Ragtime 2: The Country

Mandolins, Fiddles, and Guitars

RBF Records – RBF 18

Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1971
Genre: Jazz, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Jazz & Ragtime
[Tracklist]
101 Dallas Rag: The Dallas String Band (2:55)
102 No Use Workin' So Hard: The Carolina Tar Heels (3:09)
103 Old Weary Blues: Jesse Young's Tennessee Band (3:10)
104 Atlanta Rag: Cow Cow Davenport (3:09)
105 Hungry Man's Scuffle: Walter Roland and Lucille Bogan (2:47)
106 Downtown Blues: Frank Stokes (3:13)
107 They Go Wild Simply Wild Over Me: The Leake County Revelers (2:59)
201 Hale's Rag: Theron Hale & Daughters (2:49)
202 Laughing Rag: Sam Moore and Horace Davis (2:45)
203 Lindy: The Proximity String Quartet (2:57)
204 Kansas City Dog Walk: Charlie Turner (2:59)
205 Ozark Rag: The East Texas Serenaders (3:09)
206 Dill Pickles Rag: The Kessinger Brothers (3:17)
207 Rag Mama Rag: Blind Boy Fuller, Gary Davis, and Bull City Red (3:07)
[Credits]
Compiled & Annotated: Samuel Charters, Designer: Ronald Clyne
[Notes]
This collection features country ragtime from 1917 to 1935—a genre that mixes the syncopation of African-American rhythms with the melodic structure of European dance music. As these recordings demonstrate, musicians created different mixtures of these elements: some rags sound more like the blues, while others are closer to European quadrilles.

In The Pines: Tar Heel Folk Songs & Fiddle Tunes

Old-Time Music of North Carolina 1926-1936

Old Hat Records – CD1006

Format: CD, Album, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2008
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Old Time
[Tracklist]
01 In The Pines: Dock Walsh (3:08)
02 Mountain Sweetheart: The Red Fox Chasers (2:56)
03 Mistreated Blues: Carolina Buddies (3:10)
04 Johnson City Hop: Carolina Ramblers String Band (2:46)
05 DAre You Sure?: Dixon Brothers & Mutt Evans (3:14)
06 The Rose With A Broken Ste: North Carolina Cooper Boys (3:02)
07 Jack Of Diamonds: Ben Jarrell (2:43)
08 Otto Wood: Thompson & Cranford (2:36)
09 Richmond Square: The Highlanders (2:58)
10 Will, The Weaver: Charlie Parker & Mack Woolbright (2:52)
11 Lindy: Proximity String Quartet (2:56)
12 Working On The Railroad: Blankenship Family (2:41)
13 Carolina's Best: The Grady Family (3:12)
14 Banjo Sam: Wilmer Watts & The Lonely Eagles (3:05)
15 New River Train: Cauley Family (2:39)
16 Little Bunch Of Roses: Clarence Greene (2:42)
17 That Lonesome Valley: Carolina Ramblers String Band (2:52)
18 Honeysuckle Rag: Blue Ridge Mountain Entertainers (2:57)
19 A Pretty Gal's Love: Whitter - Hendley - Small (2:42)
20 Tom Dooley: Grayson & Whitter (3:08)
21 The Longest Train: J.E. Mainer's Mountaineers (3:10)
22 Sweet Freedom: E.R. Nance Family with Clarence Dooley (2:27)
23 Sunny Home In Dixie: Frank Jenkins' Pilot Mountaineers (3:10)
24 My Home's Across The Blue Ridge Mountains: Carolina Tar Heels (3:20)
[Credits]
Producer: Marshall Wyatt, Liner Notes: Wayne Martin, Photographers: Tony Russell & Kip Lornell, Engineers: Christopher C. King & Jeff Carroll
[Notes]
In the early days of the recording industry, North Carolina was a hotbed of string bands playing traditional Appalachian folk-rooted music. This compilation collects 24 such recordings from the era immediately preceding and following the onset of the Depression, many of them quite obscure. Listeners with a general knowledge and appreciation of early American folk recordings might have heard of the Dixon Brothers and Mainer's Mountaineers, but for the most part, these performers will probably be unfamiliar to everybody except scholars and aficionados in the field. While they might have originated in the same region, this music shares many of the characteristics of early American recordings of what was then marketed as hillbilly music: plaintive heartfelt singing (and sometimes harmonizing); lively ensemble playing by varying combinations of guitar, fiddle, and banjo; and a repertoire growing out of traditional folk songs, even if the songs were sometimes written by the musicians (such as the one penned by Cranford & Thompson in honor of outlaw Otto Wood). The most renowned of these specific tracks by far is the first recorded version of "Tom Dooley" (by Grayson & Whitter in 1929), about 30 years before the Kingston Trio took it to the top of the charts, though both the tune and arrangement are much different in this early guise. Some other songs continue to echo as standards in the American popular music consciousness, such as "That Lonesome Valley" (here done by Carolina Ramblers String Band), "In the Pines" (here performed by "Dock" Walsh), and a variation of "In the Pines," "The Longest Train" (here presented by Mainer's Mountaineers). The 24-page booklet is of exceptional quality, with historical liner notes that comment upon each track and even offer a history of outlaw Otto Wood, as well as superb vintage photos of North Carolina folk musicians.-- AllMusic Review by Richie Unterberger

