| Song Listing |  |
Disc 1
| | Song Title | Sample | | 1. White House Blues - Earl Taylor/The Stoney Mountain Boys ~ Various Artists |  | | 2. Our Last Goodbye - The Johnson Mountain Boys ~ Various Artists | | | 3. When He Reached Down His Hand For Me - Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys ~ Various Artists | | | 4. Tiny Broken Heart, A - Hazel Dickens/Alice Gerrard ~ Various Artists | | | 5. New Camptown Races - Red Allen/Frank Wakefield/The Kentuckians ~ Various Artists | | | 6. Suzanne - Harley Allen Jr./Mike Lilly ~ Various Artists | | | 7. I Heard My Mother Call My Name In Prayer - The Nashville Grass ~ Various Artists | | | 8. Teardrops In My Eyes - The Friendly City Playboys ~ Various Artists | | | 9. Cumberland Gap - Snuffy Jenkins ~ Various Artists | | | 10. Live And Let Live - Red Allen/The Kentuckians ~ Various Artists | | | 11. World Is Waiting For The Sunrise, The - Roger Sprung/Doc Watson ~ Various Artists | | | 12. Hello City Limits - Hugh Moore ~ Various Artists | | | 13. Brown Mountain Light, (Legend Of The) - The Country Gentlemen ~ Various Artists | | | 14. Lonesome Road Blues - Roni Stoneman ~ Various Artists | | | 15. Train That Carried My Girl From Town, The - Doc Watson ~ Various Artists | | | 16. Little Girl And The Dreadful Snake - New Lost City Ramblers ~ Various Artists | | | 17. Little Birdie - The Stanley Brothers ~ Various Artists | | | 18. Rabbit In A Log - The Stanley Brothers ~ Various Artists | | | 19. Grey Eagle - David & Billie Ray Johnson ~ Various Artists | | | 20. Wayfaring Stranger - Cullen Gaylean/The Virginia Mountain Boys ~ Various Artists | | | 21. Billy In The Lowground - The Lonesome Strangers ~ Various Artists | | | 22. Rebel Girl, The - Hazel Dickens ~ Various Artists | | | 23. Train 45 - Smiley Hobbs ~ Various Artists | | | 24. Neath That Cold Grey Tomb Of Stone - The Lilly Brothers/Don Stover ~ Various Artists | | | 25. Get Up John - Bill Monroe/His Bluegrass Boys ~ Various Artists | |
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| | Album Notes and Credits |
Notes & Personnel Info |  | Compilation producers: Lee Michael Demsey, Jeff Place. | | Recorded between 156 & 1993. Includes liner notes by Lee Michael Demsey and Jeff Place. | | All tracks have been digitally remastered. | | Personnel: Harley Allen (vocals, guitar, mandolin); Curly Seckler, Doc Watson, Dudley Connell, Willis Spears, Sam Porky Hutchins, Hazel Dickens, Mac Wiseman, Red Allen, Bobby Harrison, Carter Stanley, Charlie Waller (vocals, guitar); Don Reno, Mike Lilly, Greg Allen, Hugh Moore, Walter Hensley, Kenny Ingram, Ralph Stanley, Tom Adams (vocals, banjo); David McLaughlin (vocals, mandolin, fiddle); Scott Adams, Charles Everett Lilly, John Duffey, Mike Seeger (vocals, mandolin); Eddie Stubbs, John Warren, Tracy Schwarz, Benny Martin (vocals, fiddle); Warren Pinnix (vocals); Billie Ray Johnson, Eugene Cox, Bea Lilly, Ira Dimmery, John Cohen, John Herald, Peter Rowan, Tom Morgan (guitar); David Johnson (steel guitar, fiddle); Gene Wooten, Ron Mesing (dobro); Don Stover, Eddie Adcock, Lamar Grier, Billy Edwards, Roger Sprung, Smiley Hobbs, Snuffy Jenkins, Bill Keith, Bob Yellin (banjo); Dane Bowers (mandolin, fiddle); David Grisman, Frank Wakefield, Curley Lambert, Pete Kuykendall (mandolin); Buddy Pendleton, Herb Hooven, Billy Baker, Vernon Derrick (fiddle); Bob Thomas (drums). | | Liner Note Authors: Lee Michael Demsey; Jeff Place. | | Recording information: University Of Chicago (02/05/1961-??/??/1992); Wolf Trap Farm Park, Vienna, VA (02/05/1961-??/??/1992); Woodlawn, VA (02/05/1961-??/??/1992). | | Editor: Carla Borden. | | Photographer: John Cohen. | | While bluegrass samplers are by no means rare, it's unusual to encounter one as well thought-out as this generous (and mid-priced) package from Smithsonian Folkways, the folk label known more for its ethnomusicological field recordings than its bluegrass albums. Cynics will point out that this collection comes hot on the heels of the success of the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? and its soundtrack, but they miss the point: if bluegrass becomes trendy for a while and the result is fine albums like this one that wouldn't otherwise have an audience, then everyone benefits. The artists on Classic Bluegrass From Smithsonian Folkways range from the obvious (Bill Monroe, the Country Gentlemen, Doc Watson, the Stanley Brothers) through the influential but obscure (Red Allen, the Lilly Brothers) to the just plain obscure (Smiley Hobbs, Hugh Moore, banjo innovator Roger Sprung), and the result is a thorough overview that offers as much musical satisfaction as scholarly edification. Many of the songs selected were recorded live, and those are among the best performances: the Johnson Mountain Boys deliver a bit of pitch-perfect high-lonesome heartbreak on "Our Last Goodbye," while the Friendly City Playboys kick things into high gear with the hard-edged "Teardrops in My Eyes." Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard illustrate an important thematic stream in bluegrass songwriting with their rendition of the horrifying "Tiny Broken Heart," and the Stanley Brothers reveal some of the roots of bluegrass with their performance of "Little Birdie" (on which Ralph Stanley plays banjo in the older "clawhammer" style). Highly recommended, especially to anyone looking for an introduction to the genre. ~ Rick Anderson |
| | Technical Info | | Release Date : 01/04/2005 | | Original Release Date : 2002 | | Catalog ID : 40092 | | Label : Smithsonian Folkways Recordings | | Number of Discs : 1 | | Studio/Live : Studio | | Mono/Stereo : Stereo | | SPAR Code : n/a | | UPC : 00093074009222 |
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| | Professional Reviews | | NAPRA Review (09-10/02, p.74)
- "...Characteristic vocal harmonies, intricate string embellishments, and steady, cyclical arrangements. All tracks offer timeless examples of how song documents culture..." |
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