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.

American Banjo: Three-Finger and Scruggs Style

Smithsonian Folkways – SF 40037

Format: Vinyl, LP, Reissue
Country: United States
Released: 1990
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
A01 Shortening Bread: Smiley Hobbs, Pete Kuykendall, and Mike Seeger (0:49)
A02 Pig in a Pen: Smiley Hobbs, Pete Kuykendall, and Mike Seeger (1:15)
A03 Train 45: Smiley Hobbs, Pete Kuykendall, and Mike Seeger (2:22)
A04 Rosewood Casket: Smiley Hobbs, Pete Kuykendall, and Mike Seeger (1:30)
A05 Cotton Eye Joe: Smiley Hobbs, Pete Kuykendall, and Mike Seeger (1:44)
A06 Don't Let Your Deal Go Down: J.C. Sutphin (1:03)
A07 Under the Double Eagle: J.C. Sutphin (1:57)
A08 I Don't Love Nobody: J.C. Sutphin (1:37)
A09 Sally Goodin' / Sally Ann: Junie Scruggs (1:44)
A10 Cripple Creek: Junie Scruggs (1:21)
A11 Cumberland Gap: Snuffy Jenkins (1:37)
A12 John Henry: Snuffy Jenkins (1:36)
A13 Chicken Reel: Snuffy Jenkins (1:17)
A14 Shortening Bread: Snuffy Jenkins (1:27)
A15 John Henry: Snuffy Jenkins (1:12)
A16 Lonesome Road Blues: Snuffy Jenkins (1:17)
A17 Kansas City Kitty / Big Eared Mule: Snuffy Jenkins (2:08)
A18 Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star: Snuffy Jenkins (1:26)
A19 Careless Love: Snuffy Jenkins (1:19)
A20 Sally Ann / Sally Goodin': Snuffy Jenkins (2:00)
B01 Home, Sweet Home: Oren Jenkins (1:08)
B02 Spanish Fandango: Oren Jenkins (1:25)
B03 Cripple Creek: Oren Jenkins (1:19)
B04 Down the Road: Oren Jenkins (1:08)
B05 Liza Jane: Oren Jenkins (1:33)
B06 Hey, Mr. Banjo: Oren Jenkins (0:51)
B07 Bugle Call Rag: Oren Jenkins (1:08)
B08 Cackling Hen / Cumberland Gap: Joe Stuart (2:09)
B09 Dear Old Dixie: Larry Richardson (1:19)
B10 Little Maggie: Larry Richardson (1:15)
B11 Take Me Back to the Sweet Sunny South: Larry Richardson (1:20)
B12 Bucking Mule: Larry Richardson (1:23)
B13 Lonesome Road Blues: Larry Richardson (2:03)
B14 Turkey in the Straw: Don Bryant and Pete Kuykendall (1:00)
B15 Jenny Lynn: Don Bryant and Pete Kuykendall (0:48)
B16 Irish Washerwoman: Pete Kuykendall (1:03)
B17 Wildwood Flower: Eugene Cox and Roni Stoneman (1:37)
B18 Lonesome Road Blues: Eugene Cox and Roni Stoneman (1:15)
B19 Ground Hog: Mike Seeger and Bob Baker (1:39)
B20 Cindy: Dick Rittler, Hazel Dickens, and Mike Seeger (1:45)
B21 Little Pal: Kenny Miller (1:01)
B22 Rueben's Train: Kenny Miller and Mike Seeger (1:36)
B23 Jesse James / Hard Ain't it Hard: Eric Weissberg, Mike Seeger, and Ralph Rinzler (2:30)
[Credits]
Reissue Producer: Matt Walters, Liner Notes: Mike Seeger and Ralph Rinzler. Designer: Daphne Shuttleworth, Photographer: Carl Fleischhauer, Enginner: Doug Sax and Mike Seeger
[Notes]
This recording was the first bluegrass LP ever released. The reissue now contains 16 additional tracks, a total of 43 tunes played by the immortal Snuffy Jenkins and others, including Smiley Hobbs. A banjo classic that runs 60 minutes in length. "...[A]s unspoiled as the day they were recorded..." — Rolling Stone