Hard Times Come Again No More Vol. 2

Early American Rural Songs Of Hard Times And Hardships

Yazoo – 2037

Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1998
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country Blues, Hillbilly
[Tracklist]
01 Price of Cotton Blues: Allen Brothers (02:42)
02 Keno, The Rent Man: The Cofer Brothers (03:01)
03 Bad Time Blues: Barbecue Bob (03:15)
04 Wreck of the Tennessee Gravey Train: Sam McGee (03:11)
05 The Arkansas Sheik: Clayton McMichen & Riley Puckett (03:12)
06 Away from Home: Jim Hill & Peg Leg Howell (03:00)
07 I'm Satisfied: Earl Johnson (02:59)
08 Got the Farm Land Blues: The Carolina Tar Heels (03:19)
09 Times Is Tight Like That: Bo Carter & Walter Vinson (03:15)
10 Weave Room Blues: Fisher Hendley (02:32)
11 Boll Weevil: Alvin Conder & W.A. Lindsey (03:00)
12 Providence Help the Poor People: Joe Williams (03:09)
13 The Tramp: McGee Brothers (02:49)
14 Cotton Mill Colic: David McCarn (02:34)
15 Starvation Blues: Charley Jordan (03:17)
16 Broke Down Section Hand: Ernest V. Stoneman (03:05)
17 Little Old Sod Shanty: Jules Allen (02:58)
18 Down South Blues: Ernest V. Stoneman (03:10)
19 No One's Hard up But Me: Red Brush Rowdies (02:44)
20 Cotton Mill Blues: Lee Brothers Trio (03:02)
21 No Dough Blues: Blind Blake (03:05)
22 The Northern Starvers Are Returning Home: Bob Carter & Charlie McCoy (03:27)
23 Them Good Old Times Are Coming Back Again: Jim Baird (03:30)
[Credits]
Producer: Richard Nevins, Liner Notes: Don Kent, Designer: Joan Pelosi
[Notes]
With the unlikely sound of a kazoo, the Allen Brothers kick off this fine volume of hard-time blues collected from the '20s and '30s. More tongue-in-cheek than its predecessor, this volume is not all moaning and weeping. Uncle Dave Macon & Sam McGhee create a joyful sound with dueling banjos on "Wreck of the Tennessee Gravey Train" and Earl Johnson & his Dixie Entertainers are hilarious on "I'm Satisfied." The disc proves some things never change: you have to laugh sometimes to keep from crying.-- AllMusic Review by Tim Sheridan

