Smoky Mountain Ballads sung by Bascom Lamar Lunsford with Banjo

Folkways Records – FA2040

Format: Vinyl, LP, 10"
Country: United States
Released: 1953
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Old Time
[Traclist]
A1 Swannanoa Tunnel (03:00)
A2 Mr. Garfield (03:00)
A3 Jennie Jenkins (02:49)
A4 Little Margaret (02:55)
B1 Banks of the Ohio (02:48)
B2 Springfield Mountain (02:34)
B3 The Death of Queen Jane (02:37)
B4 Mole in the Ground (03:03)
[Credits]
Bascom Lamar Lunsford (bamjo/vocals)
Foreword: Pete Seeger, Introduction: Frances Lynne, Liner Notes: Bascom Lamar Lunsford
[Notes]
Called "The Minstrel of the Appalachians," banjo player Bascom Lamar Lunsford performs a cross section of his sizeable repertoire, which contains at least three hundred songs. These songs include English ballads, topical songs, and 19th century popular songs incorporated into the North Carolina mountain tradition.

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.

Classic American Ballads from Smithsonian Folkways

Smithsonian Folkways – SFW40215

Series: Smithsonian Folkways Classic Series
Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2015
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country Style: Folk, Country [Tracklist}
01 Banks of the Ohio: Doc Watson and Bill Monroe (3:32)
02 Blue Mountain Lake: Pete Seeger (2:47)
03 Claude Allen: Hobart Smith (3:50)
04 Cole Younger: Dock Boggs (1:50)
05 Cowboy’s Lament (Streets of Laredo): Buck Ramsey (3:21)
06 Boll Weevil: Sam Hinton (2:12)
07 Duncan and Brady: Lead Belly (1:08)
08 Floyd Collins: Paul Clayton (3:27)
09 Frankie and Johnny: Rolf Cahn and Eric Von Schmidt (6:39)
10 John Henry: John Jackson (3:22)
11 Jesse James: Sis Cunningham, Mike Millius, and Wes Houston (3:51)
12 Billy the Kid: Woody Guthrie (2:04)
13 The Death of the Lawson Family: Glen Neaves (1:54)
14 Naomi Wise: Doug Wallin (3:06)
15 Pearl Bryan: Bruce Buckley (2:54)
16 Sam Bass: Hermes Nye (1:59)
17 Springfield Mountain: Bascom Lamar Lunsford (2:31)
18 Tom Dooley: Glen Neaves, Roscoe Russell, Ivor Melton, Warren Brown, Ted Lundy (2:11)
19 Tying a Knot in the Devil's Tail: Cisco Houston (2:14)
20 Young Charlotte: Pete Seeger (4:05)
21 Wasn't That a Mighty Storm?: The Tex-i-an Boys (2:41)
22 Zebra Dun: Joan O'Bryant (2:32)
23 The Titanic: Pink Anderson (2:52)
24 The Louisville Burglar: The Iron Mountain String Band (3:09)
25 The F.F.V. (Engine 143): Annie Watson (3:56)
[Credits]
Compilers: Jeff Place, Katie Ortiz and Max Smith, Editor: Carla Borden, Designer: Joe Parisi
[Notes]
Born of the British ballad, its American offspring was the blank canvas for all type of tale, the more calami­tous or scandalous, the better. Jesse James and Billy the Kid, train wrecks and hurricanes, the Titanic and Tom Dooley, fatal lovers' quarrels and foiling the devil, all and more were normal fare, served up in a song. Classic American Balla

