Classic American Ballads from Smithsonian Folkways

Smithsonian Folkways – SFW40215

Series: Smithsonian Folkways Classic Series
Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2015
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country Style: Folk, Country [Tracklist}
01 Banks of the Ohio: Doc Watson and Bill Monroe (3:32)
02 Blue Mountain Lake: Pete Seeger (2:47)
03 Claude Allen: Hobart Smith (3:50)
04 Cole Younger: Dock Boggs (1:50)
05 Cowboy’s Lament (Streets of Laredo): Buck Ramsey (3:21)
06 Boll Weevil: Sam Hinton (2:12)
07 Duncan and Brady: Lead Belly (1:08)
08 Floyd Collins: Paul Clayton (3:27)
09 Frankie and Johnny: Rolf Cahn and Eric Von Schmidt (6:39)
10 John Henry: John Jackson (3:22)
11 Jesse James: Sis Cunningham, Mike Millius, and Wes Houston (3:51)
12 Billy the Kid: Woody Guthrie (2:04)
13 The Death of the Lawson Family: Glen Neaves (1:54)
14 Naomi Wise: Doug Wallin (3:06)
15 Pearl Bryan: Bruce Buckley (2:54)
16 Sam Bass: Hermes Nye (1:59)
17 Springfield Mountain: Bascom Lamar Lunsford (2:31)
18 Tom Dooley: Glen Neaves, Roscoe Russell, Ivor Melton, Warren Brown, Ted Lundy (2:11)
19 Tying a Knot in the Devil's Tail: Cisco Houston (2:14)
20 Young Charlotte: Pete Seeger (4:05)
21 Wasn't That a Mighty Storm?: The Tex-i-an Boys (2:41)
22 Zebra Dun: Joan O'Bryant (2:32)
23 The Titanic: Pink Anderson (2:52)
24 The Louisville Burglar: The Iron Mountain String Band (3:09)
25 The F.F.V. (Engine 143): Annie Watson (3:56)
[Credits]
Compilers: Jeff Place, Katie Ortiz and Max Smith, Editor: Carla Borden, Designer: Joe Parisi
[Notes]
Born of the British ballad, its American offspring was the blank canvas for all type of tale, the more calami­tous or scandalous, the better. Jesse James and Billy the Kid, train wrecks and hurricanes, the Titanic and Tom Dooley, fatal lovers' quarrels and foiling the devil, all and more were normal fare, served up in a song. Classic American Balla

Robert Nighthawk & Forrest City Joe

Orbis – BLU NC 063

Series: The Blues Collection – 63
Format: CD, Compilation, Remastered
Country: UK
Released: 1996
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Chicago Blues
[Tracklist]
01 My Sweet Lovin' Mama (2:50)
02 Down The Line (2:47)
03 Sweet Black Angel (3:03)
04 Handsome Lover (2:55)
05 She Knows How To Love A Man (3:07)
06 Annie Lee Blues (3:14)
07 Sugar Papa (2:50)
08 Return Mail Blues (3:15)
09 Good News (3:14)
10 Six Three 0 (2:53)
11 Jackson Town Gal (2:51)
12 Sorry My Angel (3:33)
13 Someday (3:04)
14 Special Delivery Man (2:19)
15 Shady Lane Woman (2:59)
16 A Woman On Every Street (2:47)
17 Sawdust Bottom (2:50)
18 Ash Street Boogie (2:49)
19 Mean Mistreatin' Woman (2:48)
20 Lonesome Day Blues (2:47)
[Credits]
Robert Nighthawk (guitar/vocals) Forrest City Joe (harmonica/vocals) Ethel Mae (vocals) Walter Horton (harmonica) Buddy Guy (guitar) J.C. Cole (guitar) Ernest Lane (piano) Pinetop Perkins (piano) Jack Meyers (bass) Willie Dixon (bass) Clifton James (drums)

Norman Blake: Home In Sulphur Springs

Rounder Records – 0012

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1972
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Country
[Tracklist]
A1 Bully Of The Town (2:00)
A2 Randall Collins (1:52)
A3 Done Gone (1:35)
A4 Down Home Summertime Blues (3:40)
A5 Warp Factor No. 9 (3:36)
A6 Orphan Annie (2:54)
A7 Spanish Fandango (2:47)
B1 Little Joe (2:47)
B2 Richland Avenue Rag (1:54)
B3 When The Fields Are White With Daisies (2:44)
B4 Cattle In The Cane (2:07)
B5 Crossing No. 9 (2:43)
B6 Weave And Way (2:20)
B7 Ginseng Sullivan (3:29)
B8 Bringing In The Georgia Mail (2:24)
[Credits]
Norman Blake (guitar/mandolin/vocals) Tut Taylor (dobro)
Producers: Norman Blake, Tut Taylor and Mike Melford, Photographer: Slick Lawson, Engineer: Claude J. Hill
[Notes]
Home in Sulphur Springs is the debut album of American guitarist Norman Blake, released in 1972. The album was reissued by Rounder records with the title incorrectly printed as Back Home in Sulphur Springs.

