Various – Bluegrass – Historic Cuts – Independent Label Sides – 1951-1954 – 4 CD

Four CDs, 101 tracks, essential
Another wonderful collection of old time country music from JSP featuring four CDs with 101 tracks recorded between 1924 and 1927. This set is based around several collections of old timey reissues issued on 78s in the 40s and early LPs from the 50s and early 60s. Star of the show here is the superb Buell Kazee who is featured on 40 tracks recorded between 1927 and 1929 - his entire issued output. Kazee, who was a trained singer, accompanied himself on banjo and recorded seminal versions of songs like Butchers Boy/ East Virginia/ Lady Gay/ Wagoner's Lad/ The Moonshiner and others. This set also features tracks with guitar and violin accompaniment, some duets with Carson Robison and some gospel songs with Frank & James McCravy as The Blue Ridge Gospel Singers. Most of these tracks have been reissued on B.A.C.M. but it is great to have all these together in chronological order. There are also 22 tracks recorded between 1927 and 1931 by the fabulous Carolina Tar Heels. The Carolina Tarheels were a truly wonderful old time group active from around 1927 to 1932. Though there was some change in personnell most of the tracks here feature the trio of Dock Walsh/ banjo & vocal, Clarence Ashley/ guitar & vocal and Garley Foster or Gwen Foster/ guitar, harmonica & vocal. They perform a selection of traditional ballads, mountain songs, blues, religious, ragtime songs and more. Their performances are incredibly melodic and infectious and you'll find youself singing along and tapping your toes and you're sure to recognize some of the songs which have since become country standards. Their tracks include Bring Me A Leaf From the Sea/ The Bulldog Down In Sunny Tennessee/ When The Good Lord Sets You Free/ There's A Man Goin' Around Takin' names/ Roll On Boys/ Peg And Awl, etc. Although a number of these were previously reissued on Old Homestead the sound quality here is vastly superior. There are also tracks by Tar Heels members Garley Foster & Dock Walsh (as The Pine Mountain Boys) and Dock Walsh. Other artists include Nelstone's Hawaiians (a fine duo from Alabama featuring great steel guitar), Al Hopkins & His Buckle Busters (a wonderfully energetic string band who were one of the first string bands on record), the great pioneering ballad singer and collector Bascom Lamar Lunsford and others. Sound quality is generally superb and there are informative notes by Pat Harrison and full discographical data. If you love old time country music this is a must. (FS) 

Track Listing: 

CD1: Blue Ridge Label Sides 1951-1954
Larry Richardson & Happy Smith:- 1. Just Let Me Fall - 1:49   Happy Smith: 2. I'm Lonesome - 2:24   Dee Stone & His Virginia Mountain Boys: 3. Highway 220 - 2:54   4. Countin' the Days - 2:54   Jim Eanes & His Shennandoah Valley Boys: 5. Long Journey Home - 2:55   6. Returned from Missing In Action - 3:14   The Church Brothers & Their Blue Ridge Ramblers: 7. You're Still the Rose of My Heart - 2:33   Wade Mainer & The Mountaineers: 8. Three Nights In a Bar Room - 2:49   9. Blue Ridge Mountain Blues - 2:33   Dee Stone & His Virginia Mountain Boys: 10. Pilot Mountain Rag - 3:01   11. No Room In Your Life for Me Now - 2:58   I.W & Harold & The Carolina Neighbors: 12. I Won't Write Another Letter to You Darling - 2:29   Jimmy Janney & The Stoney Mountain Boys: 13. So Lonely for Mother and Dad - 2:37   Joe Franklin & His Mimosa Boys: 14. There'll Be No Wedding Bells for Me - 2:40   Bill Clifton And His Dixie Mountain Boys: 15. The Burglar Man - 2:05   16. A Flower Blooming In the Wildwood - 2:28   17. All the Good Times Are Past and Gone - 2:36   18. Wake Up Susan - 2:22   Betty Harper & The Black Mountain Boys: 19. Don’t That Moon Look So Lonesome - 2:39   20. I'm Lonesome Tonight - 2:37   The Church Brothers & Their Blue Ridge Ramblers: 21. An Angel With Blue Eyes - 2:51   22. When Jesus Calls You Home - 2:53   Jim Eanes & The Shenandoah Valley Boys: 23. A Sweeter Love Than Yours I'll Never Know - 2:50   24. Drunkard’s Highway - 2:36   Church Brothers & Their Blue Ridge Ramblers: 25. Way Down In Ole' Caroline - 2:22