Charlie Poole and the Roots of Country Music: You Ain't Talkin' to Me:

Legacy – C3K 92780

Format: 3 x CD, Compilation, Box Set
Country: United States
Released: 2005
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Old Time, & Country
[Disc One}
01 Shootin' Creek (03:26)
02 Baltimore Fire (03:13)
03 Leaving Home (03:11)
04 There'll Come a Time (03:31)
05 White House Blues (03:31)
06 The Highwayman (03:20)
07 Hungry Hash House (03:25)
08 The Letter That Never Came (02:51)
09 Take a Drink on Me (03:17)
10 Husband and Wife Were Angry One Night (02:52)
11 Ramblin' Blues (03:07)
12 Took My Gal A-Walkin' (02:48)
13 Old and Only in the Way (03:29)
14 Don't Let Your Deal Go Down Blues (02:53)
15 Bill Mason (03:01)
16 A Kiss Waltz (03:10)
17 Flop Eared Mule (03:00)
18 A Trip to New York, Pt. 1 (03:06)
19 Sweet Sixteen (02:54)
20 Write a Letter to My Mother (03:03)
21 If the River Was Whiskey (03:10)
22 Mother's Last Farewell Kiss (03:05)
23 Milwaukee Blues (03:18)
24 Where the Whippoorwill Is Whispering Good-Night (03:09)
[Disc Two]
01 The Girl I Left in Sunny Tennessee (03:21)
02 Sunny Tennessee (03:18)
03 Bulldog Down in Sunny Tennessee (02:40)
04 Moving Day (03:14)
05 It's Movin' DayHarry Von Tilzer (03:28)
06 Home Sweet, Home (02:34)
07 I'm the Man That Rode the Mule 'Round the World (03:04)
08 Man That Rode the Mule Around the World (02:56)
09 Lynchburg Town (03:02)
10 Going Down to Lynchburg Town/Don't Let Your Deal Go Down (03:10)
11 Some One (03:05)
12 Monkey on a String (02:33)
13 Monkey on a String (03:09)
14 Can I Sleep in Your Barn Tonight Mister (03:13)
15 May I Sleep in Your Barn Tonight, Mister (02:54)
16 Married Life Blues (02:41)
17 The Infanta March (04:22)
18 Sunset March (02:41)
19 I'll Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms (02:59)
20 Goodbye Eliza Jane (01:39)
21 Good-Bye Sweet Liza Jane (03:06)
22 Good-Bye Booze (03:17)
23 Goodbye Booze (02:51)
24 You Ain't Talking to Me (02:56)
25 You Ain't Talkin' to Me (02:57)
[Disc Three]
01 If I Lose, I Don't Care (03:09)
02 The Battleship of Maine (03:18)
03 Budded Rose (03:04)
04 Standing by a Window (03:17)
05 Uncle Dave's Beloved Solo (03:06)
06 Come Take a Trip in My Airship (02:11)
07 I Once Loved a Sailor (03:08)
08 Dixie Medley (02:43)
09 My Wife, She Has Gone and Left Me (03:18)
10 My Wife Went Away and Left Me (02:56)
11 Baby Rose (04:14)
12 Just Keep Waiting Till the Good Time Comes (03:27)
13 Shuffle Feet, Shuffle (02:40)
14 Coon From Tennessee (03:13)
15 Coon From Tennessee (03:06)
16 On the Banks of the Kaney (03:08)
17 Dixie Medley (04:10)
18 Southern Medley (03:06)
19 The Man That Wrote Home Sweet Home Never Was a Married Man (03:14)
20 Sweet Sunny South (02:55)
21 Take Me Back to the Sweet Sunny South (02:46)
22 Oh! Didn't He Ramble (02:11)
23 He Rambled (03:00)
[Credits]
Charlie Poole (banjo/ocals) Posey Rorer (fiddle) Odell Smith (fiddle) Roy Harvey (guitar) Henry Whitter (guitar) Uncle Dave Macon (banjo/vocals) Gid Tanner (fiddle/vocals) Doc Walsh (banjo/vocals) Charlie Parker (banjo/vocals) Snuffy Jenkins (banjo) Francis Jenkins (banjo)
Producer: Henry Sapoznik, Liner Notes: Kinney Rorrer, Cover Art: Robert Crumb Designer: Michelle Holme
[Notes]
