Across the Blueridge Mountains with Harley Allen

Folkways Records – FTS 31076

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1983
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
A1 Carolina in the Pines (2:45)
A2 Dirt in My Face (2:54)
A3 Wildwood Flower Blues (2:40)
A4 Letters Have No Arms (2:49)
A5 Loving Another Man (2:24)
B1 Hey (2:58)
B2 Are You From Dixie? (3:15)
B3 Mandolin Man (3:03)
B4 Across the Blue Ridge Mountains (2:31)
B5 Things Have Changed (3:20)
[Credits]
Harley Allen (guitar/mandolin/vocals) Mike Lilly (banjo/vocals) Scott Adams (mandolin) Steve Bryant (electric bass) J.D. Crowe (banjo) Vassar Clements (fiddle) Josh Graves (dobro) Larry Nager (acoustic bass) Kathy Chiavoh (vocals) Jr. Bennett (fiddle)
Producer: Red Allen, Designer: Ronald Clyne, Engineer: Jr. Bennett
[Notes]
Harley Allen, son of prominent bluegrass singer (and Folkways recording artist) Red Allen, strikes out on his own in this inaugural recording. He is ably assisted by nine bluegrass musicians, including J.D. Crowe (banjo), Vassar Clements (fiddle), and Josh Graves (dobro). Red produced the recording. Like his father, Harley Allen is an exponent of the "high lonesome sound," a highly regarded vocal technique in mountain music, whether traditional or bluegrass. Harley explains his approach to bluegrass music in the following way: "Even though my brothers and I have experimented with the boundaries of bluegrass music, I wanted my first solo effort to be fairly straight 'grass.' I feel this album is."

Down The Road: Bluegrass Songs Of Flatt And Scruggs

Rounder Select – CD 0345

Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2002
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
01 I'll Never Shed Another Tear (3:00)
02 Down The Road (2:17)
03 Don't This Road Look Rough And Rocky (2:50)
04 Is It Too Late Now? (2:41)
05 Your Love Is Like A Flower (2:58)
06 The Old Home Town (3:05)
07 Come Back Darlin' (2:28)
08 I'm Waiting To Hear You Call Me Darlin' (2:35)
09 Somehow Tonight (3:04)
10 I'd Rather Be Alone (3:05)
11 Head Over Heels (2:34)
12 So Happy I'll Be (2:36)
[Credits]
Tony Rice (guitar/vocals) Doyle Lawson (mandolin/tenor vocals) J.D. Crowe (banjo/baritone vocals) Jerry Douglas (dobro/baritone vocals) Bobby Hicks (fiddle) Todd Phillips (bass)
Producer: Anthony Rice, Liner Notes: Brad San Martin, Compiler: Louisa Hufstader, Designer: Scott Billington, Photographer: Rick Olivier, Engineer: David Glasser and Bill Wolf
[Notes]
The Bluegrass Album Band is a bluegrass supergroup consisting of A-list session players and established bandleaders who got together in the early '80s to record an album of straight-ahead bluegrass standards; the result was called simply The Bluegrass Album, and it was so popular that the same pickup group (in slightly changing configurations) made five more such recordings over the course of the next 15 years. This compilation focuses on their renditions of songs either written or made famous by the great Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, known to most Americans as the composers and performers of the theme from The Beverly Hillbillies. Led by the rich voice and powerful guitar playing of Tony Rice, the Bluegrass Album Band never sound less than completely tight and assured, and on timeless material like "The Old Home Town," "I'll Never Shed Another Tear," and the charming novelty tune "Head Over Heels," their affection for their illustrious musical forebears is both obvious and infectious. J.D. Crowe's banjo playing, which in other contexts can get a bit adventurous, here pays explicit tribute to the metronomic solidity of the classic Scruggs sound, and Bobby Hicks' fiddling is similarly old school. The Bluegrass Album Band's full-length albums are a better value for your money (this collection is offered at mid-price, but contains only a half-hour of music), but there's no denying the consistently high quality of the music on this one.-- AllMusic Review by Rick Anderson