Ragtime2: The Country- Mandolins, Fiddles, and Guitars

RBF Records – RBF 18

Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1971
Genre: Ragtime, World, & Country
Style: Ragtime & Old Time
[Tracklist]
A1 Dallas Rag: The Dallas String Band (2:55)
A2 No Use Workin' So Hard: The Carolina Tar Heels (3:09)
A3 Old Weary Blues: Jesse Young's Tennessee Band (3:10)
A4 Atlanta Rag: Cow Cow Davenport (3:09)
A5 Hungry Man's Scuffle: Walter Roland and Lucille Bogan (2:47)
A6 Downtown Blues: Frank Stokes (3:13)
A7 They Go Wild Simply Wild Over Me: The Leake County Revelers (2:59)
B1 Hale's Rag: Theron Hale & Daughters (2:49)
B2 Laughing Rag: Sam Moore and Horace Davis (2:45)
B3 Lindy: The Proximity String Quartet (2:57)
B4 Kansas City Dog Walk: Charlie Turner (2:59)
B5 Ozark Rag: The East Texas Serenaders (3:09)
B6 Dill Pickles Rag: The Kessinger Brothers (3:17)
B7 Rag Mama Rag: Blind Boy Fuller, Gary Davis, and Bull City Red (3:07)
[Credits]
Dallas String Band: Marco Washington (bass/cello) Sam Harris (guitar) Coley Jones (mandolin), Carolina Tar Heels: Dock Walsh (banjo) Tom Ashley (guitar) Garley Foster (harmonica), Cow Cow Davenport (piano), Walter Roland (piano) Lucille Bogan (speech), Frank Stokes (guitar/vocals), Leake County Revelers: Dallas "Casey" Jones (guitar/vocals) Jim "Smoky" Wolverton (banjo) Will Gilmer (fiddle) R. O. Mosley (mandolin banjo), Theron Hale (fiddle) Elizabeth Hale (mandolin) Mamie Ruth Hale (piano), Horace Davis (harp guitar) Sam Moore (steel guitar), Charlie Turner (12 string guitar), Blind Boy Fuller (guitar) Gary Davis (guitar) Bull City Red (washboard)
Compiled & Annotated by Samuel Charters, Designer: Ronald Clyne
[Notes]
This collection features country ragtime from 1917 to 1935—a genre that mixes the syncopation of African-American rhythms with the melodic structure of European dance music. As these recordings demonstrate, musicians created different mixtures of these elements: some rags sound more like the blues, while others are closer to European quadrilles.

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.

Songs of Love, Courtship, & Marriage

The Library Of Congress – LBC 2

Series: Folk Music In America – Volume 2
Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1976
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Country
[Tracklist]
A1 Love is a song: Lonnie Johnson
A2 That's all right, baby: Mose "Clear Rock" Platt
A3 Two Menominee flute songs: John Okimase
A4 Little Sarah: James Rachel, John Estes
A5 Going to Richmond: Jimmie Strothers
A6 Come back to me in my dreams: Bill Monroe
A7 María, María: Lydia Mendoza y Cuarteto Mendoza
A8 If one won't, another one will: Carter Family
A9 Joe Bowers: J.C. White
B1 Renewed love blues: Little Buddy Doyle
B2 Your small and sweet: Segura and Herbert
B3 You are a little too small: Carolina Tar Heels
B4 Lily Monroe: Uncle Alex Dunford
B5 Midnight on the stormy deep: Blue Sky Boys
B6 The married man: Emry Arthur
B7 Emily: Sam Manning
B8 Three nights in a bar room: Wade Mainer
[Credits]
Producer: Richard Keith Spottswood
[Notes]
"A bicentennial project: Library of Congress, Archive of Folk Song"; includes recordings from field and commercial sources. Program notes, including words of the songs, and bibliographical and discographical references (10 p. ill.) inserted in container.

The Carolina Tar Heels

Folk-Legacy Records – FSA 24

Format: Vinyl, LP Country: US
Released: 1964
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Old Time
[Tracklist]
A1 Goin' To Georgia (3:22)
A2 My Brushy Mountain Home (3:48)
A3 Courtin' In The Rain (2:30)
A4 Dango (1:50)
A5 I Was Born Four Thousand Years Ago (1:50)
A6 Garley's Fox Chase (1:51)
A7 If I Was A Mining Man (1:49)
A8 This Morning, This Evening, Right Now (2:57)
B1 Mama Scolds Me For Flirtin' (3:15)
B2 Crescent Limited (1:52)
B3 Go Wash In That Beautiful Pll (2:20)
B4 Knockin' On The Henhouse Door (1:55)
B5 Ain't Gonna Be Treated This-A-Way (3:11)
B6 Jimmie Settleton (1:41)
B7 Drake's Reel (1:07)
B8 Bull Dog Down In Sunny Tennessee (2:20)
B9 Hide-A-Me (3:23)
[Credits]
Dock Walsh (banjo/vocals) Drake Walsh (fiddle) Garley Foster (guitar/harmonica/vocals)
Recorder and Liner Notes: Archie Green and Eugene W. Earle
[Notes]
The first incarnation of the Carolina Tar Heels, featuring the group’s mainstay, Dock Walsh, first performed and was recorded in the late 1920s. Featuring a shifting line-up in the coming years, a recording of Walsh and company, billed as the Tar Heels, was featured on the groundbreaking 1952 compilation the Anthology of American Folk Music. On this recording, originally released by Folk-Legacy Records in 1962, Walsh is joined by his son Drake and longtime collaborator Garley Foster for a program of old-time music and Appalachian folk songs. In addition to four original compositions, the 17 tracks have Anglo-American or African American origins, reflecting the context of "race records" and "hillbilly music" surrounding the group’s first performances decades earlier. Filled with feeling, this collection stands in good company with other great Appalachian field recordings of the era, and is a special title in Folk-Legacy's early catalog. Extensive liner notes include comments detailing the history of the group and songs.