First, a word about what You Ain't Talkin' to Me is not: it is not a box set of Charlie Poole's complete recorded work. He recorded some 110 songs for the Columbia, Paramount, and Brunswick labels between 1925 and 1931, and 43 of those tracks are collected here, with the balance of this three-disc set given over to sides by Poole's stylistic predecessors and contemporaries. Creating a feel for Poole's life and milieu is the goal here, and presenting musical evidence to place him as the clear grandfather of both bluegrass and modern country is the not-so-hidden agenda. Poole was never an overwhelming banjo player, but his three-finger picking style certainly carries trace elements of what would become bluegrass some 20 years later (when a banjo whiz named Earl Scruggs joined Bill Monroe's band in 1946). Poole wasn't a particularly strong singer, either, but his rambling, gambling persona and flamboyant stage antics (and frequent multi-week alcoholic benders) provide convincing evidence that Poole was outlaw country five decades before the term was even born. Poole's real genius -- since he didn't write songs -- was his ability to take folk tunes, pop songs, fiddle reels, blues fragments, and church hymns and reconfigure them into autobiographical statements by dropping or importing a verse, adding a stray line here and there, changing the title, and eventually delivering fresh, stripped-down versions of familiar songs that now seemed entirely Poole's. What You Ain't Talkin' to Me does best is document how this process worked, and after a first disc of acknowledged Poole classics ("Don't Let Your Deal Go Down Blues," "White House Blues," "If the River Was Whiskey," "Ramblin' Blues"), the second and third discs present Poole songs alongside their antecedents in what is essentially a workshop in how pop folk is created in a mechanized age. On disc three, for example, you hear Arthur Collins' 1902 version of "Oh! Didn't He Ramble" as a heavily stylized and orchestrated bit of vaudeville. In Poole's hands, stripped down and shaped into a sinewy, sexy, and bluesy ensemble piece for banjo, guitar, and fiddle, it became the self-referential "He Rambled" in 1929. Similarly, Eddie Morton's civil and orchestrated "You Ain't Talking to Me" from 1909 becomes an ominous barroom boast in Poole's version, released as "You Ain't Talkin' to Me" in 1927. This ability to create new possibilities from old choices is what has driven American music from the very beginning, and Poole's talent for making it all seem like personal autobiography makes him very much a modernist, only a short leap away from an artist like Hank Williams. Doubters need only listen to Poole's "If I Lose, I Don't Care," which leads off the third disc, to clearly see the kind of DNA that went into modern country. As a glimpse of Poole's life and times, and a look behind the curtains at the adaptive nature of his creative process, this attractive set (it comes in a small cigar box with a R. Crumb illustration of Poole on the lid and includes a 60-page book insert) does a super job, but listeners should be aware that it is hardly comprehensive. Those interested in a more extensive sampling of Poole's work should check out JSP's four-disc box, Charlie Poole With the North Carolina Ramblers and the Highlanders, which features 96 of his 110 known recordings.-- AllMusic Review by Steve Leggett

