The Social Power of Music

Smithsonian Folkways – SFW40231

Format: 4 x CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2019
Genre: Latin, Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Struggle, Protest
[Disk One]
01 We Shall Overcome: The Freedom Singers (02:09)
02 This Land is Your Land: Woody Guthrie (02:48)
03 De colores : Baldemar Velásquez, Aguila Negra (03:02)
04 Union Maid: Bobbie McGee (02:13)
05 If I Had a Hammer: Pete Seeger (01:54)
06 Reclaim the Night: Peggy Seeger (04:33)
07 Estoy aquí: Quetzal (05:21)
08 Deportees: Sammy Walker (04:57)
09 We Are the Children: Chris Kando Iijima, Joanne Nobuko Miyamoto, "Charlie" Chin (02:55)
10 I Woke Up This Morning: Fannie Lou Hamer (02:36)
11 I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die: Country Joe McDonald (02:59)
12 El pobre sigue sufriendo : Andrés Jiménez (03:26)
13 Ballad of the ERA: Kristin Lems (04:11)
14 Where Have All the Flowers Gone?: Pete Seeger (02:06)
15 Blowing in the Wind: The New World Singers (02:32)
16 Quihubo raza: Agustín Lira and Alma (03:50)
17 Solidarity Forever: Joe Glazer (02:30)
18 Joe Hill: Paul Robeson (03:00)
19 Joaquin Murrieta: Rumel Fuentes (03:35)
10 Which Side Are You On?: The Almanac Singers (02:10)
11 Legal/Illegal: Ewan MacColl, Peggy Seeger (04:12)
12 It Isn't Nice: Barbara Dane, The Chambers Brothers (04:05)
[Disk Two]
01 Amazing Grace: The Old Regular Baptists (02:44)
02 Come By Here: Barbara Dane, The Chambers Brothers (05:33)
03 Will the Circle Be Unbroken: The Strange Creek Singers (03:38)
04 Peace in the Valley: The Paramount Singers (03:50)
05 Many Eagle Set Sun Dance Song: The Pembina Chippewa Singers (02:11)
06 Zuni Rain Dance: Members of Zuni Pueblo (04:41)
07 Calvary: Shape-note singers at Stewart's Chapel (01:27)
08 Northfield: The Old Harp Singers of Eastern Tennessee (01:58)
09 The Call to Prayer / Adhān: Ahmad Al Alawi (02:10)
10 Zikr: Sheikh Xhemail Shehu, members of the Prizren Rifa’i tekke (02:45)
11 Buddhist Chants and Prayers: Tu Huyen, Hai Phat, Tam Thu, Hai Dat (04:34)
12 Kol Nidre: Cantor Abraham Brun (05:05)
13 Dayeinu: Raasche, Alan Mills (01:47)
14 Night Chant: Sandoval Begay (02:12)
15 Hark, Hark: Carolers from the Black Bull, Ecclesfield, UK (03:11)
16 Swing Low, Sweet Chariot: The Princely Players (02:47)
17 The Old Rugged Cross: The Paschall Brothers (05:17)
18 Madre de Dolores : Hermanos de la Morada de Nuestra Señora de Dolores del Alto (02:56)
19 San Miguel : Francia Reyes (04:11)
20 I'll Fly Away: Rose Maddox (02:32)
[Disk Three]
01 Party Down at the Blue Angel Club: Clifton Chenier and His Red Hot Louisiana Band (04:51)
02 San Antonio Rose: Los Reyes de Albuquerque (02:38)
03 Jolie blonde: Austin Pitre (02:47) 04 Shake Your Moneymaker: John Littlejohn (04:19) 05 Beer-Drinking Polka: Flaco Jiménez, Max Baca (02:25) 06 In Heaven There Is No Beer: The Goose Island Ramblers (02:32) 07 SAM: Sam Brothers Five (04:10)
08 Golden Slippers / The Butterfly Whirl: Lester Bradley and Friends (04:31)