Bluegrass Class of 1990: A Rounder Records Sampler

Rounder Records – CD AN 07

Format: CD, Sampler
Country: US
Released: 1998
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
01 Lost and I'll Never Find the Way: Ricky Skaggs (02:07)
02 I'll Love Nobody But You: Jim & Jesse (02:18)
03 Let the Whole World Talk: The Johnson Mountain Boys (02:41)
04 Love You in Vain: Alison Krauss (02:23)
05 Bitter Green: Tony Rice (02:44)
06 Feast Here Tonight: David Grisman (02:33)
07 Old Devil's Dream: The Nashville Bluegrass Band (02:32)
08 What Was I Supposed to Do?: Lynn Morris (02:49)
09 Leather Britches: Sam Bush (03:43)
10 Old Home Place: J.D. Crowe (02:49)
11 Devil, Take the Farmer: Dry Branch Fire Squad (03:53)
12 Mansion on the Hill: Whistein Brothers (02:23)
13 Medley: Fiddler's Dream / Whiskey Before Breakfast: Norman Blake / Tony Rice (04:40)
14 This Old House: The Rice Brothers (04:56)
15 Foolish Heart: Alison Krauss (03:27)
16 Whitewater: Béla Fleck (03:10)
17 Preachin', Prayin', Singin': The Bluegrass Album Band (02:33)
18 Don't Worry: The Johnson Mountain Boys (03:00)
19 John Henry: Tony Furtado (02:43)
20 I Ain't Broke (But I'm Badly Bent): David Grisman (01:58)
21 Greenlight on the Southern: Tony Rice (03:23)
22 No Hiding Place: The Nashville Bluegrass Band (02:49)
[Notes]
This compilation album reads like a who's-who of the progressive bluegrass/new acoustic music movement: pros like mandolinist David Grisman, guitarist Tony Rice, dobro player Jerry Douglas and a pre-Flecktones Bela Fleck are all represented, as well as the (very) young Alison Krauss and many, many others. -- AllMusic Review by Rick Anderson

A Tribute To Jimmy Martin - King Of Bluegrass

Koch Records KOC-CD-9819

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2004
Genre: Rock, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
01 Sonny Osborne Intro (0:10)
02 Sophronie (2:39)
03 You Don't Know My Mind (2:58)
04 Losin' You (3:03)
05 Ain't Nobody Gonna Miss Me (2:48)
06 She Left Me Again (3:06)
07 Doin' My Time (3:48)
08 I Cried Again (2:28)
09 Homerun Man (2:14)
10 Ocean of Diamonds (2:44)
11 God Guide Our Leaders Hand (3:06)
12 What Would You Give In Exchange (2:44)
13 I'd Like To Hear Them Preach It (3:10)
14 Hold What You Got (2:24)
15 Walkin' Shoes (2:15)
16 Steppin' Stones (2:48)
17 I'm Thinkin' Tonight of My Blues Eyes (3:14)
18 Tennessee (2:41)
[Credits]
Audie Blaylock (guitar/vocals) Paul Williams (mandolin/vocals) Jesse Brock (mandolin) Michael Cleveland (fiddle) J.D. Crowe (banjo/vocals) Kenny Ingram (banjo) Ben Isaacs (bass/vocals) Sonya Isaacs (vocals) Jason Moore (bass) Harry Stinson (snare)
Executive-Producer: Tim Dillman, Producer: Ben Isaacs, Photographer: John Scarpati, Artist: Hank Williams, Jr., Liner Notes: Eddie Stubbs, Engineer: John Eberle and Lee Groitzsch
[Notes]
Although he is less well known than bluegrass pioneers Bill Monroe and Ralph Stanley, the irascible Jimmy Martin has done as much as either to shape the sound of the genre, almost single-handedly developing what can only be termed honky tonk bluegrass. Martin is stubborn and brilliant, a rebel playing a style of music that favors tradition and only reluctantly abides innovation, and his larger than life personality has probably made him as many enemies as friends. But acknowledged or not, Martin's stamp is everywhere in contemporary bluegrass, and his impact on country music as a whole is also not to be underestimated. This tribute to Martin is rather special because it brings together four skilled musicians who all got their start as members of Martin's backup band, the Sunny Mountain Boys. Banjo players J.D. Crowe and Kenny Ingram, along with mandolin players Audie Blaylock and Paul Williams, join forces here to produce a surprisingly consistent and cohesive album. Their immersion in Martin's music is complete, which means they actually sound like a band (with Blaylock handling most of the lead vocals) rather than stars taking turns at the microphone, as is the case with most tribute affairs. Among the highlights here are versions of "Doin' My Time," "Ocean of Diamonds," and a marvelous rendition of A.P. Carter's "I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes." Also worth mentioning is the version here of Martin's wise and cautionary "God Guide Our Leader's Hand," which is timeless in its call for careful consideration in all things political. -- AllMusic Review by Steve Leggett

