East Tennessee State University Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University ETSU Faculty Works Faculty Works 1-1-2017 Recording Review of Legends of Old-Time Music: Fifty Years of County Records Ted Olson East Tennessee State University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works Part of the Appalachian Studies Commons, and the Music Commons Citation Information Olson, Ted. 2017. Recording Review of Legends of Old-Time Music: Fifty Years of County Records. The Old-Time Herald. Vol.14(6). 38-39. ISSN: 1040-3582 This Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Faculty Works at Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in ETSU Faculty Works by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Recording Review of Legends of Old-Time Music: Fifty Years of County Records Copyright Statement © Ted Olson This review is available at Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University: https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/1171 Reviews Glen Smith: John Henry / Esker Hutchins: Kyle Creed and Bobby Patterson: Old Jim­ Cumberland Gap / Tommy Jarrell: When my Sutton / Delta Hicks: Man of Constant Sorrows Encompass Me Around / Oscar Sorrow / Will Keys: Snake Chapman's Legends of Old-Time Music: Wright: Kitty Kline / The Russell Family: Tune I Clark Kessinger: Durang's Horn­ Fifty Years of County Records Sail Away Ladies / Lily May Ledford: Red pipe / E. C. Ball and the Friendly Gospel lilwlE:II Rocking Chair / Ernest East and the Pine Singers: Standing on the Promises / Art Ridge Boys: Richmond / Fred Cockerham: Stamper: Old Horse and Buggy-O / Clyde Cumberland Gap / Esker Hutchins and Davenport: Coal Creek March / Virgil Shag Stanley: Puncheon Floor / H. 0. Anderson: You've Been Gone So Long Jenkins: Heaven's Light is Shining / Fred I Melvin Wine: Moon Behind the Hill / Cockerham: Lee County Blues / Lily May Dee Hicks: Shout Lulu / Hiram Stamper: Ledford: John Henry / Kyle Creed and Bob­ Brushy Fork of John's Creek / Clark Kes­ by Patterson: Sail Away Ladies singer: Poca River Blues / Clyde Troxell: Skipping Through the Frost and Snow Disc 3 I Clark Kessinger: Devil's Dream / Wade County 6001 John Ashby and the Free State Ramblers: John­ Ward and Glen Smith: Arkansas Traveler Disc 1 ny Don't Get Drunk / Matokie Slaughter: Wade Ward: June Apple / Fred Cockerham Big Eyed Rabbit / The Korn Kutters: Old In 1979 I spent the first of five consecutive and Kyle Creed: Stillhouse / Tommy Jarrell : Jake Gillie / Joe and Janette Carter: Will You summers working as a camp counselor As Time Draws Near / Camp Creek Boys: Miss Me / Grey Craig and the New North in the eastern panhandle of West Vir­ Susanna Gal / George Stoneman: Jimmy Carolina Ramblers: Flying Clouds / Glen ginia. That June, to get the camp ready Sutton / Otis Burris and the Mountain Smith: John Hardy / The Kimble Family: The for the arrival of campers, the camp staff Ramblers: Fortune / E. C. Ball and Blair Old Ark's A-Moving / Jim Willie Pruitt and cleaned the main lodge; deeming that Reedy: I Home Sweet Home / Fred Cock­ the New North Carolina Ramblers: Cleveland task to be drudgery, a dozen or so teen­ erham and Kyle Creed: Cluck Old Hen / is Elected / Joe and Janette Carter: Kitty and agers from Washington, DC, competed Benton Flippen and the Smokey Mountain I / Steve Ledford: Mitchell Blues / Matokie for control of the camp's stereo system, Boys: Pretty Little Girl / Gaither Carlton: Slaughter: Johnny's Gone to War / Dan Tate: and rock music (The Doors, Led Zeppe­ Charming Betsy / Wade Ward: Cripple Old True Love / The Kimble Family: Train lin) won out. But when it was my turn at Creek / E. C. Ball and the Friendly Gospel on .the Island / Grey Craig and the New the turntable, I played the only album in Singers: Way Down in My Soul / Kyle North Carolina Ramblers: Lynchburg Town the camp's record collection that featured Creed: Ducks on the Millpond / George / John Ashby and the Free State Ramblers: music native to that place. It was an al­ Stoneman: Sweet Boy's Tune / Willard Free State Hornpipe / Kyle Creed and Bobby bum by John Ashby, an acclaimed tradi­ Watson: Cousin Sally Brown / Fred Cock­ Patterson: Sourwood Mountain / Joe and tional fiddler from Warrenton, Virginia erham and Kyle Creed: Step-Back Cindy / Janette Carter: Anchored in Love / Beverly (located a little over an hour away from E. C. Ball and Blair Reedy: Peacock Rag / and Mildred Thompson: Little Brown Jug / the camp). Those fiddle tunes sounded Wade Ward: Hollyding / Eldridge Mont­ Steve Ledford: 99 Years / Leake Caudle and like they could have been from an earlier gomery: Old Wandering Boy / Kyle Creed Oscar Jenkins: Mississippi Sawyer / Joe and era, but the album jacket revealed that and Bobby Patterson: Alabama Gals / Janette