09 Sligo Indians / Paddy Clancy's / Larry Redican's / The Rambling Pitchfork: Tony DeMarco (04:21)
10 La entrega de los novios : Lorenzo Martínez (03:46)
31 Rock Dance Song: The Pembina Chippewa Singers (02:20)
12 Pow Wow Song: Chippewa Nation (02:52)
13 Mary Mack: Lilly's Chapel School, Alabama (01:58)
14 Johnny Cuckoo: Janie Hunter and children at home (01:15)
15 Rooster Call: John Henry Mealing and group (04:00)
16 Joy to the World: Elizabeth Mitchell (03:06)
17 Oylupnuv Obrutch: The Golden Gate Gypsy Orchestra (02:01)
18 Liberty Funeral March: The Liberty Brass Band (04:51)
19 Junkanoos #1: Key West Junkanoo Band (03:07)
30 The Star Spangled Banner: Unknown orchestra (01:16)
31 Mardi Gras Medley : ReBirth Jazz Band (04:33)
{Disk Four}
01 Viva la Quince Brigada : Pete Seeger (03:04)
02 Bella ciao : Singers of the "Bella Ciao" production of Spoleto (01:35)
03 A desalambrar : Expresión Joven (05:07)
04 Muato mua N’Gola : Lilly Tchiumba (02:34)
05 Un gigante que despierta (An Awakening Giant): Luis Godoy, Grupo Mancotal (04:03)
06 Hasret : Melike Demirag (03:10)
07 Prisioneros somos : Suni Paz (02:19)
08 Funeral do lavrador : Zelia Barbosa (01:59)
09 Izakunyatheli Afrika Verwoerd : South African refugees in Tanganyika (01:52)
10 The Boy with the Sunlit Smile: Mikis Theodorakis (02:48)
11 Hidup di Bui : Gambang Kromong Slendang Betawi, Kwi Ap (05:34)
12 Man and Buffalo : Caravan (03:40)
13 Why Need We Cry?: Cantor Abraham Brun (02:32)
14 El palomo (The Dove): Grupo Raíz (04:06)
15 Hvem sidder dér bag skærmen : Inger Nielsen (03:08)
16 Mon’ etu ua Kassule: Musician supporters of the MPLA (05:35)
17 Le temps des cerises : Yves Montand (04:37)
18 Chongsun Arirang: Singer from Central Korea (04:03)
19 The Passport: Marcel Khalifé (09:23
20 Inno della Resistenza: Choir of FLN fighters (01:28)
[Credits]
Producer, Writer and Liner Notes: Jeff Place and Huib Schippers, Liner Notes: Meredith Holmgren, Carla Borden, D.A. Sonneborn, James Deutsch and Jack Manischewitz, Writer: Anthony Seeger and Deborah Wong, Photographer: Hiroji Kubota, Mastering Engineer: Pete Reiniger, Designer: Visual Dialogue
[Notes]
From parties to protests to prayer, music is a powerful catalyst for celebration, for change, and for a sense of community. Through making music together, we become bigger than ourselves. Whether singing with our families and friends or with thousands of strangers in an arena, music transforms lives, engages individuals, and connects local and global communities. The Social Power of Music chronicles the vivid, impassioned, and myriad ways in which music binds, incites, memorializes, and moves groups of people. This richly illustrated 124-page book, with 80+ tracks on 4 CDs, invites listeners into musical practices, episodes, and movements throughout the U.S. and beyond. These songs of struggle, devotion, celebration, and migration remind us that music has the potential to change our world.