Anthology of American Folk Music: Edited by Harry Smith

Smithsonian Folkways SFW-40090

Format: 6-CD, Compilation, Enhanced, Reissue, Box Set
Country: United States
Released: 1997
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Cajun, Country, Gospel, Blues
[Tracklist]
Disk One
101 Henry Lee: Dick Justice (3:28)
102 Fatal Flower Garden: Nelstone's Hawaiians (2:58)
103 The House Carpenter: Clarence Ashley (3:16)
104 Drunkard's Special: Coley Jones (3:16)
105 Old lady and the Devil: Bill and Belle Reed (3:05)
106 The Butcher's Boy: Buell Kazee (3:05)
107 The Wagoner's Lad: Buell Kazee (3:05)
108 King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki-me-o: Chubby Parker (3:09)
109 Old Shoes And Leggins: Uncle Eck Dunford (3:01)
110 Willie Moore: Richard Burnett and Leonard Rutherford (3:16)
111 A Lazy Farmer Boy: Buster Carter and Preston Young (3:00)
112 Peg And Awl: The Carolina Tar Heels (2:59)
113 Ommie Wise: G. B. Grayson (3:12)
114 My Name Is John Johanna: Kelly Harrell and the Virginia String Band (3:13)
Disk Two
201 Bandit Cole Younger: Edward L. Crain (2:57)
202 Charles Giteau: Kelly Harrel And the Virginia String Band (3:05)
203 John Hardy Was A Desperate Little Man: The Carter Family (2:57)
204 Gonna Die With My Hammer In My hand : The Williamson Brothers and Curry (3:26)
205 Stackalee (Stagger Lee): Frank Hutchison (3:01)
206 White House blues Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers (3:31)
207 Frankie: Mississippi John Hurt (3:28)
208 When That Great Ship Went Down (The Titanic): William and Versey Smith (2:58)
209 Engine 14(3 The Carter Family (3:19)
210 Kassie Jones, Parts 1 and (2: Furry Lewis (6:16)
211 Down On Penny's Farm: The Bently Boys (2:50)
212 Mississippi Boweavil (Boll Weevil) Blues: The Masked Marvel (3:09)
213 Got The Farm Land Blues: The Carolina Tar Heels (3:17)
Disk Three
301 Sail Away Lady: Uncle Bunt Stephens (2:58)
302 The Wild Wagoner: Jilson Setters (3:17)
303 Wake Up Jacob: Prince Albert Hunt's Texas Ramblers (2:55)
304 La Danseuse: Delma Lachney and Blind Uncle Gaspard (2:56)
305 Georgia Stomp: Andrew and Jim Baxter (2:47)
306 Brilliancy Medley: Eck Robertson and Family (3:01)
307 Indian War Whoop: Hoyt Ming and the Pep Steppers (3:13)
308 Old Country Stomp: Henry Thomas (2:55)
309 Old Dog Blue: Jim Jackson (3:04)
310 Saut Crapaud: Columbus Fruge (2:49)
311 Acadian One-Step: Joseph Falcon (3:00)
312 Home Sweet Home: The Breaux Freres (3:00)
313 The Newport Blues: The Cincinnati Jug Band (2:58)
314 Moonshiner's Dance Part One: Frank Cloutier and the Victoria Cafe Orchestra (2:40)
Disk Four
401 Must Be Born Again: Rev. J.M. Gates (1:31)
402 Oh Death Where Is Thy Sting: Rev. J.M. Gates (1:29)
403 Rocky Road: Alabama Sacred Harp Singers (2:45)
404 Present Joys: Alabama Sacred Harp Singers (2:53)
405 This Song of Love: Middle Georgia Singing Convention No. 1 (2:58
406 Judgement: Rev. Sister Mary Nelson (2:25
407 He Got Better Things For You: Memphis Sanctified Singers (2:54)
408 Since I Laid My Burden Down: The Elders McIntorsh and Edwards' Sanctified Singers (3:19)
409 John The Baptist: Rev. Moses Mason (3:05)
410 Dry Bones: Bascom Lamar Lunsford (3:00)
411 John The Revelator: Blind Willie Johnson (3:21)
412 Little Moses: The Carter Family (3:14)
413 Shine On Me: Ernest Phipps and His Holiness Singers (3:03)
414 Fifty Miles Of Elbow Room: Rev. F.M. McGee (2:43
415 I'm In The Battlefield For My Lord: Rev. D.C. Rice and His Sanctified Congregation (3:20)
Disk Five
501 The Coo Coo Bird: Clarence Ashley (2:56)
502 East Virginia: Buell Kazee (3:01)
503 Minglewood Blues: Cannon's Jug Stompers with Noah Lewis (3:44)
504 I Woke Up One Morning In May: Didier Hébert (3:04)
505 James Alley Blues: Richard "Rabbit" Brown (3:07)
506 Sugar Baby: Dock Boggs (2:58)