The New Lost City Ramblers: The Early Years, 1958-1962

Smithsonian Folkways – CD SF 40036

Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1991
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Country, & Old Time
[Tracklist]
01 Colored Aristocracy (2:08)
02 Hopalong Peter (2:07)
03 Don't Let Your Deal Go Down (2:29)
04 When First Into this Country (2:48)
05 Sales Tax on the Women (3:16)
06 Rabbit Chase (2:33)
07 Leaving Home (Frankie and Johnny) (3:08)
08 How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live? (3:36)
09 Franklin D. Roosevelt's Back Again (2:22)
10 I Truly Understand You Love Another Man (2:32)
11 The Old Fish Song (4:55)
12 The Battleship of Maine (3:08)
13 No Depression in Heaven (2:59)
14 Dallas Rag (2:05)
15 Bill Morgan and His Gal (My Name is Morgan But it Ain't J.P. ) (2:58)
16 Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss (Pretty Little Miss) (2:32)
17 The Lady of Carlisle (3:34)
18 Brown's Ferry Blues (2:49)
19 My Long Journey Home (2:39)
20 Talking Hard Luck (2:42)
21 The Teetotals (1:02)
22 Sal Got a Meatskin (3:27)
23 Railroad Blues (2:44)
24 On Some Foggy Mountain Top (2:28)
25 My Sweet Farm Girl (2:25)
26 Crow Black Chicken (2:37)
[Credits]
Mike Seeger (fiddle/mandolin/autoharp/guitar/banjo/vocals) Tom Paley (banjo/guitar/vocals) John Cohen (guitar/banjo/vocals)
Producer: Jon Pankake, Photographer: Robert Frank, Designer: Carol Hardy, Recorders: Moses Asch, Peter Bartok and Mike Seeger
[Notes]
Moses Asch had a unique method of recording artists back in the '40s and '50s. Someone like Woody Guthrie, for instance, would just drop by Folkways when he had an idea and record. Asch might pay him five dollars for the session, and in this way he accumulated a vault full of material. Perhaps this explains the incredible fact that the New Lost City Ramblers recorded 12 albums between 1958-1962. The Early Years (1958-1962) collects 26 songs, over 70 minutes of music, from these dozen discs, creating an excellent document of the band's years with Tom Paley. John Cohen, and Mike Seeger formed the New Lost City Ramblers in 1958 with the idea of playing old-time music recorded between the late '20s and 1940. While it has often been stated that the trio intended to copy -- phrase for phrase, lick for lick -- the old 78s, Jon Pankake points out in the liner notes that this wasn't the case. Instead, the New Lost City Ramblers wanted to insert the same vim and vigor into "The Battleship of Maine" and "Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss" as the original players. What stands out now, some 60 years after these recordings, is the band's versatility. Whether cutting loose on an instrumental like "Colored Aristocracy" or singing tight harmony on "Brown's Ferry Blues," the three comrades form a tight unit. While the arrangements never outgrow the number of persons in the band, each player's ability to play multiple instruments lends diversity to the material. The Early Years (1958-1962) offers a very good introduction to an innovative and influential band. -- AllMusic Review by Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.

Harry and Jeanie West: Smoky Mountain Ballads

Counterpoint / Esoteric Records

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue
Country: US
Released: 1956
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A1 Sing Along Kitty (1:54)
A2 Rambling Boy (2:45)
A3 Watermelon On The Vine (3:24)
A4 The Little Rosewood Casket (3:19)
A5 Black Jack Davie (2:37)
A6 Mother's Only Sleeping (4:21)
A7 I'm Troubled, I'm Troubled (2:25)
A8 Goodbye Maggie (3:23)
A9 Handsome Molly (1:51)
B1 Bringing In The Georgia Mail (2:41)
B2 Little Red Shoes (2:27)
B3 Pretty Polly (4:28)
B4 Working On A Building (2:19)
B5 Lonesome Dove (3:09)
B6 Where The Soul Never Dies (4:18)
B7 Barbara Allen (4:01)
B8 Where Are You Going, Alice (3:48)
[Credits]
Harry West (banjo/mandolin/guitar/vocals) Jeanie West (guitar/vocals) Artie Rose (steel guitar)
[Notes]
No book on the history of American roots music, particularly bluegrass and old-time music would be complete without an entry on the contributions of Harry and Jeanie West. The Wests have been performing as a duo since the late 1940's continuing through to today where they are featured guest performers at the annual Mountain Dance and Folk Festival in Asheville, North Carolina. Harry and Jeanie's music is featured on "The High Lonesome Sound of Bluegrass" - the life story of Bill Monroe and the history of bluegrass and old-time music. Their music has also been selected by the Smithsonian Institute as representative of the traditional sound of bluegrass, old-time music and mountain ballads. They have recorded hundreds of songs for various imprints including Prestige, Riverside, Stinson, Folkways and Counterpoint / Esoteric, most of which are out of print and remain highly valued collector's items, including the incredible collection of songs featured here, for the first time on CD.

Bill Monroe with Del McCoury and Bill Keith

July 1963 · Two Days At Newport

And More Bears – ACD 25001 AA

Format: CD, Album
Country: Germany
Released: 2003
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
01 July 26, 1963 - Intro (1:18)
02 Mule Skinner Blues (2:27)
03 Uncle Pen (3:07)
04 Devil's Dream (2:39)
05 Molly And Tenbrooks (2:26)
06 I Am A Pilgrim (3:03)
07 Rawhide (Instrumental) (2:19)
08 July 27, 1963 - Intro (0:53)
09 Paddy On The Turnpike (Instrumental) (2:12)
10 Pike Country Breakdown (3:02)
11 Rawhide (Instrumental) (3:07)
12 Get Up John (Instrumental) (2:28)
13 Will You Be Loving Another Man (2:26)
14 Conversation With Ralph Rinzler (4:51)
15 Pretty Fair Maiden In The Garden (3:29)
16 Salt Creek (Instrumental) (2:27)
17 Lonesome Road Blues (1:59)
[Credits]
Bill Monroe (mandolin/vocals) Del McCoury (guitar/vocals) Bill Keith (banjo) Billy Baker (fiddle) Bessie Lee Mauldin (bass)
Producers: Ralph Rinzler and Richard Weize, Liner Notes: Charles K. Wolfe, Artwork: Ina Taubenauer, Photographers: David Gahr and John Byrne Cooke, Engineer: Jürgen Crasser
[Notes]
This amazing disc records the Father of Bluegrass's first appearance at the Newport Folk Festival. Adding to the historical significance of the performance is the fact that this particular configuration of the Bluegrass Boys never recorded together in the studio. There are fine versions of several Monroe standards here, and great vocals with the always wonderful Del McCoury. The sound quality is excellent and there are good notes by Charles Wolfe discussing the recording's importance. Essential for bluegrass lovers. Recorded live July 26 - 27, 1963 at the Newport folk festival.