Mountain Frolic: Rare Old Timey Classics 1924-1937

JSP Records – JSP77100

Format: 4 x CD, Compilation, Remastered
Country: UK
Released: 2007
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country
[Disk One]
01 Little Sally Goodin (3:08)
02 Goin' Up Town (2:56)
03 Billy In The Low Ground (2:50)
04 Green Backed Dollar Bill (2:54)
05 Chesapeake Bay (3:03)
06 Fate Of Santa Barbara (2:43)
07 Sherman Valley (2:35)
08 Get Along Home Cindy (3:22)
09 Darby's Ram (3:17)
10 Stepstone (2:55)
11 Speaking The Truth (3:07)
12 A Stump Speech In The 10th District (3:37)
13 Adam And Eve (3:11)
14 North Bound Train (3:14)
15 You'll Never Find A Daddy Like Me (2:49)
16 Mobile County Blues (2:54)
17 Just Because (2:53)
18 Village School (3:04)
19 Fatal Flower Garden (2:58)
20 Rabbit Chase (3:05)
21 Sugar Hill (3:00)
22 I Ain't A Bit Drunk (2:59)
23 No Business Of Mine (3:32)
24 I'll Never Get Drunk Again (3:04)
25 Governor Smith For President (3:00)
[Disk Two]
01 The Faded Coat Of Blue (3:11)
02 The Wagoner's Lad (Loving Nancy) (3:04)
03 The Dying Soldier (Brother Green) (3:09)
04 Red Wing (2:45)
05 Snow Deer (2:53)
06 In The Shadow Of The Pines (2:41)
07 You Taught Me How To Love You (Now Teach Me To Forget) (2:52)
08 The Hobo's Last Ride (3:02)
09 Steel A Goin' Down (2:23 10 Toll The Bells (2:46)
11 The Cowboy Trail (2:39)
12 The Blind Man (2:53)
13 I'm Rolling Along (2:30)
14 A Mountain Boy Makes His First Record (Pt.1) (3:35)
15 A Mountain Boy Makes His First Record (Pt.2) (2:51)
16 Election Day In Kentucky (Pt.1) (3:22)
17 Election Day In Kentucky (Pt.2) (3:01)
18 Black Eyed Susie (2:50)
19 Cluck Old Hen (2:43)
20 Boatin' Up Sandy (2:54)
21 Johnson Boys (2:46)
22 Gonna Raise Ruckus Tonight (3:23)
23 Cindy (2:49)
24 Old Joe Clark (3:06)
25 Whistlin' Rufus (3:14)
26 When You're All In Down And Out (3:09)
[Disk Three]
01 The Faded Coat Of Blue (3:11)
02 The Wagoner's Lad (Loving Nancy) (3:04)
03 The Dying Soldier (Brother Green) (3:09)
04 Red Wing (2:45)
05 Snow Deer (2:53)
06 In The Shadow Of The Pines (2:41)
07 You Taught Me How To Love You (Now Teach Me To Forget) (2:52)
08 The Hobo's Last Ride (3:02)
09 Steel A Goin' Down (2:23)
10 Toll The Bells (2:46)
11 The Cowboy Trail (2:39 12 The Blind Man (2:53)
13 I'm Rolling Along (2:30)
14 A Mountain Boy Makes His First Record (Pt.1) (3:35)
15 A Mountain Boy Makes His First Record (Pt.2) (2:51)
16 Election Day In Kentucky (Pt.1) (3:22)
17 Election Day In Kentucky (Pt.2) (3:01)
18 Black Eyed Susie (2:50)
19 Cluck Old Hen (2:43)
20 Boatin' Up Sandy (2:54)
21 Johnson Boys (2:46)
22 Gonna Raise Ruckus Tonight (3:23)
23 Cindy (2:49)
24 Old Joe Clark (3:06)
25 Whistlin' Rufus (3:14)
26 When You're All In Down And Out (3:09)
[Disk Four]
01 Bring Me A Leaf From The Sea (2:59)
02 Good-bye My Bonnie, Good-bye (2:54)
03 The Bulldog Down In Sunny Tennessee (3:07)
04 I Love My Mountain Home (2:50)
05 When The Good Lord Sets You Free (3:11)
06 There's A Man Goin' Around Takin' Names (3:34)
07 Lay Down Baby, Take Your Rest (3:10)
08 Can't You Remember When Your Heart Was Mine (3:00)
09 Roll On, Boys (3:06)
10 You Are A Little Too Small (3:03)
11 Peg And Awl (3:00)
12 I'll Be Washed (2:58)
13 Hand In Hand We Have Walked Along Together (3:26)
14 The Train's Done Left Me (3:10)
15 Who's Gonna Kiss Your Lips, Dear Darling (3:10)
16 Oh, How I Hate It (3:12)
17 Rude And Rambling Man (3:21)
18 The Old Grey Goose (2:54)
19 Back To Mexico (2:45)
20 The Hen House Door Is Locked (2:53)
21 Got The Farm Land Blues (3:21)
22 Washing Mama's Dishes (2:54)
23 She Wouldn't Be Still (2:46)
24 Roll On, Daddy, Roll On (3:03)
25 The Bulldog Down In Sunny Tennessee (2:27)
[Credits]
Artists: Crockett Family, Walter Couch And Wilks Ramblers, Dr. Humphrey Bate and His Possum Hunters, Bascom Lamar Lunsford, Nelstone's Hawaiians, Charlie Parker, George Roark, Smoky Mountain Ramblers, Red Patterson's Piedmont Log Rollers, Carolina Night Hawks, Al Hopkins and His Buckle Busters, Hugh Cross & Riley Puckett, Carolina Tar Heels, Ernest Thompson, Bradley Kincaid, The Pine Mountain Boys, Dad Crockett, Dock Walsh
[Notes]
JSP-77100 MOUNTAIN FROLIC (Various old-time artists --4 CD set) Here's another of those neatly packaged British imports with tons of music at a really bargain price. As with others in this series, there are over 100 tracks. This set is roughly based on a very early (1940s) Decca 78rpm album of rare 1920s material from the old Vocalion and Brunswick catalogs (Buell Kazee, Hill Billies, Dad Crockett, Bascom Lunsford, etc) that proved to be quite influential among folksingers and the early old-time revivalists like New Lost City Ramblers. There is plenty here of interest to old time fans, though some of the groups that appear here seem selected totally at random (George Roark, Charlie Parker, Walter Couch and Red Patterson are each represented with one cut --all good tracks, but we can't figure out what the connection to the other material is. The groups that get the most attention are Buell Kazee (40 songs) and The Carolina Tar Heels (22 Victor tracks). There are also 7 pieces each by Bascom Lamar Lunsford and Nelstone's Hawaiians. Collectors should note right away that the 40 Kazee songs almost totally duplicate two fairly recent Buell Kazee reissues on the British Archive label (BACM-027 and 214). The Nelstone cuts are nice, and seldom heard, and there are a few well chosen tracks by Dr. Humphrey Bate and Al Hopkins' Buckle Busters. Notes and discography are better than on some other recent JSP issues, but still hard to read. All in all, there's still a lot here for the old time fan to enjoy.