CD2: Kentucky Label Sides 1950's
Red Allen: 1. Preaching & Praying - 2:51   2. Paul & Silas - 2:16   3. Boat of Love - 2:18   4. Bouquet in Heaven - 2:47   5. Mansions for Me - 2:17   6. White Dove - 2:52   7. Down in the Willow Garden - 2:23   8. Ho, Honey, Ho - 2:24   Virginia Trio (Jim & Jesse McReynolds): 9. Sing, Sing, Sing - 2:54   10. Let Me Travel Alone - 2:25   11. I'll Fly Away - 2:39   12. God Put a Rainbow in the Cloud - 2:53   Jim & Jesse McReynolds: 13. Are You Missing Me - 2:26   14. I'll Wash Your Love from My Heart - 2:27   Ray Anderson: 15. What Would the Profit Be? - 2:32   16. When the Saints Go Marching In - 2:45   Enos Johnson & Sonny Osborne: 17. River of Death - 2:21   18. I'll Meet You in Church Sunday Morning - 3:06   19. I'm on the Way to the Old Home - 2:46   20. Sugar Coated Love - 2:18   Sonny Osborne: 21. I'll Stay Around - 2:28   22. Letter from My Darling - 3:04   Renfro Family: 23. Where the Soul Never Dies - 2:15   24. Power in the Blood - 2:35   Billy Thomas: 25. Black Mountain Rag - 2:50

CD3: Folk Star / Mutual Labels 1950’s
Glen Neaves & The Grayson County Boys: 1. Black Mountain Rag - 2:37   2. Old Swinging Bridge - 2:28   Scotty And Tar Heel Ruby: 3. When We Say Goodbye - 3:15   Dee Stone With Ted Prillaman's Virgina Ramblers: 4. Square Dance Rag - 2:44   5. Answer to Little Pal - 2:48   Dee Stone & The Melody Hillbillies: 6. Mountain Swing - 2:41   7. Is There Any Harm to Dream - 2:44   8. Fiddler's Dream - 2:40   The Brammer Brothers & The Virginia Partners: 9. Tell Me Truly Little Darling - 2:26   10. Virginia Waltz - 2:49   Bowes Brothers: 11. Mother Won't Grow Old So Soon - 2:45   12. Stop Knocking on My Door - 2:41   The Rocky Mountain Boys: 13. The Church of God - 2:14   Fred Murphy & The Blue River Boys: 14. You'll Always Be My Blue-Eyed Darling - 2:50   15. I Want to Be Ready - 2:23   Dee Stone & His Melody Hillbillies: 16. I'm Lost Without You - 2:51   17. Heads You Win Tails I Lose - 2:38   Ronnie Knittel & Holston Valley Ramblers: 18. Holston Valley Breakdown - 2:51   19. I Can Thank My Lucky Stars - 2:26   John Reedy & His Stone Mountain Hillbillys: 20. Somebody Touched Me - 2:35   Carl Sauceman & His Green Valley Boys: 21. A White Cross Marks the Grave - 2:27   22. I'll Be an Angel Too - 2:41   Johnny & Jack: 23. Too Many Blues - 2:56   The Turner Brothers: 24. All Night Long - 2:59   Massey Family: 25. Piney Woods - 4:13

CD4: Various Labels 1950's
Henry Hudson & Jiggs Hibler: 1. 8th of January - 3:22   2. Cripple Creek - 3:16   Rainbow Valley Boys: 3. Culloeka - 2:06   4. Broken Hearts Mean Nothing to You - 2:56   Hughie & June: 5. Come Along to Glory - 2:03   6. Reunion Day in Heaven - 2:20   Dave Woolum & Noah Crase: 7. Single Girl, Married Girl - 2:47   8. I Ain't Gonna Let Her Do It Anymore - 2:45   Dave Woolum: 9. Maple on the Hill - 2:42   10. Rolling Stone - 2:38   Wilburn Curtis: 11. Thirty Pieces of Silver - 2:59   Hack Johnson & His Tennesseeans: 12. Home Sweet Home - 2:19   13. How About You Friend - 2:15   14. Gone Home - 2:57   15. Swanee River - 2:34   16. Crazy Banjo Medley - 2:37   Allen Shelton: 17. Allen's Dream - 2:17   18. Old Kentucky Home - 2:28   North Carolina Ridge Runners: 19. Orange Blossom Special - 3:05   Alex Campbell: 20. You Were Only Teasing Me - 3:00   Billy And Marly Reid: 21. The Bloom Has Left the Rose - 2:42   John And Bill Garay: 22. Little Girl Go Tell Your Mama - 2:23   23. Come Back Little Pal - 2:50   Ernest Martin: 24. Revelation 1:18 - 2:30 25. Sugar Coated Love - 2:50

Reviews:

1. AllMusic - Steve Leggett
This four-disc, 100-track box set goes beneath the surface of the bluegrass explosion of the 1950s. These rare sides, recorded for small, independent labels between 1951 and 1954, run the gamut from raw, energetic bursts of kinetic brilliance to sonic retreads of the major label efforts of bluegrass greats like Bill Monroe and Ralph Stanley. Included are sides from Drusilla Adams' Blue Ridge Records, Dee Stone's Mutual Records, the Cincinnati-based Kentucky Records and its subsidiary, Gateway Records, the vanity label Folk Star, and a whole host of indie imprints who only dabbled in bluegrass on occasion like Henlee, Excello, Excellent, BRC, Colonial, Security, Silverbell, Marlboro, Martin and BGS. The end result is a mixed bag of material, fascinating in its reach, but probably of only passing interest to most casual listeners. Those passionate about bluegrass, though, and willing to dive into the deep waters beyond the genre's name stars, will find a lot to love here.