507 I Wish I Was A Mole In The Ground: Bascom Lamar Lunsford (3:21)
508 The Mountaineer's Courtship: Ernest and Hattie Stoneman (2:44)
509 The Spanish Merchant's Daughter (No, Sir No): The Stoneman Family (3:18)
510 Bob Lee Junior Blues: The Memphis Jug Band (3:11)
511 Single Girl, Married Girl: The Carter Family (2:47)
512 Le Vieux Soulard et Sa Femme: Cleoma Breaux and Joseph Falcon (3:10)
513 Rabbit Foot Blues: Blind Lemon Jefferson (2:57)
514 Expressman Blues: Sleepy John Estes and Yank Rachell (3:02)
Disk Six
601 Poor Boy Blues: Ramblin' Thomas (2:24)
602 Feather Bed: Cannon's Jug Stompers (3:16)
603 Country Blues: Dock Boggs (2:59
604 99 Year Blues: Julius Daniels (3:07)
605 Prison Cell Blues: Blind Lemon Jefferson (2:47)
606 See That My Grave Is Kept Clean: Blind Lemon Jefferson (2:55)
607 C'est Si Triste Sans Lui: Cleoma Breaux and Joseph Falcon (3:01)
608 Way Down the Old Plank Road: Uncle Dave Macon (3:01)
609 Buddy Won't You Roll Down the Line: Uncle Dave Macon (3:15)
610 Spike Driver Blues: Mississippi John Hurt (3:17)
611 K.C. Moan: The Memphis Jug Band (2:33)
612 Train on the Island: J.P. Nestor (3:00)
613 The Lone Star Trail: Ken Maynard (3:15)
614 Fishing Blues: Henry Thomas (2:45)
[Credits]
Producer: Harry Everett Smith, Designer: Scott Stowell, Mastering Engineer: David Glasser, Pete Reiniger & Charlie Pilzer, Liner Notes: Greil Marcus, Neil Rosenberg, Luis Kemnitzer, Jon Pankake, Peter Stampfel, Luc Sante, Kip Lornell, Eric Von Schmidt, John Fahey & Jeff Place
[Notes]
The Anthology of American Folk Music, edited by Harry Smith (1923–1991), is one of the most influential releases in the history of recorded sound. Originally issued by Folkways Records in 1952, the Anthology brought virtually unknown parts of America's musical landscape recorded in the late 1920s and early 1930s to the public's attention. For more than half a century, the collection has profoundly influenced fans, ethnomusicologists, music historians, and cultural critics; it has inspired generations of popular musicians, including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Jerry Garcia, and countless others. Many of the songs included in the Anthology have now become classics, as has Harry Smith's unique "scientific/aesthetic handbook" of song notes and drawings. Reissued by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings in 1997, this deluxe 6-CD collector's boxed set contains a 96-page book featuring Harry Smith's original liner notes and essays by Greil Marcus and other noted writers, musicians, and scholars. "Anthology was our bible…. We all knew every word of every song on it, including the ones we hated. They say that in the 19th-century British Parliament, when a member would begin to quote a classical author in Latin the entire House would rise in a body and finish the quote along with him. It was like that." – Dave Van Ronk "Had he never done anything with his life but this Anthology, Harry Smith would still have borne the mark of genius across his forehead. I'd match the Anthology up against any other single compendium of important information ever assembled. Dead Sea Scrolls? Nah. I'll take the Anthology." – John Fahey "First hearing the Harry Smith Anthology of American Folk Music is like discovering the secret script of so many familiar musical dramas. Many of these actually turn out to be cousins two or three times removed, some of whom were probably created in ignorance of these original riches. It also occurred to me that as we are listening at a greater distance in time to a man or woman singing of their fairly recent past of the 1880s, we are fortunate that someone collected these performances of such wildness, straightforward beauty, and humanity." – Elvis Costello