The Nashville Bluegrass Band

Sugar Hill Records – SUG-CD-4036

Format: CD, Album, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2007
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
01 Rock Bottom Blues (2:54)
02 The Boys Are Back In Town (2:15)
03 Don't Let Our Love Die (3:06)
04 Biggest Liars In Town (2:36)
05 The Fool (2:30)
06 Blue Train (2:49)
07 Waitin' For The Hard Times To Go (3:15)
08 When I Get Where I'm Goin' (2:52)
09 Backtrackin' (2:58)
10 Tear My Stillhouse Down (2:32)
11 Red Clay Halo (2:51)
12 Blue Cadillac (3:15)
13 Fiddlin' Bill (2:51)
14 Travelin' Raliroad Man Blues (3:08)
15 There's A Better Way (3:11)
16 Rockin' Chair Money (2:38)
[Credits]
Alan O'Bryant (banjo/vocals) Pat Enright (guitar/vocals) Stuart Duncan (fiddle/vocals) Gene Libbea (bass/vocals) Dennis Crouch (bass) Mike Compton (mandolin) Roland White (mandolin) Jerry Douglas (dobro)
Compilation Producer: Fred Jasper
[Notes]
Formed in 1984, the Nashville Bluegrass Band filled a slot somewhere between the new and the old, similar, in a number of ways, to Hot Rize. With smooth harmony and a folk sound, NBB blunts many of bluegrass' sharper, more rustic edges; at the same time, one would never confuse NBB with the '70s incarnation of the New Grass Revival or even the eclectically conservative Seldom Scene. While elements of the Nashville Bluegrass Band have changed over the years, all of the 16 selections on Best of the Sugar Hill Years feature vocalist/guitarist Pat Enright, banjoist/vocalist Alan O'Bryant, and fiddler Stuart Duncan. The mandolin spot, over the years, has changed between Mike Compton and Roland White, while the bass players featured on this collection include Gene Libbea and Dennis Crouch. For anyone familiar with the roots music field, this is an impressive roster, and one that works very well as a unit (thus, the emphasis on the "band" in Nashville Bluegrass Band). There's a lot of good stuff here, including the propulsive "Blue Train" and a fine take on Gillian Welch's "Tear My Stillhouse Down." Best of the Sugar Hill Years is a solid introduction to a fine contemporary bluegrass band. -- AllMusic Review by Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.

Down In A Coal Mine: Joe Glazer Sings ･ Charlie Byrd on Guitar

Collector Records – COLL01923

Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: US
Released: 1974
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A1 Down In A Coal Mine (3:46)
A2 My Sweetheart's The Mule in the Mines (0:45)
A3 The Young Lady Who Married A Mule Driver (1:31)
A4 When The Breaker Starts Up Full Time (2:27)
A5 Jolly Wee Miner Men (1:27)
A6 The Death of Mother Jones (2:03)
A7 The Old Miner's Refrain (4:17)
B1 A Miner's Life (3:31)
B2 The Ludlow Massacre (3:04)
B3 Company Store (0:23)
B4 Sixteen Tons (2:50)
B5 Which Side Are You On? (2:37)
B6 Union Man (2:33)
B7 Drill Man Blues (1:38)
B8 Coal Miner's Heaven (3:31)
[Credits]
Joe Glazer (vocals) Charlie Byrd (guitar)
Liner Noted: Joe Glazer
[Notes]
Joe Glazer's (1918–2006) musical efforts on behalf of workers and union struggles earned him the nickname "Labor's Troubadour." In 1970, he founded Collector Records, primarily to produce records supportive of the struggles of working men and women. The majority of the songs on this recording were originally collected from miners by the preeminent folklorist of the coal mines, George Korson, to whom this recording is dedicated. The first half of the recording was made in 1962, with Charlie Byrd playing lead guitar. The second half was recorded before a live audience at the 1964 United Mine Workers of America Convention, held in Miami, Florida.

John Hartford – The Rare & Unreleased John Hartford: Backroads, Rivers & Memories

Real Gone Music – RGM-0848

Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2019
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
01 Towboat River (02:01)
02 Tall Tall Grass (02:12)
03 Front Porch (02:35)
04 Eve of My Multiplication (01:50)
05 California Earthquake (02:16)
06 Left Handed Woman (01:55)
07 George (02:50)
08 Run (01:55)
09 This Eve of Parting (02:34)
10 Self Made Man (02:44)
11 Minus the Woman (03:09)
12 Like Unto a Mockingbird (02:54)
13 Grownup Man (01:49)
14 Gentle on My Mind (03:02)
15 Steam Powered Aereo Plain (00:37)
16 Station Break (01:51)
17 Ice Cold Love (02:11)
18 Matthew 24 (03:12)
19 Greensleeves (02:29)
20 Corrina (02:05)
21 Greenback Dollar (02:51)
22 Jesus Loves Everybody (02:23)
23 I Forgot to Forget (02:58)
24 The Way Is Narrow (02:36)
25 Short Life of Trouble (02:30)
26 That Great Day Is Coming (02:37)
27 When I Feel the Hand of My Saviour (01:28)
[Credits]
John Hartford (banjo/fiddle/vocals)
Producer: Gordon Anderson and Skip Heller, Designer: John Sellards, Engineer: Kevin Chubirka
[Notes]
Though he was a prolific recording artist, songwriter, sideman, and producer, Grammy-winner John Hartford's career can't be summed up on a single disc; it would take a multi-volume box set to accomplish that. Initial and lasting fame was granted him for penning "Gentle on My Mind," resulting in his placement as Glen Campbell's banjo-playing sidekick on the singer's weekly television program for four years. But Hartford's founding role in the creation of "newgrass" on 1971's brilliant Aereo-Plain a few years later won him notice because the album subsequently influenced three generations of musicians. Then there are his dozens of session appearances on seminal recordings by the Byrds, James Taylor, Delaney and Bonnie, Rhonda Vincent, Guthrie Thomas, Benny Martin, David Bromberg, Nanci Griffith, Johnny Cash, and David Allan Coe, to name a few, that also ensure his place in musical history. Much of his wonderfully eclectic catalog has been reissued, including an album of rare Aereo-Plain outtakes entitled Steam Powered Aereo-Takes. All said, though, there hasn't yet been a document that delved deeply into Hartford's early career for the sole purpose of revealing that, although an artist in constant evolution, his music remained rooted in the folk music, river songs, and primal bluegrass he discovered as a youth. Until now, that is. -- AllMusic Review by Thom Jurek