Carter: Sweet Story of Old / Sidna the recordings were relatively recent. Gaither Carlton: Pretty Saro / Oscar Jen­ Myers: Twin Sisters / John Ashby and the Ashby's fiddling worked its magic on kins, Fred Cockerham and Shag Stanley: Free State Ramblers: Fox Chase Reel / The me and did something that all the mu­ Sweet Sunny South / Fred Cockerham: Kimble Family: Little Johnny's Gone to War sic on all the other albums played that Roustabout / Oscar Jenkins and Shag Stan­ / Steve Ledford: Big Eyed Rabbit / Matokie summer failed to do-it connected me ley: Dan Carter Waltz / Kyle Creed: Buster Slaughter: Arkansas Traveler / E. C. Ball and to the history and rhythms of that Ap­ Crouse's Tune / E. C. Ball and the Friendly the Friendly Gospel Singers: Take a Moment palachian locale. (Unbeknownst to me Gospel Singers: Troubles and Trials / Tom­ and Live / Grey Craig and the New North back in 1979, Ashby had died the month my Jarrell and Fred Cockerham: Fortune / Carolina Ramblers: Too Young to Marry before my discovery of his album. Ac­ Camp Creek Boys: June Apple cordingly, had the fiddler never recorded Disc 4 a commercial album, I never would have Disc 2 Clark Kessinger: Sally Ann Johnson / Will heard his music.) Camp Creek Boys: Fortune / Tommy Jar­ Keys: The Wearing of the Green / Art The Ashby album was from County Re­ rell: Johnson Boys / Fred Cockerham: Little Stamper: Brushy Fork of John's Creek / cords, a label that primarily specialized Satchel / Ernest East and the Pine Ridge Virgil Anderson: Jenny Hang the Kettle in releasing new recordings that show­ Boys: Sally Ann / The Russell Family: Eb­ On / Clyde Davenport: Five Miles From cased the music of Southern and Central enezer / Lily May Ledford and Rosie Led­ Town I Otis Burris: Richmond / Lily May Appalachia. My previous exposure to ford: White Oak Mountain / Oscar Wright: Ledford and the Coon Creek Girls: Ain't Go­ recorded Appalachian music had been Jake Gillie / Tommy Jarrell: Greasy String ing to Work Tomorrow / Dee Hicks: Lost through listening to Folkways albums / Sidna and Fulton Myers: Shady Grove / Gander / Clark Kessinger: Three Forks of at the library near my childhood home Oscar Wright: Elkhorn Ridge / Oscar Jen­ Sandy / Virgil Anderson: Bed Bug Blues / in Washington, DC. I grew interested in kins and Fred Cockerham: Sally Ann / Lily Melvin Wine: Cold Frosty Morning / Will releases from County Records not only May Ledford: Wild Bill Jones / The Rus­ Keys: Chinquapin Hunting / Art Stamp­ because they included new recordings of sell Family: Old Suzanna/ Ernest East and er: Goodbye Girls, I'm Going to Boston traditional Appalachian music, but also the Pine Ridge Boys: Green Back Dollar / / Clyde Davenport: Old Mister Rabbit / because they balanced authenticity with 38 THE OLD-TIME HERALD WWW.OLDT!MEHERALD.ORG VOLUME 14, NUMBER 6 sonic quality. I soon obtained a number an exciting mix-tape, and each CD re­ Ready / Free Little Bird / Little Bonnie / of County albums, and my personal pan­ veals interesting juxtapositions between Wise String Orchestra: Yellow Dog Blues / theon of music heroes thereafter includ­ tracks from different performers and How Dry I Am / Railroad Bill / Real Es­ ed such old-time masters as Wade Ward, periods. That said, the accompanying tate Blues / Haskell Wolfenbarger: My Lit­ Fred Cockerham, Tommy Jarrell, and booklet provides biographical and ses­ tle Girl / Sailing Out on the Ocean / Leola Kyle Creed, all heard on County releases. sion information on each artist presented Manning: He Cares for Me / He Fans Me The instigator and shaper of County Re­ alphabetically, rendering it a bit of a chal­ I Ballard Cross: Old Black Crow in the cords was Dave Freeman, whose love for lenge to listen to the CDs while reading Hickory Nut Tree / My Poodle Dog Appalachian old-time music drew him the liner notes. to the region from his native New York The notes-featuring an introduction Disc 2 in the mid-1960s. Founding this label in by Kinney Rorrer, annotations by Ror­ Ballard Cross: The Wabash Cannon Ball / order to release new recordings by ag­ rer and Faurot, and fascinating essays by Lorrainna Ballard / Cal Davenport and ing but still immensely talented tradi­ Freeman, Nevins, Poss, and Fulcher-are His Gang: Double Eagle March / Broken tional musicians, Freeman collaborated very helpful (and Freeman's essay on Hearted Lover / Little Rosewood Casket with fellow old-time music enthusiasts "Galax and Mount Airy" is a particularly / Blue Ridge Mountain Blues / Ballard Charlie Faurot, Rich Nevins, Barry Poss, illuminating analysis of that rich culture Cross: Down Where the Swanee River Bobby Fulcher, and others, and this col­ area). There are a few omissions in the Flows / Won't You Waltz Home Sweet lective documented late-in-life perfor­ notes.