September 30, 2016

String Band Instrumentals: The New Lost City Ramblers

Folkways Records FA-2492

Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: US
Released: 1964
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass, Folk
[Tracklist]
A1 Saddle Up The Grey (1:57)
A2 Greenback Dollar (2:42)
A3 Victory Rag (2:04)
A4 Soldier's Joy (2:16)
A5 Blackeyed Susie (1:54)
A6 My Wife Died On Saturday Night (2:20)
A7 John Brown's Dream (2:26)
A8 Johnny On The Railroad (2:04)
A9 Take Me Back To Georgia (1:34)
A10 Chinese Breakdown (2:24)
B1 Yellow Rose Of Texas (2:35)
B2 Cowboy Waltz (1:52)
B3 Stone's Rag (2:06)
B4 Smoketown Strut (2:18)
B5 Jackson Stomp (2:32)
B6 Going To Jail (1:43)
B7 Bill Cheatham (2:37)
B8 Shout Lulu (2:05)
B9 Weary Lonesome Blues (2:51)
B10 New Lost Train Blues (2:39)
B11 New Camptown Races (2:22)
[Credits]
Mike Seeger (fiddle/guitar/banjo/autoharp/mandolin/harmonica/vocals) John Cohen (guitar/banjo/mandolin/banjo-mandolin/vocals) Tracy Schwarz (fiddle/banjo/guitar)
[Notes]
Recorded May 12 and 13, 1964 by Peter Bartok at the Requit Library Auditorium.

September 29, 2016

Norman Blake: Directions

Takoma D-1064

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1978
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass, Folk
[Tracklist]
A1 Blue Ridge Mountain Blues (2:44)
A2 Thebes (4:39)
A3 The L&N Don't Stop Here Anymore (4:22)
A4 A4 Loch Lavan Castle, Santa Ana's Retreat, Cattle In The Cane (4:15)
A5 Poor Ellen Smith (3:20)
B1 Uncle Sam (4:00)
B2 Ice On The Road (2:40)
B3 Rake And The Rambling Blade (3:05)
B4 High Dad In The Morning (2:35)
B5 Father's Hall (2:30)
B6 White Horse Breakdown (2:15)
B7 '76 Blues + 2 (2:55)
[Credits]
Norman Blake (guitar/mandolin/fiddle/vocals) Nancy Blake (cello/guitar/mandolin/vocals) Miles Anderson (trombone/trumpet/horn)
Arranger: Joseph Byrd (tracks: B1), Designer: Charlie Mitchell, Jon Monday & Ron Johnson, Photographer: Rick Dugan, Engineer: George Belle
[Notes]
As with most of Norman Blake's records, unassuming, easy going charm and virtuoso. The songs on this record have a definite mountain feel to it. Simple elegant melodies played in an understated way that draws you in. Highly recommended for those who those who like music that evokes past times. -- Henk Van Der Beek

September 22, 2016

The New Lost City Ramblers Volume 5

Folkways Records FA-2395

Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: US
Released: 1963
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass, Folk
[Tracklist]
A1 Old Joe Clark
A2 Old Molly Hair
A3 Nick Nack Song
A4 Country Blues
A5 True And Trembling Brakeman
A6 When I'm Gone
A7 If I Lose You, I Don't Care
A8 Sail Away Ladies
B1 Diamond Joe
B2 Rambling Boy
B3 Why Do You Bob Your Hair
B4 I'll Tell You What I Saw Last Night
B5 Road To Austin
B6 Johnson City Blues
B7 Bold Jack Donahue
B8 Bill Morgan And His Gal
B9 John Henry
[Credits]
Mike Seeger (vocals/fiddle/guitar/autoharp/harmonica/dobro) Tom Paley (vocals/banjo/guitar) John Cohen (vocals/banjo/guitar/autoharp)
Liner Notes: Pete Welding, Photography: Robert Frank