Classic Blues from Smithsonian Folkways

Smithsonian Folkways – SFW CD 40134

Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2003
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Blues
[Tracklist]
01 Old Jabo: Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee (2:14)
02 Mule-Ridin' Blues: Big Bill Broonzy (3:46)
03 Joggie Boogie: Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon (3:28)
04 Black Woman: Vera Hall (1:27)
05 Mercury Blues: K. C. Douglas (2:21)
06 Ran the Blues Out of My Window: Roosevelt Sykes (2:57)
07 Leaving Blues: Lead Belly (2:23)
08 One Dime Blues: Etta Baker (3:46)
09 County Farm Blues: Son House (2:11)
10 Clog Dance (Stomping Blues): Champion Jack Dupree (2:02)
11 Boll Weevil: Pink Anderson (3:06)
12 Nickel's Worth of Liver: Edith North Johnson and Henry Brown (2:43)
13 Don't Leave Me Here: Big Joe Williams (2:43)
14 Jimmy Bell: Cat Iron (2:20)
15 Candy Man: Rev. Gary Davis (2:35)
16 Beer Drinking Woman: Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon (2:32)
17 Come Go Home with Me: Lightnin' Hopkins (3:55)
18 Careless Love: Josh White (3:23)
19 I Asked Her If She Loved Me: Henry Townsend (2:55)
20 Rising Sun: Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry (2:43)
21 Pony Blues: David "Honeyboy" Edwards (3:28)
22 Vicksburg Blues: Little Brother Montgomery (4:02)
23 Vastapol: Elizabeth Cotten (2:11)
24 Drifting Along Blues: Lonnie Johnson (2:59)
25 Oh Baby, You Don't Have to Go: The Chambers Brothers (2:49)
26 Don't Lie Buddy: Lead Belly and Josh White (2:20)
[Credits]
Producer and Liner Notes: Barry Lee Pearson, Photographers: Marion Post Wolcott and Russell Lee, Engineer: Pete Reiniger
[Notes]
A living and dynamic tradition, blues is forged in hard times but powerful enough to bring on the good times. Legends such as Lead Belly, Memphis Slim, Big Bill Broonzy, Elizabeth Cotten, Sonny Terry, and Brownie McGhee, among others formed the "blues backbone" of Folkways Records. This compilation from the Smithsonian Folkways collection spans half a century and features Delta, St. Louis, Southwest, and Chicago styles performed by some of the best-known figures in blues history. From boogies to ballads, full of innuendo and irony, this classic collection is a jukebox in a jewel case.

The Definitive Doc Watson

Sugar Hill Records – SUG-CD-4097097

Format: 2 x CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2013
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country, Folk
[Disk One]
01 The Cyclone Of Rye Cove (2:22)
02 St. Louis Blues (2:35)
03 The House Carpenter (3:55)
04 The Wagoner's Lad (3:17)
05 Anniversary Blue Yodel (Blue Yodel #7) (2:10)
06 Sitting On Top Of The World (2:39)
07 Black Mountain Rag (1:33)
08 Country Blues (3:32)
09 Weary Blues (2:43)
10 Little Sadie (2:01)
11 Dreams Of The Miner's Child (2:51)
12 Southbound (2:52)
13 Tennessee Stud (3:38)
14 Blue Railroad Train (2:46)
15 Georgie (2:47)
16 Katie Morey (2:25)
17 Matty Groves (6:04)
[Disk Two]
01 Whistlin' Rufus/Ragtime Annie (4:04)
02 Big Spike Hammer (3:14)
03 Listening To The Rain (3:15)
04 Willie Moore (4:04)
05 My Rough And Rowdy Ways (2:32)
06 The Wreck Of The Number Nine (2:58)
07 Omie Wise (5:27)
08 Shady Grove (2:59)
90 Watson's Blues (3:32)
10 Slidin' Delta (2:03)
11 Bright Sunny South (2:38)
12 Greenville Testle High (3:28)
13 I'm Going Back To The Old Home (2:14)
14 George Gudger's Overalls (3:26)
15 The Ninety And The Nine (2:36)
16 Your Lone Journey (2:48)
17 Whiskey Before Breakfast (2:53)
[Credits]
Doc Watson (guitar/banjo/vocals) Merle Watson (guitar/banjo) Sam Bush (mandolin/fiddle) Marty Stuart (mandolin) Mark O'Connor (fiddle) Stuart Duncan (fiddle) Dan Crary (guitar) Bryan Sutton (guitar) Jack Lawrence (guitar) John Herald (guitar) Béla Fleck (banjo) Buddy Davis (bass) T. Michael Coleman (bass) Junior Huskey (bass) Roy Huskey Jr. (bass) Russ Savukus (bass) Eric Weissberg (bass) Pat McInerney (percussion) Alan O'Bryant (vocal/harmony)
Producer: Fred Jaspe, Liner Notes: Derek Halsey, Cover Illustration: Carrie Smith, Photographer: Peter Figen, Mastering: David Glasser
[Notes]
Arthel "Doc" Watson was nearly 40 years old and had been playing guitar and banjo most of his life when he was discovered as part of the folk music revival of the early '60s; Watson was a remarkably gifted instrumentalist who had a nearly encyclopedic knowledge of traditional folk and country songs, and he became a cornerstone artist on the folk music scene, as he recorded and toured regularly until his death in 2012. A massive influence on such pickers as Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, and Clarence White, Watson left behind a massive body of work, and The Definitive Doc Watson is a two-disc set that brings together highlights from his recordings for Vanguard and Sugar Hill Records. While this means that a large portion of Watson's catalog is left unrepresented, Vanguard and Sugar Hill happen to be two of the labels with which Watson had the longest and most fruitful relationship, so this gives the set a broader focus than one might imagine. And while this set is a bit short of truly being "definitive" -- it would take a cross-licensed box set to truly fit that description -- there's plenty of great music here, and these 34 tracks show off Watson's warm, rich, unaffected vocals, superlative flat-picked guitar, and impressive banjo work to excellent advantage. A collection of essential songs performed by a master of the form, The Definitive Doc Watson is a fine introduction to a giant of American folk music, and a strong if somewhat limited sampler of his recording career. -- AllMusicReview by Mark Deming