37th Old Time Fiddler's Convention at Union Grove North Carolina

Folkways Records – FA 2434

Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1962
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Old Time
[Tracklist]
A01 Introductory Remarks: H.P. Van Hoy (0:31)
A02 Blackberry Blossom: Charlie Higgins (1:39)
A03 Instrumental: The Old Timers (1:11)
A04 Old Richmond: A.L. Hall Band (2:29)
A05 River Stay Away From My Door: Knight, Charlie and His Country Music Boys (1:49)
A06 Lost John: Red Parham and the Haywood County Ramblers (1:28)
A07 Hitchhiker's Blues: The Brushy Mountain Boys (2:57)
A08 Whoa Mule: Yadkin County Ramblers (1:40)
A09 May I Sleep in Your Barn Tonight, Mister: Grandma Davis (1:34)
A10 I Shall Not Be Moved: Bascom Lamar Lunsford and the Laurel River Band (2:20)
A11 Sally Ann: The Old Timers (2:08)
A12 Dance All Night: Kenneth Edwards and the Sunny Mountain Boys (2:05)
B01 Twinkle Little Star: The Mountain Ramblers (1:26)
B02 Ruben: The Blue Grass Mountain Boys (2:30)
B03 Billy in the Lowground: The Lonesome Strangers (1:04)
B04 Whiskey Took My Daddy Away: Louise Edmonds (1:45)
B05 Teardrops in My Eyes: The Friendly City Playboys (2:32)
B06 Grey Eagle: The Surry County Ramblers (1:40)
B07 Fire on the Mountain: The Dixie Ramblers (1:28)
B08 Back Up and Push: The Friendly City Playboys (1:55)
B09 Sally Ann: The Mountain Ramblers (2:01)
B10 Some Closing Remarks: H.P. Van Hoy (1:00)
[Credits]
Producer and Recorder: Mike Seeger, Recorder: Lisa Chiera, Photographer and Designer: John Cohen
[Notes]
First held in 1924 to help raise money for a public high school and to build community spirit, the Union Grove Convention is the oldest continuous festival of its kind in America. The tracks on this compilation were recorded at the Convention in 1961 and present virtuosic talent and deep repertoire.