Rose Maddox with the Vern Williams Band: Beautiful Bouquet

Arhoolie Records – CD 9058

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2006
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass, Gospel
[Tracklist]
01 We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder (2:16)
02 Life's Evening Sun (2:40)
03 Church in the Wildwood (2:45)
04 When God Dips His Love in My Heart (2:39)
05 I Can't Feel At Home (3:10)
06 Farther Along (3:21)
07 I'll Fly Away (2:31)
08 In the Sweet By And By (2:51)
09 Kneel At The Cross (2:23)
10 Turn Your Radio On (2:20)
11 Beautiful Bouquet (2:46)
12 Take Me In The Lifeboat (2:28)
13 If We Never Meet Again (3:46)
14 Swing Low Sweet Chariot (3:03)
[Credits]
Rose Maddox (vocals) Delbert Williams (guitar/vocals) Keith Little (guitar/banjo/vocals) Vern Williams (mandolin/vocals) Ed Neff (fiddle/mandolin) Kevin Thompson (bass)
Producer: Chris Strachwitz, Photographer: Kim Ecclesine, Engineer: Michael Cogan
[Notes]
In her prime, Rose Maddox was known as a country and rockabilly singer. But as she got older she spent more and more time singing with bluegrass bands, and this fine album (originally released on LP in 1983) was recorded over the course of two days with the Vern Williams Band. The program consists entirely of gospel songs, and the combination of Williams' slightly gruff high tenor and Maddox's powerful, brassy voice is a surprisingly effective one. The band itself is, for the most part, fairly workmanlike, though there are several sparkling moments of inspiration. They show a particular affinity for songs with tricky and irregular rhythms -- "We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder" is more difficult than they make it sound, and their hocketing vocal arrangement is lots of fun. They also manage to make the extra beats in "Turn Your Radio On" sound completely natural. Other highlights include an appropriately soaring version of "I'll Fly Away" and a soulful rendition of "Church in the Wildwood," but "I Can't Feel at Home" is given a slightly plodding treatment here and the title track is a bit maudlin, even by bluegrass gospel standards. Even with its minor flaws, though, this disc is a welcome reminder of one of country and bluegrass music's most powerful female voices. -- AllMusic Review by Rick Anderson

16 Down Home Country Classics

Arhoolie Records - CD 110

Format: CD, Album
Country: United States
Released: 1997
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass, & Country
[Tracklist]
01 Single Girl: Rose Maddox (2:09)
02 No Never No: Strange Creek Singers (4:09)
03 Run Mountain: J.E. Mainer (2:52)
04 Spanish Fandango: Snuffy Jenkins (1:23)
05 Eight Thirty Blues: The Armstrong Twins (2:09)
06 Hey, Hey Bartender: Del McCoury (2:38)
07 Sam McGee Stomp: Sam McGee (2:04)
08 Old Dan Tucker: Louisiana Honey Drippers (2:20)
09 You Turned Your Back: Toni Brown (2:17)
10 Carroll County Blues: Suzy and Eric Thompson (3:18)
11 George's Playhouse Boogie: Maddox Brothers & Rose (2:44)
12 John Barleycorn: Kenny Baker (2:11)
13 Black Land Farmer: Bill Neely (3:48)
14 Turkey Buzzard / Chinquapin Hunting: Any Old Time String Band (2:46)
15 Hello Stranger: The Carter Family (2:09)
16 Bogue Chito Fling Ding: Hodges Brothers (1:56)
[Credits]
Producer and Editor: Chris Strachwitz and Tom Diamant, Photographer: Barry Oliver, Designer: Wayne Pope and Craig Millman
[Notes]
"Down home" country music originated in the Appalachian region of Virginia, North and South Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee in the early part of the 20th century. Played using acoustical stringed instruments, traditional country music is derived from English folk songs along with elements of gospel and blues. This collection presents 16 examples of traditional country music and includes tracks from the Carter Family, the Strange Creek Singers with Hazel Dickens, Rose Maddox, and NEA National Heritage Fellow Del McCoury. Liner notes include each track's original Arhoolie album for further listening.