Early Rural String Bands

RCA Victor LPV-552

Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1968
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Country
[Tracklist]
A1 Ragtime Annie: Eck Robertson 7/1/22 (3:23)
A2 Leather Breeches: W.A. Hinton 1/31/31 (2:37)
A3 Black-Eyed Susie: J.P. Nester 8/1/27 (2:52)
A4 Alabama Jubilee-Breakdown: Bill Helms & His Upson County Band 2/23/28 (3:04)
A5 Charley, He's A Good Old Man: Kelly Harrell & The Virginia String Band 8/11/27 (2:35)
A6 Bring Me A Leaf From The Sea: The Carolina Tar Heels 2/19/27 (2:55)
A7 Big Bend Gal: The Shelor Family 8/2/27 (2:43)
A8 Jaw Bone: Pope's Arkansas Mountaineers 2/6/28 (2:58)
B1 Le Valse De Gueydan: Leo Soileau & His Three Aces 1/18/35 (3:00)
B2 Medley Of Reels: Henry Ford's Old Time Dance Orchestra 1/18/26 (2:54)
B3 A New Salty Dog: The Allen Brothers 11/22/30 (2:35)
B4 Mitchell Blues: Wade Mainer & The Sons Of The Mountaineers 1/27/38 (2:45)
B5 Tanner's Hornpipe: Gid Tanner & His Skillet Lickers 3/30/34 (2:47)
B6 How Many Biscuits Can I Eat?: Gwen Foster 2/5/39 (2:47)
B7 Up Jumped The Devil: Byron Parker & His Mountaineers 2/9/40 (2:38)
B8 Red Rocking Chair: Charlie Monroe & His Kentucky Pardners 2/1/49 (2:23)
[Credits]
Liner Notes: Norm Cohen, Reissue Producer: Mike Lipskin, Remastered: Don Miller
[Notes]
Sure, the ugly album cover looks like an old greeting card that got stuck to a bathroom wallpaper sample. There is a strong possibility, however, that the cover of this album might not get much use, since the record itself is barely likely to leave the turntable. There isn't a bum cut on this collection of various types of American string band music, much of it recorded in the '20s and '30s, although there are a few later tracks tossed in near the end, perhaps to indicate that there is still hope. Recordings by early old-time music groups such as Bill Helms & His Upson County Band and Kelly Harrell & the Virginia String Band are simply phenomenal, the vintage recordings doing nothing to cover the hypnotic intensity of the music. Doc Walsh's performance of "Bring Me a Leaf From the Sea" is gorgeous, troubling, and unforgettable, a fine banjo performance with some lovely harmonica and vocal backing from Gwen Foster. The Appalachian tradition doesn't take over completely by any means. Awaiting the eager listener on the flip side is a Cajun number from the historic Leo Solieau, followed by an amazing "Medley of Reels" by the bizarre Henry Ford's Old Time Dance Orchestra, which features hammered dulcimer, tuba, and cimbalom. The Allen Brothers provide authentic jug band style with "A New Salty Dog." Then it is back to the mountains for a climactic set of numbers that includes the awesome Gid Tanner & the Skillet Lickers and the more up to date -- 1949, mind you -- sounds of Charlie Monroe & His Kentucky Pardners, a cool combination including both steel guitar and mandolin. "Up Jumped the Devil" with Snuffy Jenkins on banjo and Homer Sherill on violin is absolutely killer, the tempo beyond manic. This is a compilation that was put together perfectly, and somebody really "done good" with the choice of tracks. --AllMusic Review by Eugene Chadbourne

