Dave Van Ronk Sings Ballads, Blues & A Spiritual

Folkways Records – FS 3818

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue
Country: United States
Released: 1959, 2019
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Blues, Folk, & Spirituals
[Tracklist]
A1 Duncan and Brady (03:02)
A2 Black Mountain Blues (04:02)
A3 In the Pines (03:08)
A4 My Baby's So Sweet (02:35)
A5 Oh, What a Beautiful City (Twelve Gates to the City) (03:15)
A6 Winin' Boy (02:38)
A7 If You Leave Me Pretty Momma (03:09)
B1 Backwater Blues (03:04)
B2 Careless Love (02:59)
B3 Betty and Dupree (03:37)
B4 K.C. Moan (03:04)
B5 Gambler's Blues (02:30)
B6 John Henry (02:28)
B7 How Long (03:56)
[Credits]
Dave Van Ronk (guitar/vocals)
Recorder and Editor: Kenneth S. Goldstein, Photographer: David Gahr, Designer: Craig Mierop
[Notes]
Dubbed "The Mayor of MacDougal Street," Dave Van Ronk (1936–2002) was an iconoclastic folksinger and an influential figure in the American folk music revival of the 1960s. Because of his interest in African American folk music and blues, and his gift (or curse) of a gravelly baritone voice, Van Ronk was often criticized for his approach to his musical repertoire. His rejoinder was that he reserved the right to sing songs in the style that he deemed to be "the right way." This 1959 Folkways recording, his first on any label, is a collection of 19th- and early 20th-century traditional folk and blues songs that persuasively illustrates his stance. The vinyl reissue includes a liner notes booklet with the song lyrics and is part of the Smithsonian Folkways Vinyl Reissue Series, revisiting some of the most iconic and influential albums released on the record label.

Billy Strings - Highway Prayers

Reprise Records – 093624849438

Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition
Country: United States
Released: Sep 27, 2024
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
A1 Leaning On A Travelin' Song (3:58)
A2 In The Clear (2:57)
A3 Escanaba (4:34)
A4 Gild The Lily (5:06)
A5 Seven Weeks In County (4:16)
B1 Stratosphere Blues / I Believe In You (5:51)
B2 Cabin Song (3:15)
B3 Don't Be Calling Me (3:15)
B4 Malfunction Junction (4:52)
C1 Catch And Release (2:14)
C2 Be Your Man (4:01)
C3 Gone A Long Time (3:02)
C4 It Ain't Before (3:46)
C5 My Alice (4:06)
D1 Seney Stretch (4:34)
D2 MORBUD4ME (2:55)
D3 Leadfoot (2:46)
D4 Happy Hollow (2:46)
D5 The Beginning Of The End (3:57)
D6 Richard Petty (1:57)
[Credits]
Billy Strings (guitar/percussion/vocals) Billy Failing (banjo/vocals) Victor Furtado (banjo) Jarrod Walker (mandolin/mandocello/vocals) Jerry Douglas (dpbro) Lindsay Lou (vocals) Alex Hargreaves (fiddle/mandolin) Jason Carter (fiddle) Peter "Madcat" Ruth (harmonica/jew's harp) Royal Masat (bass/vocals) Cory Henry (piano) Matt Chamberlain (drums) Jon Brion (percussion)
Producer: Billy Strings, Jon Brion and Brandon Bell, Photographer: Dana Trippe, Designer: Bill Orner, Engineer: Brandon Bell, Gary Paczosa, Greg Koller, Chaz Sexton, Jason Tobias, Joe Caldwell, Sklyer Chuckry, Patricia Sullivan, Greg Koller
[Notes]
Highway Prayers, the major-label studio debut from Billy Strings, is a coming out party for the bluegrass wunderkind. Not that Strings necessarily needs an introduction. Over years of touring punctuated by a handful of acclaimed records on the legendary Americana imprint Rounder, the Michigan native has developed a quicksilver style that has earned him widespread appeal and industry recognition: Home, his second record, won the Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album in 2021, right around the time his fleet flat-picking found an enthusiastic reception among jam band freaks. Without ever abandoning his roots in traditional bluegrass, Strings ventured into other musical styles, demonstrating his facility with rock, metal, and blues, sounding equally at ease with bluegrass legends Béla Fleck and David Grisman as he is with rapper Post Malone or jam titans Phish.

My Epitaph : Ola Belle Reed

Folkways Records – FA 2493

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: United States
Released: 1976
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, & Appalachian Music
[Tracklist]
A1 High on a Mountain (05:30)
A2 I've Endured (05:50)
A3 Sing Me a Song (07:56)
B1 My Epitaph (08:10)
B2 Springtime of Life (06:08)
B3 Fortunes (06:13)
[Credits]
Ola Belle Reed (banjo/vocals)
Producer: Kevin Roth, Recorder: King Street Recording Company, Designer: Ronald Clyne
[Notes]
Banjo player and singer created this album and its accompanying notes as an autobiography, a document that describes her childhood in the mountains, her experiences, and her opinions about modern life. Produced by Kevin Roth, one of Reed's protégés, this recording is based on a live interview conducted in 1976.

Sound, Rhythm, Rhyme & Mime for Children with Bilal Abdurahman

Folkways Records – FC 7540S

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: United States
Released: 1971
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Children's, Spoken, & Educational
[Tracklist
A01 Sounds are all Around Us (03:13)
102 Join the Funny Parade (00:42)
A03 The City Block (00:54)
A04 The Bus (01:29)
A05 The Subway Train (02:39)
A06 The Summer (01:17)
A07 The Journey Through the Forest (02:27)
A08 Saw-a-Rhythm (00:59)
A09 Hammer and Saw (01:27)
A10 Sawyer's March (00:51)
A11 Fan Rythm (01:15)
A12 Fan, Clarinet, Tambourine (01:28)
B01 Pennywhistle, Woodblock Scrapes (03:41)
B02 Witty Ditty and Variations (06:16)
B03 Body Rhythms (02:30)
B04 Typewriter Rhythms (00:23)
B05 Typewriter with Woodblock (00:59)
B06 8 String Harp (Ennaga)
Uganda (03:01)
B07 1 String Ethiopian Viol (01:14)
B08 Bells (00:20)
B09 Rhythm for Mime… (04:00)
[Credits]
Artist & Photographer: Bilal Abdurahman, Photographer: Zenite
[Notes]
This spoken-word and music album was produced by musician/educator Bilal Abdurahman with a fourfold purpose: to encourage children to think and respond more readily to creative play activities through music and body movements; to make children aware of the many interesting sounds in their daily environment; to develop rhythmic coordination and better motor control; and to introduce unfamiliar sounds and musical instruments as a play and learning activity. Abdurahman and his collaborators—including daughters Rahkiah and Zainab— introduce listeners to everyday sounds and rhythms using bells, hammers and saws, electric fans, and typewriters! The liner notes include a transcript of the recording.