watercarving - Posted - 01/23/2022:  05:31:04

I come from a bluegrass background. I like OT fiddle tunes but I also want to grow my understanding of OT songs. What are your favorite albums in this area? Which albums really define the genre?

I would be interested in older albums and newer ones. Would be very interesting to hear how OT songs have been interpreted by a new generation of players.

Thank you,

John Call

Nic Pennsylvania - Posted - 01/23/2022:  06:10:09

There's a record by Fleming Brown, mostly vocal tunes. Really great. I would recommend checking out the Field Recorders Collective for more examples.

banjered - Posted - 01/23/2022:  07:29:05

Great album by Michael Clooney. Debbie Mc Clatchey. banjered

JeroenJ - Posted - 01/23/2022:  09:14:43

I think "Songs from the Mountain" from John Herrmann, Tim O'Brien and Dirk Powell is a great album to dip a toe in old time music.

Edited by - JeroenJ on 01/23/2022 09:15:16

carlb - Posted - 01/23/2022:  09:54:47

Growing up, I had a Harry and Jeannie West album. Also, heard Jean Ritchie, George Pegram, Roscoe Holcomb, and others.

Bill Rogers - Posted - 01/23/2022:  11:03:18

The CDs by Big Medicine—Their singing is probably the best of any old-time band.

youtube.com/watch?v=pri3rzfUxT0

UncleClawhammer - Posted - 01/23/2022:  11:56:58

Singing is a huge part of old-time music, and I'm glad to see you're interested in it when so many old-time revivalists and enthusiasts neglect it.



Check out



Texas Gladden

Jean Ritchie

Almeda Riddle

Roscoe Holcomb

The (original) Carter Family

Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerard (separately or together)

Ginny Hawker and Kay Justice



Recommended albums - to the best of my knowledge these should all be available on CD or digitally:



Mountain Music of Kentucky - includes recordings by Roscoe Holcomb (his first), a couple of church congregations, and unaccompanied ballad singing by Martha Hall, who was a source for Jean Ritchie. Also some great fiddle and banjo playing.



Doug & Jack Wallin - Family Songs & Stories From the North Carolina Mountains



Dark Holler: Old Love Songs and Ballads. Features several singers, mostly from the Sodom, NC area, including the great Dillard Chandler.

Practically anything by the New Lost City Ramblers. Even most of the tracks on their Stringband Instrumentals album have some singing.



Carolina Chocolate Drops - Leaving Eden and Genuine Negro Jig

Edited by - UncleClawhammer on 01/23/2022 12:10:35

Emiel - Posted - 01/23/2022:  12:56:54

My favorite is and has always been this one (Art Rosenbaum: Art of the Mountain Banjo; both singing and instrumental):

Edited by - Emiel on 01/23/2022 13:00:00

Dan Gellert - Posted - 01/24/2022:  11:44:31

Tom Ashley, Doc Watson, et al on various Folkways albums.
Frank Proffitt
Dock Boggs
Banjer Bill Cornett
Alfred Karnes

R.D. Lunceford - Posted - 01/24/2022:  13:21:46

Tom, Brad, and Alice.

Also Cary Fridley with the Freighthoppers

Hunter Robertson - Posted - 01/24/2022:  15:22:54

Hobart Smith
Bascom Lamar Lunsford
The Warner Collections on Appleseed
The Beech Mountain collections on Folk Legacy
The four Far in the Mountains collections from Mustrad
I.D. Stamper

banjered - Posted - 01/24/2022:  17:53:16

Ditto Frank Proffitt, what a great folk voice he had that fitted so well with his playing. banjered

Paul R - Posted - 01/25/2022:  13:55:25

The three albums by the Highwoods String Band, if you can find them (I unfortunately don't have mine any more - any info would be appreciated). They did a lot of singing, often on more novelty-type songs ("Who Broke the Lock", for example).

The New Lost City Ramblers can be found at Smithsonian Folkways. I don't know if it can still be done, but I was able to download the liner notes to every original album.

Rounder Records was a great source of material back in the day. They had source material in their historic series, as well as OT - and Bluegrass material that would suit OT. I think George Pegram was the first Rounder album. Flying Fish had some good stuff, too.

banjo bill-e - Posted - 01/25/2022:  14:29:26

I really enjoyed the Black Dog album by The Stillhouse Rounders for vocal versions of old time songs. But it's out of print and hard to find now.

amsweet - Posted - 01/27/2022:  04:40:55

Ola Belle Reed's Rising Sun Melodies from Smithsonian Folkways is always a good listen.

wrench13 - Posted - 01/27/2022:  04:52:59

Another vote for Highwoods String Band. The vocals are oK, depending on who is singing, but instrumentally - these are the guys that got me into old time. I had the privilege of opening for them back in the '70's and later to jam with them. They injected a special something into old time music and are responsible for many musicians going into that genre, including me. A lot of their music is on Youtube now.

Clifton Hicks - Posted - 02/19/2022:  04:36:11

quote:

---

Originally posted by watercarving

I come from a bluegrass background. I like OT fiddle tunes but I also want to grow my understanding of OT songs. What are your favorite albums in this area? Which albums really define the genre?



I would be interested in older albums and newer ones. Would be very interesting to hear how OT songs have been interpreted by a new generation of players.



Thank you,



John Call

---

The closest I've found to definitive albums are "Last Possum Up the Tree" by George Gibson

juneappalrecordings.bandcamp.c...-the-tree

... and "Black Banjo Songsters of North Carolina and Virginia"

ncfolk.org/product/black-banjo...virginia/

Here are some other banjo songsters to research:

Rufus Crisp

John Snipes



Virgil Anderson



Mabel Cawthorn

Dink Roberts



Retta Spradlin

Morgan Sexton



Lee Sexton



John Haywood



Jack Helton



Ed Teague



Lawrence Eller

John Jackson

Nora Brown

Matthew Govig



Jerron Paxton



...

Edited by - Clifton Hicks on 02/19/2022 04:41:42

H Kimball - Posted - 02/21/2022:  05:56:16

Original Folkways Recordings - Doc Watson and Clarence Ashley

banjopaolo - Posted - 02/21/2022:  10:35:26

Hobart Smith