A Collection of Mountain Songs

County Records COUNTY–504

Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation
Country: United States
Released: 1968
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Old Time, & Country
[Tracklist]
A1 Sandy River Belle: Dad Blackard's Moonshiners
A2 Careless Love: Byrd Moore & His Hot Shots
A3 Groundhog: Jack Reedy & His Walker Mountain String Band
A4 I'll Rise When The Rooster Crows: Binkley Brothers' Dixie Clodhoppers
A5 All Night Long Blues: R.D. Burnett & Leonard Rutherford
A6 George Washingon: Pope's Arkansas Mountaineers
B1 Your Low Down Dirty Ways: Carolina Tar Heels
B2 Milwaukee Blues: North Carolina Ramblers
B3 Big Ball In Memphis: Georgia Yellow Hammers
B4 In The Shadow Of The Pine: Kelly Harrell, The Virginia String Band
B5 Wish I Had Stayed In The Wagon Yard: Lowe Stokes & His North Georgians
B6 The Preacher Got Drunk And Laid His Bible Down: Tennessee Ramblers
[Notes]
No release date on cover or label.

A Collection Of Mountain Blues: Original Recordings By Great Old-Time Bands

County Records County–511

Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1966
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country Blues, Country, Folk
[Tracklist]
A1 Railroad Blues: Sam McGee (guitar/vocals)
A2 Left All Alone Again Blues: Lowe Stokes & His North Georgians (two fiddles/guitar)
A3 Careless Love: Jimmie Tarlton (guitar/vocals)
A4 Leake County Blues: Leake County Revelers (fiddle/guitar/banjo-mandolin)
A5 Farm Girl Blues: Carolina Tar Heels, Dock Walsh (banjo/vocals) Galey Foster (guitar/harmonica/vocals)
A6 Down South Blues: Dock Boggs (banjo/vocals)
B1 Cannon Ball Blues: Frank Hutchison (guitar/vocals)
B2 Carroll County Blues: Narmour & Smith (fiddle/guitar)
B3 Brown Skin Blues: Dick Justice (guitar/vocals)
B4 Curley Headed Woman: R. D. Burnett (banjo/vocals) Leonard Rutherford (fiddle)
B5 Cumberland Blues: Doc Roberts (fiddle with guitar acc.)
B6 Johnson City Blues: Clarence Greene (guitar/vocals)
[Notes]
Anthology of 1928-1935 recordings in the blues tradition by white country artists.

The Railroad in Folk Song

RCA Victor LPV-532

Series: RCA Victor Vintage Series
Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: United States
Released: 1966
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Old-time
[Tracklist]
A1 J.E. Mainer's Mountaineers (6/16/39) Orange Blossom Special (2:56)
A2 Carolina Tar Heels (4/3/29) The Train's Done Left Me (3:09)
A3 Carter Family (2/25/29) The Engine One-Forty-Three (3:18)
A4 Harry "Mac" McClintock (3/16/28) Jerry, Go Ile That Car (2:38)
A5 Tenneva Ramblers (2/18/28) If I Die A Railroad Man (2:56)
A6 Blind Alfred Reed (7/28/27) The Wreck Of The Virginian (2:56)
A7 Monroe Brothers (2/17/36) Nine Pound Hammer Is Too Heavy (2:12)
A8 Jimmie Davis (5/26/31) The Davis Limited (3:09)
B1 Delmore Brothers (9/29/38) The Cannon Ball (2:12)
B2 J.E. Mainer's Mountaineers (8/6/35) The Longest Train (3:11)
B3 Vernon Dalhart (3/18/26) Wreck Of The Old 97 (3:17)
B4 Grayson & Whitter (7/31/28) The Red And Green Signal Lights
B5 Byron Parker And His Mountaineers (10/10/40) Peanut Special (2:44)
B6 Johnson Brothers (5/24/28) Crime Of The D'Autremont Brothers (3:02)
B7 Palmer McAbee (2/21/28) McAbee's Railroad Piece
B8 Paul Warmack And His Gully Jumpers (10/1/28) The Little Red Caboose Behind The Train (2:58)
[Credits]
Liner Notes: Archie Green, Reissue Producer: Mike Lipskin, Remastering: Don Miller
[Notes]
Reissue of railroad music from the 20's and 30's.