Wink The Other Eye : Old Time Fiddle Band Music From Kentucky Vol. 1

Rare Classic Recordings from the 1920's & 30's

Morning Star Records – 45003

Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1980
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country, Old Time
[Tracklist]
A1 Gate To Go Through: Jimmie Johnson's String Band
A2 Wink The Other Eye: Hack's String Band
A3 Soldier's Joy: Taylor's Kentucky Boys
A4 Richmond Blues: Rutherford And Foster
A5 Soap In The Washpan: Jimmie Johnson's String Band
A6 Monroe County Quickstep: Rutherford And Foster
A7 Gray Eagle: Taylor's Kentucky Boys
B1 Cumberland Gap: Rutherford, Burnett And Moore
B2 B-Flat Rag: Madisonville String Band
B3 Old Blind Dog: Jimmie Johnson's String Band
B4 Let Her Go I'll Meet Her: Rutherford And Foster
B5 Washington Quadrille: Jimmie Johnson's String Band
B6 Pretty Little Girl: Hack's String Band
B7 Forked Deer: Taylor's Kentucky Boys
[Credits]
Producers: Guthrie T. Meade and Richard Nevins, Designer: Anita Karl, Illustrator: Robert Crumb
[Notes]
This LP was issued in 1980 by Morning Star Records, a short-lived record company owned by Richard Nevins, who would continue Nick Perls' work with Yazoo Records a few years after. It's a superb compilation of 78rpm records of Kentucky string bands made in the 1920's and 1930's for Gennett. Like Nevins said: "As the Mississippi Delta is to Blues, Kentucky is to fiddle music, banjo playing, and classic old ballads and songs". The emphasis here is on string band music, with a few songs included as well. The Gennett 78 records are famous for their bad quality pressing and it shows here with lots of surface noise and scratchs. But the music is excellent all the way through, especially the fiddle playing on the dance numbers, with great fiddlers like Doc Roberts, Leonard Rutherford, Andy Palmer or Jim Booker. Booker was the only black fiddler who recorded with a hillbilly string band (Taylor's Kentucky Band) back then but many of this white Kentucky musicians talked about black fiddlers who were sharing the same repertoire of old-time tunes in the region.

Woody Guthrie's Songs to Grow On Sung by Jack Elliott

Folkways Records – FC 7501

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono
Country: US
Released: 1961
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Children
[Tracklist]
A1 Jig Along Home (2:37)
A2 Car Song (1:54)
A3 Swimmy Swim (2:03)
A4 Don't You Push Me Down (2:03)
A5 Why, Oh Why? (3:20)
A6 Put Your Finger in the Air (3:18)
A7 Wake Up (3:55)
B1 Pretty and Shiny-O (1:12)
B2 Clean-O (2:37)
B3 Pick it Up (2:32)
B4 Dance Around (1:45)
B5 Howdido (1:26)
B6 My Little Seed (2:44)
B7 Build a House (2:09)
B8 Needle Song (2:10)
B9 We All Work Together (2:46)
[Credits]
Ramblin' Jack Elliott (guitar/harmonica/vocals)
Liner Notes: Woody Guthrie, Designer: Moses Asch
[Notes]
Today, many people are only aware of Woody Guthrie's songs for adults, such as "This Land Is Your Land," but Guthrie (1912–1967) was also a successful and prolific composer of songs for children. Filled with whimsy and enthusiasm, dealing with events in the lives of young children, the songs are as much fun to sing today as they were fifty years ago. Perhaps no performer, other than Guthrie himself, is as well qualified to sing these songs (intended primarily for children ages four to six) as Ramblin' Jack Elliott (born 1931). He lived for a time in the Guthrie household and so perfected Guthrie's style that Guthrie is supposed to have exclaimed, "Jack sounds more like me than I do!"

