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

The Vern Williams Band: Traditional Bluegrass

Arhoolie Records – CD 514

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2004
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
01 Roll On Buddy (2:42)
02 Close By (3:38)
03 Montana Cowboy (2:59)
04 I'm On My Way Back to the Old Home (2:54)
05 Happy I'll Be (3:13)
06 Live And Let Live (3:05)
07 Bald Knob, Arkansas (2:39)
08 When the Golden Leaves Begin to Fall (3:53)
09 I Hear a Choo Choo Coming (1:57)
10 Can't You Hear Me Calling (3:23)
11 Traveling the Highway Home (2:01)
12 Love Me Darling Just Tonight (2:40)
13 In Despair (2:16)
14 I'm Going Back to Old Kentucky (2:59)
15 Darling Nellie Across the Sea (2:36)
16 Pig In a Pen (1:54)
[Credits]
Vern Williams (mandolin/vocals) Del Williams (guitar/vocals) Keith Little (banjo/vocals) Ed Neff (bass)
Producer: Tom Diamant, Photographer: Chris Strachwitz, Ray Edlund, Judy Personius and Gil Lankford, Designer: Morgan Dodge
[Notes]
Mandolin player and singer Vern Williams (1930–2006) grew up listening to and playing traditional country and square dance music in rural Arkansas. Following military service in the early 1950s, he settled in Stockton, California. In 1960, he joined with fiddler Ray Park to create one of the most successful bluegrass bands in the San Francisco Bay area. He subsequently formed his own band, in the 1970s. This recording features traditional bluegrass music by the band in four separate sessions during the 1980s. Williams and his band can also be heard on two albums with Rose Maddox (This Is Rose Maddox, ARH09062, and A Beautiful Bouquet, ARH09058).

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."