The Old Home Place: Bluegrass And Old-Time Mountain Music

Rounder Records CD 1166105142

Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2003
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass, Country
[Tracklist]
01 Home Again: Livewire 2:48
02 Letter To Home: IIIrd Tyme Out (3:08)
03 Old Home Place:J.D. Crowe (2:47)
04 Who Will Watch The Home Place: Laurie Lewis (5:26)
05 To Be Back Home Again: Spectrum (3:52)
06 Leaving This Land: Suzanne Thomas (3:38)
07 My Native Home: Nashville Bluegrass Band (2:50)
08 Little Whitewashed Chimney: The Cox Family (2:47)
09 This Old House: The Rice Brothers (4:54)
10 Home: Jim & Jesse (2:37)
11 Lonesome Old Home: Longview (4:42)
12 Home Is Where The Heart Is: Connie & Babe (2:00)
13 Squad Auction At The Home Place: Dry Branch Fire (3:42)
14 Old Kentucky Home: Vern Williams (2:45)
15 Cheer Of The Home Fires: Bill Grant & Delia Bell (2:50)
16 You Don't Have To Go Home: Alecia Nugent (3:12)
17 Hills Of Home: Hazel Dickens (4:12)
[Credits]
Compile: Ken Irwin, Design: Sarah Lainie Smith, Liner Notes: Bill C. Malone
[Notes]
Few things surpass the importance of home in traditional folk and country music. The Old Home Place gathers 17 songs taken from the past recordings of Rounder Records' illustrious cadre of artists. Songs chosen from the catalogs of Jim & Jesse, J.D. Crowe, and Laurie Lewis run the gauntlet of old-time and bluegrass styles. The Nashville Bluegrass Band's version of A.P. Carter's "My Native Home" captures the lonesome feel of the lyrics, while the Cox Family brings their trademark harmony to bear on "Little Whitewashed Chimney." Ed Hamilton's classic "Lonesome Old Home" gets a fresh makeover from Longview, while "Home Is Where the Heart Is" receives a traditional rendering by Connie & Babe. The cumulative effect of this disc is comparable to listening to an hour of old favorites on the radio with no commercials. The album ends with Hazel Dickens' heartbreaking "Hills of Home," a song that captures the modern changes that overtook and scattered many rural households. There's a similar melancholy to "Auction at the Home Place" by the Dry Branch Fire Squad. Besides good music, The Old Home Place works as a mediation on "home" and what it means in a changing and uncertain world. Bluegrass and old-time fans, along with those who long for the old home place, will enjoy this collection.

Old Home Place: J.D. Crowe & The New South

Trio Records PA-3072

Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: Japan
Released: 1975
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
A1 Old Home Place (2:42)
A2 Some Old Day (2:25)
A3 Rock Salt & Nails (2:58)
A4 Sally Goodin (3:11)
A5 Ten Degrees 2:13
B1 Nashville Blues (3:23)
B2 You Are What I Am (2:17)
B3 Summer Wages (4:21)
B4 I'm Walkin' (2:05)
B5 Home Sweet Home Revisited (3:17)
B6 Crying Holy (2:11)
[Credits]
J.D. Crowe (banjo/baritone vocals) Tony Rice (guitar/lead vocals) Ricky Skaggs (mandolin/fiddle/viola/tenor vocals) Jerry Douglas (dobro) Bobby Slone (bass/fiddle)
Liner Notes: John Hartford, Photography: John Duvall
[Notes]
Reacorded at Track Recorders, Silver Springs, Md. in Janualy 1975
[Other Versions]
Rounder Records 0044 (1975)

Tony Rice: California Autumn

Seven Seas GFX-6008

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue
Country: Japan
Released: 1976
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
A1 California Autumn
A2 Bullet Man
A3 Mr. Poverty
A4 Billy In The Low Ground
A5 Red Haired Boy
A6 Good Woman's Love
B1 You Don't Know My Mind
B2 Alone And Forsaken
B3 Bugle Call Rag
B4 Georgia On My Mind
B5 Scarborough Fair
B6 Beaumont Rag
[Credits]
Tony Rice (guitar/vocals) Tom Gray (bass) Mike Auldridge (dobro) Larry Rice (mandolin) Ben Eldridge (banjo) Ricky Skaggs (fiddle/viola/mandolin) John Starling (guitar) J.D. Crowe (banjo) Jerry Douglas (dobro)
[Notes]
Recorded at Track Recorders, Silver Spring, Maryland on September 1974
Licensed from Rebel Records, Manufactured by King Record Co. Ltd