Honor the Earth Powwow: Songs of the Great Lakes Indians

Rykodisc – RCD 10199

Series: The World
Format: CD
Country: US
Released: 1991
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
01 Grand Entry Song: Little Otter Singers (4:20)
02 Intertribal Dance Song: LCO Soldiers' Drum (4:51)
03 We're The People: Smokeytown Singers (9:43)
04 Sneak-Up Dance Song: Bad River Singers (2:47)
05 Winnebago Army Song: Winnebago Sons of Baraboo (4:45)
06 Intertribal Dance Song: Bear Claw Singers (5:46)
07 Ojibway Air Force Song: LCO Soldiers' Drum (3:04)
08 Intertribal Dance Song: Bad River Singers (5:44)
09 Intertribal Dance Song: Three Fires Society Drum (9:03)
10 Intertribal Dance Song: Little Otter Singers (4:14)
[Credits]
Producer: Mickey Har, Cover Artwork: Patrick Desjarlait, Recorders: Jens McVoy, Thomas Vennum, Ojibway and Menominee, Engineers: Jeff Sterling and Joe Gastwirt
[Notes}
The powwow has become an opportunity for North American tribes to gather together to honor the earth and its creator in celebratory drumming, dancing and song. The Honor The Earth Powwow, featuring the Ojibway, Menominee and Winnebago tribes, is characteristic in that its repertoire includes traditional song styles as well as new songs written in traditional style. Recorded in July 1990 by Mickey Hart and Dr. Thomas Vennum Jr., the music of the powwow consists of singers sitting in a circle in a drum arbor, beating on a single drum, and singing in high-pitched voices while elaborately-costumed dancers move clockwise around them. Among the album’s new songs is "Ojibway Air Force Song," a song that came to an Ojibway tribe member in his sleep and was composed for his son who was serving overseas in the United States Air Force. Honor The Earth Powwow: Songs of the Great Lakes Indians was originally released as part of "THE WORLD" series (now part of the Mickey Hart Collection made available by Smithsonian Folkways).

Blues Harp: An Instruction Method for Playing the Blues Harmonica by Tony "Little Sun" Glover

Folkways Records – FM 8358

Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: US
Released: 1965
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Blues Harmonica
[Tracklist]
A1 Tone Layout (2:23)
A2 Single Note Exercises (3:03)
A3 1st and 2nd Position- Explanation and Examples (5:08)
A4 Cross Harp (5:42)
A5 Simple Rhythm Exercise (2:56)
A6 More Complex Rhythm Exercise (2:18)
A7 12-bar Rhythm Exercise (2:15)
B1 Varying Rhythms, Tonal Effects (5:26)
B2 Bending Notes (4:04)
B3 Transitional Bends, 10-bar Exercise (3:58)
B4 3rd Position - Explanation and Examples (3:55)
B5 4th Position - Explanation and Examples (3:28)
B6 Combined Effects - Two Examples (2:18)
[Credits]
Tony Glover (harmonica) Linus Blato (guitar)
Designer: Ronald Clyne, Photographer: David Gahr, Recorder: Gary Glover
[Notes]
Tony "Little Sun" Glover was a Minneapolis-born harmonica player and singer, most notably associated with guitarists "Spider" John Koerner and Dave "Snaker" Ray during the folk revival in the early 1960s. Glover performed with Ray until the latter's death in 2002, and he still performs with Koerner on occasion. This session, recorded in 1965, is an introduction to the basics of playing blues harmonica. Glover stresses that the student should first listen to a wide range of players before attempting to play. The liner notes cover the recorded material in greater depth, as well as a discography of Glover's favorite blues harp recordings.