September 13, 2016

Old & In The Way

Round Records RX 103

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue
Country: US
Released: 01 Jan 1975
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
A1 Pig In A Pen
A2 Midnight Moonlight
A3 Old And In The Way
A4 Konckin On Your Door
A5 The Hobo Song
B1 Panama Red
B2 Wild Horses
B3 Kissimmee Kid
B4 White Dove
B5 Land of The Navajo
[Credits]
Jerry Garcia (vocals/banjo) Peter Rowan (vocals/guitar) David Grisman (vocals/mandolin) Vassar Clements (fiddle) John Kahn (bass)
Produced by: David Grisman, Artwork: Greg Irons
[Notes]
The first release from Jerry Garcia's short-lived backcountry bluegrass act was this 1973 recording that also highlighted the amazing skills of mandolin player David Grisman. The quintet actually released only this record, recorded at a series of performances in 1973, but the sound caught on with Grateful Dead fans and the record actually built up the group's legacy long after they disbanded. The songs themselves, mostly penned by guitarist Peter Rowan and Grisman as well as a handful of traditional numbers and even a revamped version of the Rolling Stones' classic "Wild Horses," are delivered with the sincere reverence of true bluegrass fanatics. Soaring multi-part harmonies; fiddle, guitar, banjo, bass, and mandolin lines that seamlessly intertwine with a good-time feel; and exceptionally solid musicianship round out the ten-track effort. Fans of the Grateful Dead's jolly throwback tunes should already have this in their collection, but even those put off by the member's psychedelic resumés will find that Old & in the Way is nothing of the sort. This is the sound of purists re-creating the music they grew up with and it's both enjoyable and inspiring to listen to. Like American Beauty and Workingman's Dead, this record showcases Garcia going back to his roots, and it shows that he and his buddies have more than the chops required to live up to their legend. -- AllMusic Review by Peter J. D'Angelo

September 12, 2016

The New Lost City Ramblers Vol. 4

Folkways Records FA-2399

Format: Vinyl, Album, LP
Country: US
Released: 1961
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A1 Run Mountain
A2 Take Me Back To The Sweet Sunny South
A3 Black Jack David
A4 Carter Blues
A5 The Coo Coo Bird
A6 Molly Put The Kettle On
A7 Have A Feast Here Tonight
A8 Crow Black Chicken
B1 Cindy
B2 Billy Grimes, The Mover
B3 Frankie Silver
B4 Stackerlee
B5 Dollar's All I Crave
B6 Keno, The Rent Man
B7 The Miller's Will
B8 The Story That The Crow Told Me
[Credits]
Tom Paley (vocals/banjo/guitar) Mike Seeger (vocals/fiddle/banjo/autoharp/mandolin) John Cohen (vocals/guitar/banjo)
Recorded by: Peter Bartok, Cover Photo: Robert Frank, Design: John Cohen

September 3, 2016

African American a Capella Sacred Music from Delaware and Maryland


Event Date: 2012/08/23 Running Time: 59 minutes

Singing & Praying Band
The Singing and Praying Bands of Delaware and Maryland (Eastern and Western Shore) belong to an African American devotional/musical tradition that is unique to the Delmarva region, probably the oldest living African American musical tradition in Delaware and Maryland. In the past, almost half of the Methodist churches around the Delaware and Chesapeake Bays had their own band. With origins in West African religion, Christianity, and African American ring shout traditions, Singing & Praying Bands developed during slavery. The ministry of the Singing & Praying Bands takes place in host churches, often at a camp meeting after an evening preaching service is over. Members line out a hymn, pray a prayer, and end with a spiritual in which the group forms a circle, marching counterclockwise out onto the church grounds. Since the 1950s, the bands have diminished in number, and the singers have consolidated into one large band comprised of fifty to a hundred active members from twenty to thirty different churches. They come together most Sundays in the spring, summer, and fall, at a different church each week, and hold service there, keeping this tradition alive.

The Library of Congress
For transcript, captions, and more information, visit at the Library of Congress Webcast Site

September 1, 2016

The New Lost City Ramblers Vol. 3

Folkways Records FA-2398

Format: Vinyl, LP, Misprint
Country: US
Released: 1961
Genre:Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
A1 Black Mountain Rag (1:53)
A2 I'll Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms (3:00)
A3 Talking Hard Luck (2:42)
A4 Railroad Blues (2:45)
A5 Weave Room Blues (2:23)
A6 The Baltimore Fire (3:13)
A7 Willie, Poor Boy (2:57)
A8 Red Rocking Chair (2:25)
A9 Hold That Woodpile Down (2:53)
B1 Three Men Went A-Hunting (2:04)
B2 Johnson Boys (2:41)
B3 Hot Corn (3:25)
B4 Lady Of Carlisle (3:33)
B5 The Man Who Wrote "Home Sweet Home" Never Was A Married Man (3:11)
B6 Sal Got A Meatskin (3:26)
B7 My Long Journey Home (2:39)
B8 Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss (2:32)
B9 Hog Eye (1:49)
[Credits]
Mike Seeger (vocals/fiddle/guitar/banjo) Tom Paley (vocals/banjo/dobro/guitar/mandolin) John Cohen (vocals/guitar/banjo)