Close to Home: Old Time Music from Mike Seeger's Collection 1952-1967

Smithsonian Folkways – SF CD 40097

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 1997
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Old Time
[Tracklist]
01 In the Sweet Bye and Bye: Elizabeth Cotten (1:24)
02 Tie Your Dog, Sally Gal: Will Adam (2:41)
03 Banjo Instrumental: J.C. "Cleve" Sutphin (2:01)
04 Lost Train Blues: V.L. Sutphin (1:16)
05 Shortening Bread: V.L. And Cleve Sutphin (1:45)
06 The Train That Carried My Girl from Town: V.L. And Cleve Sutphin (1:30)
07 Old Gambling Man: J.J. Neece (3:24)
08 John Henry: J.J. Neece, Cleve and V.L. Sutphin (2:16)
09 Shout Little Lulu: Louise Foreacre (0:51)
10 He Will Set Your Fields on Fire: Kilby Snow (2:19)
11 Gather in the Golden Grain: Ernest V. and Hattie Stoneman (0:53)
12 Going to Lay Down My Burdens: Elizabeth White and Gideon Craig (1:42)
13 John Henry: Lesley Riddle (2:26)
14 Pretty Fair Damsel: Clarence Ashley (2:29)
15 It's These Hard Times: Pearly "Grandma" Davis (1:23)
16 Old Time Reel: Pearly "Grandma" Davis and Oliver Davis (2:13)
17 Jackson Schottische: A.L. Hall (2:12)
18 Lone Prairie: Wade Ward (1:36)
19 Molly Put the Kettle On: Wade Ward (1:23)
20 Last Gold Dollar: Edsel Martin and Bill McElreath (1:43)
21 John Henry: Bill and Jean Davis (1:11)
22 Three Nights Drunk (Our Goodman): The Blue Ridge Buddies with E.C. and Orna Ball (2:36)
23 Jimmie Sutton: The Blue Ridge Buddies with E.C. and Orna Ball (1:44)
24 Going to Lay Down My Old Guitar: Snuffy Jenkins and Ira Dimmery (0:59)
25 Black Mountain Rag: The McGee Brothers and Arthur Smith (2:21)
26 A Talk on the World: Clyde Lewis (4:52)
27 Red Wing: Lost John Ray and Walt Koken (0:53)
28 Leather Britches: Eck Robertson and the New Lost City Ramblers (3:02)
29 Blackberry Blossom: Sherman Lawson (2:01)
30 Alabama Gals: Emmett Cole (0:59)
31 Old Joe Clark: George Landers (0:50)
32 Sugar Baby: Dock Boggs (2:41)
33 Queen Sally: Archie Sturgill (1:47)
34 Poor Orphan: Kate Peters Sturgill (3:09)
35 My Virginia Rose: Scott Boatright (2:19)
36 I'm Leaving You: Sara Carter and Maybelle Carter (2:38)
37 He Said If You Love Me, Feed My Sheep: The Stancer Quartet (2:56)
38 I Would Not Live Always: Clarence Ferrill (1:32)
[Credits]
Producer, Recorder, Liner Notes & Photographer: Mike Seeger, Photographer (Cover): Alice Gerrard, Mastering Engineer: Dave Glasser
[Notes]
In the 1950's and sixties musician-collector Mike Seeger, inspired by the great folksong collectors of the 1930's, visited traditional musicians of the rural South. This is his handpicked selection of the recordings made during those visits. Included in the 38 selections are previously unreleased recordings by the well-known Sara & Maybelle Carter, Arthur Smith, Elizabeth Cotten, and Dock Boggs, as well as treasures by lesser-known artists. The enclosed booklet contains photographs and notes on the performance, which include virtuoso fiddle, banjo, and guitar music, unaccompanied ballad singing, and a story-teller entertaining his buddies in a fiddler's convention parking lot.