Music of Coal: Mining Songs from the Appalachian Coalfields

Lonesome Pine Records & Publishing

Format: 2 x CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2007
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Blues, Folk, Bluegrass, Country
[Disc One}
01 Down in a Coal Mine: Edison Concert Band (01:21)
02 Mining Camp Blues: Trixie Smith (02:55)
03 Sprinkle Coal Dust on My Grave: Orville J. Jenks (02:41)
04 Coal Miner's Blues: The Carter Family (03:01)
05 Hard Times in Coleman's Mine: Aunt Molly Jackson (02:34)
06 He's Only a Miner Killed in the Ground: Ted Chestnut (02:32)
07 Coal Black Mining Blues: Nimrod Workman (01:12)
08 '31 Depression Blues: Ed Sturgill (02:45)
09 Prayer of a Miner's Child: Dock Boggs 01:47)
10 That Twenty-Five Cents You Paid: Sarah Ogan Gunning (02:21)
11 The L & N Don't Stop Here Anymore: Jean Ritchie (03:10)
12 Dark as a Dungeon: Merle Travis (01:54)
13 Come All You Coal Miners: Reel World String Band (02:20)
14 My Sweetheart's the Mule in the Mines: Mike Kline (00:21)
15 Thirty Inch Coal: Hobo Jack Adkins (02:34)
16 Blakc Waters:Jim Ringer (03:34)
17 Roof Boltin' Daddy: Gene Carpenter (02:25)
18 Dream of a Miner's Child: Carter Stanley (02:42)
19 Coal Miner's Boogie: George Davis (02:55)
20 The Yablonski Murder: Hazel Dickens (02:57)
21 What Are We Gonna Do?: Dorothy Myles (03:01)
22 Explosion at Derby Mine: Charlie Maggard (04:03)
23 Blind Fiddler: Jim "Bud" Stanley (03:00)
24 Loadin' Coal: John Hutchinson (02:30)
25 Coal Town Saturday Night: Randall Hylton (03:04)
26 It's Been a Long Time: Roger Hall & Sonny Houston (03:38)
27 Fountain Filled with Blood: James Caudill (03:50)
[Disc Two}
01 West Viriginia Mine Disaster: Molly Stemp (02:49)
02 Union Man: Blue Highway (03:34)
03 Blue Diamond Mines: Robin & Linda Williams (04:43)
04 Set Yourself Free: Billy Gene Mullins (00:49)
05 Redneck War: Ron Short (05:18)
06 Sixteen Tons: Ned Beatty (02:30)
07 There Will Be No Black Lung (Up in Heaven): Rev. Joe Freeman (02:01)
08 Deep Mine Blues: Nick Stump (03:30)
09 I'm a Coal Mining Man: Tom T. Hall (02:24)
10 Dirty Black Coal: Kenny Davis 04:30)
11 Black Lung: AJ Roach (03:21)
12 Coal Dust Kisses: Suzanne Mumpower-Johnson (04:05)
13 Coal Tattoo: Dale Jett 04:07)
14 A Strip Miner's Life: Don Stanley & Middle Creek (03:00)
15 Daddy's Dinner Bucket: Ralph Stanley II (03:30)
16 In Those Mines: Valerie Smith (03:43)
17 Miner's Prayer: Ralph Stanley & Dwight Yoakam (03:08)
18 Dyin' to Make a Livin': W.V. Hill (03:38)
19 You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive: Darrell Scott (05:51)
20 They Can't Put It Back: Jack Wright (02:30)
21 Which Side Are You On?: Natalie Merchant (05:01)
[Credits]
Hobo Jack Adkins (guitar/vocals) Stanley Almon (keyboards) Louis Armstrong (cornet) Ned Beatty Primary (bass/vocals) Buster Bailey(clarinet) Wayne Benson (mandolin) Junior Blankenship (guitar) Dock Boggs (banjo/vocals) Robert Bowlin (guitar) Mike Bub (bass) Becky Buller (banjo/viola) Jason Burleson (banjo/guitar/vocals) Maybelle Carter (guitar/vocals) Sara Carter (guitar/vocals) James Caudill (vocals) Curley Ray Cline (fiddle) Dudley Connell (guitar) Jack Cooke (bass) Steve Cooley (banjo/bass/guitar/mandolin) Dub Cornett (vocals) Ronny Cox (guitar) Jeff D'Angelo (bass) Beverly D'Angelo (vocals) Aaron Davis (choir) George Davis (guitar/vocals) Kenny Davis (guitar/vocals) Vernon Derrick (fiddle) Hazel Dickens (vocals) Charlie Dixon (banjo) Edith Drake (guitar) Glen Duncan (fiddle) Dave Edwards (bass) Steve Edwards (fiddle) Chris Eldridge (guitar) Mark Fain (bass) Danny Ferrington (guitar) Jeffery Freeman (bass) Rev. Joe Freeman (guitar/vocals) Jimmy Gaudreau (mandolin/vocals) Gabriel Gordon (bass) Charlie Green (trombone) Sarah Ogan Gunning (vocals) Andy Hall (dobro) Roger Hall (banjo) Tom T. Hall (vocals) Glen Harlow (mandolin) Oscar Harris (mandolin) Fletcher Henderson (piano) W.V. Hill (vocals) Sonny Houston (guitar/vocals) John Hutchison (guitar/vocals) Randall Hylton (guitar/vocals) Judy Hyman (fiddle) Rob Ickes (dobro/vocals) Aunt Molly Jackson (vocals) Kevin Jackson (fiddle) Orville J. Jenks (guitar/vocals) Dale Jett (guitar/vocals) Teresa Jett (bass) Jamie Johnson (vocals) Frank Joines (guitar) Karen Jones (fiddle/vocals) Rev. Sandra Jones (vocals) John Kaparakis (guitar) Anthony Keyes (vocals) Dwight Yoakam (guitar/vocals) Mike Kline (guitar/vocals) Curley Lambert (mandolin) Jessica Lee (bass) Nimrod Workman (vocals) Graham Maby (guitar) Asa Martin (guitar) Sue Massek (banjo/vocals) Jimmy Mattingly (guitar/mandolin) Matt McElroy (banjo) Todd Meade (bass) Natalie Merchant (vocals) Allison Miller (drums) James Price (fiddle) Denny Rice (piano) Chuck Rich (guitar)　John Rigsby (mandolin) Jim Ringer (guitar/vocals) Ralph Rinzler (mandolin) Jean Ritchie (guitar/vocals) Fiddlin' Doc Roberts (fiddle) Sharon Ruble (bass) Darrell Scott (guitar/vocals) Mike Seeger (bass/guitar) James Alan Shelton (guitar) Bob Siggins (banjo) Bill Airey Smith (bass/vocals) Trixie Smith (vocals) Valerie Smith (vocals) Steve Sparkman (banjo) Tim Stafford (guitar/vocals) Art Stamper (fiddle) Carter Stanley (guitar/vocals) Don Stanley (guitar/vocals) Ralph Stanley (banjo/ocals) Richie Stearns (banjo) Nick Stump (guitar/vocals) Ernie Thacker (mandolin) Chuck Tipton (guitar) Merle Travis (guitar/vocals) Jim Watson (bass/vocals) Aaron Williams (mandolin) Linda Williams (banjo/vocals)
Producer: Charles R. Freeland, Alan Maggard and Paul Kuczko, Photographers: John Cohen, Gene DuBey, Kenny Fannon, Jim Gibson, Trula M. Goostree, David Holt, Helen Lewis, Russell Lee, Earl Palmer, Earl Dotte and Doug Yarrow, Engineers: Paula Wolak, David Castle, George Cowan, Jeff Kiser, Doug Dorschug, George Korson, Jim Price, Todd Vos, Sandy & Caroline Paton
[Notes]
Music of Coal: Mining Songs from the Appalachian Coalfields is a 70-page book and two CD compilation of old and new music from southern Appalachian coalfields. The project was produced by Jack Wright and is a benefit for the Lonesome Pine Office on Youth in Wise County, Virginia. The songs included cover a range of topics related to coal culture such as mining accidents and black lung disease. Some of the artists are natives of the U.S. coal mining region while others have less direct ties. Both vintage recordings and contemporary music have been combined with detailed liner notes giving context to both the songs and the artists. Musicologist Archie Green adds a "Sanctus" note to Wright's "Introduction." In the preliminary round of nominations for the 50th Grammy Awards the boxed set was under consideration for a number of awards, including, Best Recording Package, Best Liner Notes and Best Historical Album. The compilation did not, however, make it the final round of nominees.