Folk Music U.S.A.: Volume One

Compiled by Harold Courlander With by Charles Edward Smith

Ethnic Folkways Library – FE 4530

Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1959
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Field Recording, Country, Cajun, Folk
[Tracklist]
A1 John Henry: Virgil Perkins and Jack Sims (4:10)
A2 Grizzly Bear: Negro Prison Camp Worksong (3:31)
A3 Blowing the Train: Percy Randolph (2:52)
A4 Six Thousand Miles from Nowhere: Snooks Eaglin (3:06)
A5 Dark Was the Night: Blind Willie Johnson (3:24)
A6 Amasee: Children's Ring Game Song: Unspecified (1:34)
B1 Spooky Drums: Baby Dodds (2:19)
B2 Black Jack Davy: Mary Jo Davis (3:09)
B3 Drunken Sailor: Unspecified (1:19)
B4 Ellen Smith: Pete Steele (1:38)
B5 Run, Run: Elizabeth Cotten (0:57)
B6 Mole in the Ground: Bascom Lamar Lunsford (2:49)
B7 Rolling River: Murph Gribble, John Lusk & Albert York (2:45)
C1 Allons Danser Colinda: Roy Brule (1:51)
C2 Sourwood Mountain: Hobart Smith (1:22)
C3 Diamond Joe: Cisco Houston (2:24)
C4 Siete Leguas: Peter Hurd (2:24)
C5 Matachines Dance: Unspecified (1:33)
C6 Moonlight Song: Unspecified (2:08)
D1 War Dance Song: Unspecified (1:28)
D2 Esta Navidad: Unspecified (3:06)
D3 Aguinaldo Cagueño: The "Trobador" De La Montana & the Puerto Rican Quartet (4:17)
D4 If We Never Meet Again: Children of Diamond Rural School, St. Croix, Virgin Island (0:55)
D5 Rocky Road: Alabama Sacred Harp Singers (2:43)
D6 Inviting-In Dance Song: Otis Ahkivigak (1:05)
[Credits]
Producer: Charles Edward Smith and Harold Courlander, Designer: Donald Clyne
[Notes]
This wide-ranging anthology of American folk music was compiled by noted folklorist Harold Courlander from recordings, many of them field recordings, made in the 1940s and ’50s. Almost all the performers on the collection—who include Cisco Houston, Elizabeth Cotten, and Snooks Eaglin—learned their music from oral tradition. Selections represent a broad spectrum of American folk music, from Puerto Rico to the north coast of Alaska. Extensive liner notes, written by Charles Edward Smith, delve into the characteristics of American folk music and provide detailed information, with lyrics, for each of the 25 selections.

Folk-Songs of America: The Robert Winslow Gordon Collection

The Library of Congress AFS-L68

Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1978
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Ballad
[Tracklist]
A1 Haul The Wood Pile Down/Roll The Old Chariot Along: Singer unknown (Early 1920s)
A2 Old Ninety Seven: Fred Lewe (10/15/1925)
A3 The Old Gray Mare, Hesitation Blues/Not A-Gonna Lay My Religion Down: Bascom Lamar Lunsford (10/19/1925)
A4 Brother Jonas/Georgie: G. Stikeleather (11/11/1925)
A5 Isaac Meddler, Mississippi Sawyer/Sally Goodin: John W. Dillon (10/22/1925)
A6 Old Granny Hare: W. E. Bird (10/28/1925)
A7 Single Girl: Julius Sutton (10/28/1925)
A8 Prisoner's Song: Ernest Helton (11/20/1925)
A9 Let's Go To Bury: A. B. Holly (12/14/1925)
B1 Deep Down In My Heart/Jesus Is My Only Friend/Glory To God, My Son's Come Home: W. M. Givens (4/10/1926)
B2 Ol' Man Satan/Drive Ol' Satan Away/Finger Ring: Mary C. Mann (4/12/1926)
B3 Blow Boys Blow (1)/Blow Boys Blow (2)/Halw Away: J. A. S. Spencer (ca.1930-32)
B4 The Wagon: Ben Harney (9/9/1925)
B5 Milk White Stead/Mulberry Hill: Nellie Galt (ca.1928)
B6 Yes Ma'am/All God's Children Got To Humble Down: Betty Bush Winger (ca.1931-32)
B7 Testing Equipment: Robert W. Gordo (1/?/1932)
B8 Casey Jones: Francis H. Abbot (3/24/1932)
[Notes]
This LP is the first recorded publication of music that Gordon collected on cylinder and disc -- a representative sampling (17 songs) of fiddle tunes, ballads, spirituals, and sea shanties. Through the hiss and crackle that ineradicably mark early field recordings, we get a clear picture of American folklife of this era. Included is a deluxe, illustrated book.

  Folk-Songs of America: The Robert Winslow Gordon Collection, 1922-1932

The first Asheville Mountain Dance and Folk Festival

The Complete Bascom Lamar Lunsford Story

Get the entire film DVD at Amazon

Bascom Lamar Lunsford (1882-1973) was a superb mountain musician who spent his life hunting down the songs, dances and unknown performers of the Appalachian region. He fought to bring dignity to "hillbilly music" and this made him a folk hero. He recorded thousands of songs for the Smithsonian. In the summer of 1928, he created the first music festival by founding his first Asheville Mountain Dance and Folk Festival.

This film tells his story and includes music, clog and square dancing, never before seen footage from southern musicians, as well as Bluegrass and Mountain music legends. Lunsford is on the road for most of the film, introducing Hoffman to great backcountry musicians. People like Obray Ramsey, Artus Moser, Mike Seeger, Alan Lomax, Tommy Hunter, Roger Sprung, William "Red" Raper, Ray Lundsford and many others.

Songs include: Cindy, Grey Eagle, Mountain Dew, Stand with Me, Black Jack Dew, Born in West Virginia, and more!