Rose Maddox with the Vern Williams Band

Arhoolie Records – 9062

Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: United States
Released: 1981
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrassd, & Country
[Tracklist]
A1 Philadelphia Lawyer (2:35)
A2 Let Those Brown Eyes Smile At Me (2:35)
A3 Old Black Choo Choo (3:00)
A4 Single Girl (2:05)
A5 Dark As A Dungeon (4:00)
A6 This Old House (2:40)
A7 Sally Let Your Bangs Hand Down (2:35)
B1 Rusty Old Halo (2:20)
B2 Dream Of The Miner's Child (3:00)
B3 Ashes Of Love (2:00)
B4 Silver Threads And Golden Needles (1:50)
B5 Foggy Mountain Top (3:10)
B6 Amazing Grace (5:00)
B7 Rocky Top (2:55)
[Credits]
Rose Maddox (vocals) Vern Williams (mandolin/vocals) Delbert Williams (guitar/vocals) Keith Little (banjo/vocals) J.D. Rhynes (bass) Ray Park (fiddle) Kraig Hutchens (guitar)
Producer: Chris Strachwitz and Rose Maddox, Cover Artwork: Wayne Pope, Designer: Dennis Kiernan, Photographer: Craig Street and Chris Strachwitz, Engineer: Bob Shumaker
[Notes]
Women singers abound on today's country music scene, but 40 or 50 years ago it was a different story. Rose Maddox, who began performing on country radio stations in the 1930s and started recording in the 1940s, was one of the female pioneers in the field. After launching her career with her brothers in the country group the Maddox Brothers and Sister Rose, she pursued a successful solo career and later recorded with Buck Owens and Bill Monroe. More recently, Maddox performed with members of the Vern Williams Band, a country and bluegrass group, who accompany her on this CD compilation which showcases her still-strong voice and exuberant delivery. The set, drawn from two albums originally released in the early 1980s, includes folk traditionals such as Woody Guthrie's "Philadelphia Lawyer" and gospel staples such as "Amazing Grace."

Maddox Brothers & Rose: America's Most Colorful Hillbilly Band

Arhoolie Records CD-391

Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1993
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country, Rockabilly
[Tracklist]
01 George's Playhouse Boogie (2:45)
02 Midnight Train (3:06)
03 Shimmy Shakin' Daddy (2:11)
04 Careless Driver (2:50)
05 Move It On Over (2:47)
06 Whoa Sailor (2:36)
07 Milk Cow Blues (3:11)
08 Mean And Wicked Boogie (2:40)
09 Brown Eyes (2:58)
10 Honky Tonkin' (2:27)
11 Time Nor Tide (3:09)
12 New Mule Skinner Blues (2:10)
13 Philadelphia Lawyer (3:15)
14 Sally Let Your Bangs Hang Down (2:19)
15 When I Lay My Burden Down (2:16)
16 Hangover Blues (2:38)
17 Water Baby Boogie (2:10)
18 Dark As A Dungeon (2:23)
19 Mule Train (2:56)
20 Oklahoma Sweetheart Sally Ann (2:15)
21 Faded Love (2:42)
22 New Step It Up And Go (2:29)
23 (Pay Me) Alimony (2:13)
24 I Wish I Was A Single Girl Again (2:13)
25 Your Love Light Never Shone (2:02)
26 Meanest Man In Town (2:33)
27 I Want To Live And Love (2:05)
[Credits]
Rose Maddox, Don Maddox (vocals) Fred Maddox (bass/vocals) Don Maddox (fiddle) Henry Maddox (mandolin/guitar) Cliff Maddox (mandolin) Cal Maddox (guitar/harmonica) Gene Breeden, Jimmy Winkle, Roy Nichols (guitar) Bud Duncan (steel guitar)
Reissue Producer: Chris Strachwitz, Designer: Wayne Pope, Liner Notes: Keith Olesen
[Notes]
The Maddox Brothers & Rose were America's most colorful hillbilly band all right, and not just because they wore snazzy sequined Western suits that screamed louder than a blast of TNT. Everything they did was at the top of their lungs, from sister Rose's effectively braying twang and tittering, high-pitched asides to the brothers' nuclear-charged postwar fusion of boogie-woogie, Western swing, and California honky-tonk. Most colorful of all was the group's aesthetic--unabashed emotionalism on a poignant gospel ballad such as "When I Lay My Burden Down" alternating with broad comedy displayed on covers of "Milk Cow Blues" and "Honky Tonkin'." "Got a hillbilly band called Maddox and Rose ... [and] they play a boogie-woogie that'll wiggle your toes," Rose guffaws on "George's Playhouse Boogie." Never has such a colorful self-description been so accurate. --David Cantwell