Rural Blues: A Study of the Vocal and Instrumental Resources

RBF Records – RF202

Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1960
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country Blues
[Tracklist]
A1 I Can't Stand It: Will Shade
A2 Shelby County Work House Blues: Hambone Willie Newbern
A3 From Four Until Late: Robert Johnson
A4 You Can Leave, Baby: Furry Lewis
A5 Milk Cow Blues: Kokomo Blues
A6 Roberta Blues: L'il Son Jackson
A7 Thousand Woman Blues: Blind Boy Fuller
A8 If I Get Lucky: Arthur Crudup
A9 Down the Highway: Charlie Pickett
B1 Milk Cow Blues: Kokomo Blues
B2 Take Your Burden to the Lord: Blind Willie Johnson
B3 New Highway 51: Tommy McClennan
B4 Mama T'ain't Long Fo' Day: Blind Willie McTell
B5 Take Your Fingers Off It: Charlie Burse
B6 My Wife Drove Me From My Door: Charley Lincoln
B7 Skin Game Blues: Peg Leg Howell
B8 Goin' Back To Florida: Lightnin' Hopkins
B9 Standing at the Crossroads: Robert Johnson
C1 One Kind Favor: Lightnin' Hopkins
C2 Nobody's Fault But Mine: Blind Willie Johnson
C3 Warm Up: Furry Lewis
C4 Bukka's Jitterbug Swing: Bukka White
C5 Coal Man Blues: Peg Leg Howell
C6 Southern Can Mama: Blind Willie McTell
C7 Airy Man Blues: Papa Charlie Jackson
C8 Little Cow and Calf is Gonna Die Blues: Skip James
C9 New How Long How Long Blues: Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell
D1 Harmonica Stomp: Sonny Terry, Oh Red, and Blind Boy Fuller
D2 Shiney Town Blues: Frank Stokes
D3 Trouble in Mind: Virgil Perkins
D4 Mean Old Frisco: Arthur Crudup
D5 Sporting Life Blues: Brownie McGhee
D6 Solo: Virgil Perkins
D7 Tippin' Round: Charlie Burse
D8 Mama Don't Low It: Ham Gravy and Washboard Sam
D9 Key to the Highway: Moochie Reeves
[Credits]
Producer and Liner Notes: Samuel B. Charters, Designner: Ronald Clyne, Photographer: Ann Charters
[Notes]
Taken from unreleased recordings, previous Folkways releases, and early blues recordings, this two-disc set offers an introduction to the vocal styles, ornamentation, and instrumentation of this "highly personal, expressive idiom." Copious liner notes by Samuel B. Charters accompany the musical material.

The Cherry Tree: Alice Gerrard & Beverly Smith

Not On Label

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2013
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Appalachian Music
[Tracklist]
01 Little Pink (3:02)
02 I'm Just Here To Get My Baby Out Of Jail (3:09)
03 Who's That Knocking At My Window? (3:07)
04 Lonesome John (2:12)
05 Voices Of Evening (3:30)
06 Oh Take Me Back (2:45)
07 The Cherry Tree Carol (3:22)
08 Buffalo Gals (2:52)
09 Remember Me (When The Candlelights Are Gleaming) (4:05)
10 Get Up And Do Right (2:19)
11 Jealous Hearted Me (2:17)
12 Little Gal'll Fool Me (2:42)
13 The More I See Of These Cowboys (3:06)
14 I Wish I Was A Single Girl Again (2:18)
15 Go In And Out The Window (3:03)
16 Who Will Shelter My Sheep (3:05)
[Credits]
Alice Gerrard (banjo/guitar/vocals) Beverly Smith (fiddle/mandolin/vocals)
Producer: Alice Gerrard and Beverly Smith, Recorder: John Grimm, Photgrapher: by John Grim
[Notes]
Two of the most respected musicians in old-time music, Alice Gerrard and Beverly Smith, have come together to created a seamless blend of duet harmonies in a wonderful collection of songs and tunes—some old, some new—on banjo, fiddle, mandolin, and guitar.

Norman Blake: Day by Day

Plectrafone Records - PLECT005155

Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: October 22, 2021
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
1 When the Roses Bloom (4:03)
2 Just Tell Them That You Saw Me (2:38)
3 I’m Free Again (3:36)
4 Old Joe's March (2:38)
5 Montcalm and Wolfe (6:25)
6 Three Leaves of Shamrock (3:28)
7 Time (2:54)
8 The Dying Cowboy (3:55)
9 My Home's Across the Blue Ridge Mountains (4:39) [Credits]
Norman Blake (guitar/banjo/vocals) Nancy Blake (cello) James Bryan (fiddle) Joel McCormick (guitar/vocals) David Hammonds (vocals)
Liner Notes: Jeff Place, Producer: Norman Blake, Executive producer: Scott O’Malley, Recorder: David Hammonds, Mastering assistant: Ray Gressett, Creative Consultant: Dom Flemons, Photographer: Christi Carrolle
[Notes]
Guitarist Norman Blake is one of the unsung heroes of 20th-century folk music. With nine Grammy nominations and several dozen albums under his own name and with his wife Nancy Blake, his long and storied career includes stints with Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson, features on Bob Dylan’s Nashville Skyline, and performances on the seminal O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack. Day By Day is a collection of single-take recordings of original and traditional tunes, ranging from solo guitar and five-string banjo to ensemble performances with The Rising Fawn String Ensemble, show Blake reaching back to the roots of country and old-time music. It is a rich, poignant send-off to one of folk music’s most enduring voices.