement the simple rolling guitar line. "Salty Dog" is a ragtime blues in the style of Rev. Gary Davis. "In the Evening" is a banjo blues, with subdued strumming to complement Darling's dramatic singing, which alternates between quiet whispers and angry shouts. "Aboline," a song by Chicago folkie Bob Gibson, later became a country hit for George Hamilton IV. Darling gives it the same bluesy, country feel that Hamilton used on his hit version. The only clunker here is his cutesy version of "Candy Man," where he affects a childish voice for no apparent reason, especially disconcerting on a song that's so sexual in nature.-- AllMusic Review by AllMusic

Magnolia Sisters: Prends Courage

Arhoolie Records – CD 439

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 1995
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Cajun
[Tracklist]
01 'Tit Monde = Little Friend (3:14)
02 Chère Bassette = Dear Little Woman (3:09)
03 Sur La Bord De L'Eau = By The Water's Edge (2:55)
04 Les Fils À Nonc Hilaire = Uncle Hilaire's Sons (2:19)
05 Brasse Donc, Le Couche-Couche / Grand Texas = Stir The Couche-Couche / Big Texas (3:54)
06 Il Savait Pas J'étais Mariée = He Didn't Know I Was Married (2:44)
07 Sept Ans Sur Mer = Seven Years On The Sea (2:11)
08 Grande Nuit Special = Big Night Special (3:19)
09 'Tits Yeux Bleus = Little Blue Eyes (2:30)
10 Je Voudrais Bien Me Marier, Mais... = I'd Like To Get Married, But... (0:48)
11 Un' Piastre Ici, Un' Piastre La-Bas = A Dollar Here, A Dollar There (1:51)
12 Les Mémoires Dans Mon Coeur = Memories Of My Heart (2:44)
13 Prends Courage = Take Courage (2:29)
14 La Valse De Grande Pinière = Waltz Of The Big Pines (3:00)
15 Tasso (2:57)
16 Derrière Chez Nous = Behind Our House (1:25)
17 Braille Pas, Jolis 'Tits Yeux Bleus = Don't Cry My Bonnie Blue Eyes (2:06)
18 Mama Roseanne (3:41)
19 La Valse De Courville Et McGee = The Happy One Step (4:00)
20 Ma Blonde Est Partie = My Blonde Left (3:20)
21 Dors, Dors / Fais Do Do = Sleep, Sleep / Go To Sleep (3:18)
22 La Robe Barrée = The Striped Dress (3:15)
[Credits]
Ann Savoy (accordion/fiddle/guitar/vocals) Jane Vidrine (fiddle/guitar/vocals) Lisa Trahan Reed (bass/vocals) Anya Schoenegge (fiddle/vocals) Tina Pilione (fiddle/vocals) Christine Balfa (guitar/banjo/ukulele)
Producer: Chris Strachwitz, Designer and Liner Notes: Ann Savoy, Photographer: Kim Andrus
[Notes]
Musicians Ann Savoy and Jane Vidrine formed the Magnolia Sisters duo after discovering how well their singing voices blended. This collection of 22 songs contains some of their favorite Cajun songs, which they selected to reflect the shared experiences and courage of both women, who settled in Louisiana from distant homes. The songs conjure up images of real-life stories and times past. Some of the lyrics were altered slightl