Classic Banjo from Smithsonian Folkways

Smithsonian Folkways SFW CD 40209

Series: Smithsonian Folkways Classic Series
Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2013
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Bluegrass, Old Time
[Tracklist]
01 Fly Around My Blue-Eyed Girl / Cripple Creek / Ida Red / Old Joe Clark: Pete Seeger (2:38)
02 Banging Breakdown: Hobart Smith (1:21)
03 Johnson Boys: Frank Proffitt (1:44)
04 Peachbottom Creek: Wade Ward (1:27)
05 Coo Coo: Dink Roberts (2:14)
06 Josh Thomas’s Roustabout: Mike Seeger (2:40)
07 Jaw Bone: Willie Chapman (0:55)
08 Bright Sunny South: Dock Boggs (3:40)
09 Coal Creek March: Pete Steele (1:55)
10 Mississippi Heavy Water Blues: Josh Thomas (3:40)
11 Walk Light Ladies: Rufus Crisp (1:32)
12 Buck Creek Girls: Bill Cornett (1:03)
13 Gut Bucket Blues: Don Vappie and the Creole Jazz Serenaders (4:18)
14 Skylark / Roaring Mary: Mick Moloney (3:27)
15 St. Anne's Reel / La Renfleuse Gorbeil: Ken Perlman (2:52)
16 Smokey Mokes: Roger Sprung (2:23)
17 Golden Bell Polka: A.L. Camp (2:29)
18 Banjoland: Tony Trischka with Bill Evans (3:03)
19 Sally Ann: Snuffy Jenkins (1:13)
20 Lonesome Road Blues: Roni Stoneman (1:15)
21 Fox Chase: Lee Sexton (0:59)
22 Hop Along Lou: John Tyree (1:12)
23 Cotton Eyed Joe: "Big Sweet" Lewis Hairston (1:27)
24 Foggy Mountain Top: Ola Belle Reed (2:32)
25 Rambling Hobo: Doc Watson (1:39)
26 Old Rattler: John Snipes (2:50)
27 Georgia Buck: Elizabeth Cotten (1:45)
28 I Wish to the Lord I’d Never Been Born: Irvin Cook (3:07)
29 Black Eye Susie: Roscoe Holcomb (1:28)
30 Bluegrass Breakdown: Bill Keith with Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys (3:09)
[Credits]
Compiler & Liner Notes: G reg C. Adams and Jeff Place, Editor: Carla Borden, Designer: Joe Parisi, Mastering Engineer: Pete Reiniger
[Notes]
The banjo is a "bigger than life" instrument, a symbol of deep southern American heritage. At the same time, beneath its veneer of old-time icon, the story of the banjo is one of enormous creativity and adaptation to many musical traditions around the world - from Africa, to the Caribbean, to North America, to Europe, and beyond. In Classic Banjo from Smithsonian Folkways, banjo connoisseurs Greg Adams and Jeff Place cull 30 gems of banjo artistry from more than 300 albums in the Folkways collections, offering a gateway into the deep and varied veins of banjo history. 64 minutes, 44-page booklet with extensive notes and photos.

American Banjo Tunes & Songs In Scruggs Style

Folkways Records FA 2314

Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation, Reissue
Country: Unoted States
Released: 1957
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
A01 Cacklin' Hen: Joe Stewart
A02 John Henry: Snuffy Jenkins
A03 Lonesome Blues: Snuffy Jenkins
A04 Big-Eared Mule: Snuffy Jenkins
A05 Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star: Snuffy Jenkins
A06 Spanis Fandango: Oren Jenkins
A07 Cripple Creek: Oren Jenkins
A08 Shout Lulu: Oren Jenkins
A09 Down The Roar: Oren Jenkins
A10 Old Hen She Cackled: Oren Jenkins
A11 Sally Goodwin - Sally Ann: Junie Scruggs
A12 Wildwood Flower: Eugene Cox
A13 Lonesome Road Blues: Veronica Stoneman Cox
A14 Don't Let Your Deal Go Down: J.C. Sutphin
A15 I Don't Love Nobody: J.C. Sutphin
A16 Little Maggie: Larry Richardson
A17 Sunny South: Larry Richardson
A18 Buckin' Mule: Larry Richardson
A19 Turkey In The Straw: Don Bryant
A20 Jenny Lynn: Don Bryant
B01 Pig In A Pen: Smiley Hobbs
B02 Train "45": Smiley Hobbs
B03 Rosewood Casket: Smiley Hobbs
B04 Cotton Eye Joe: Smiley Hobbs
B05 Irish Washerwoman: Pete Roberts
B06 Cindy: Country Ramblers
B07 Ruben's Train: Kenny Miller
B08 Please Come Back Little Pal: Kenny Miller
B09 Pretty Polly: Mike Seeger
B10 Ground Hog: Bob Baker
B11 Jesse James - Hard, Ain't It Hard: Eric Weissberg
[Credits]
Producer and Recorder: Mika Seeger, Liner Notes: Ralph Rinzler
[Notes]
Although there is debate among musicologists and banjo players as to who "invented" the three-finger style of five-string banjo playing, there is no disagreement that the style was popularized by Earl Scruggs in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The three-finger style enabled banjo players to play harmony and to solo on bluegrass tunes and songs. This 1957 release assembles examples of the three-finger style by bluegrass banjo players including Scruggs' older brother Junie and Snuffy Jenkins, who may have had an influence on the style as well.