Virginia Traditions: Native Virginia Ballads and Songs

BRI Records – BRI 004

Series: Virginia Traditions
Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1981
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Country, & Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
A1 Claude Allen: Hobart Smith (3:33)
A2 Sidney Allen: Spence Moore (1:59)
A3 Poor Goins: James Taylor Adams and Finley Adams (3:59)
A4 The Vance Song: Branch W. Higgins (2:16)
A5 The Fate of Dewey Lee: Spence Moore (2:59)
A6 The Fate of Talmadge Osborne: Ernest V. Stoneman (3:06)
A7 The Wreck of the 1256: Vernon Dalhart (4:16)
A8 The Wreck of the Old 97: Kelly Harrell and Henry Whitter (3:49)
B1 The Life and Death of Charlie Poole: Ted Prillaman (2:25)
B2 The Story of Freeda Bolt: Floyd County Ramblers (3:41)
B3 The Ballad of Caty Sage: J.C. Pierce (3:43)
B4 The Cyclone of Rye Cove: The Carter Family (2:04)
B5 The Story of the Flood: The Stanley Brothers (3:12)
B6 The Pinnacle Mountain Silver Mine: Helen Cockram (2:08)
B7 New River Song: Jim and Artie Marshall (2:59)
B8 Highway 52: Little "Doc" Raymond and The Coleman Pardners (2:54)
B9 The Ballad of Fancy Gap: Jim and Artie Marshall (4:51)
[Credits]
Liner Notes: Doug DeNatale, Editor: Linda Linnartz, Recorders: Alan Lomax, Herbert Halpert, Elizabeth Lomax and Bobby Patterson, Engineers: Doug DeNatale and Glen Hinson
[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. From murders to train wrecks to natural disasters, the ballads on this recording concern events and people of Appalachian Virginia. Performance styles range from traditional unaccompanied singing to sophisticated modern bluegrass.