Release Date: July 22, 2003.
Recording Time: 58 minutes.
Recording Date: March 10, 1927 - February 5, 1939.
Release Info: CD, Compilation, CO-CD-3528.
The blues was a major influence on musicians in the southern mountains on either side of the Great Depression, and combined with the European-influenced modal styles of Appalachian banjo players and fiddlers, the result was a sort of early template for modern country music. It's an awfully short leap from the players presented on Old Time Mountain Blues, all of whom released commercial 78s between 1927 and 1939, and the slightly smoother blues yodels of Jimmie Rodgers, and the hop from Rodgers to Hank Williams and the dawn of modern country music is so clear as to seem inevitable. Among the revelations here are Sam McGee's "Railroad Blues," Dock Boggs' spooky blues banjo on "Down South Blues," and the accomplished slide guitar work of Frank Hutchison (on "Cannonball Blues") and Jimmie Tarlton (on "Careless Love"). There are some fiddle and string band pieces presented here as well, making this a nice introduction to a seldom recognized aspect of Appalachian music. ~ Steve Leggett
Credits: Artwork By (Hand Tinting Of Cover Photo) - Barbara Dersch; Design, Layout - Lynch Graphics; Remastered By (Digital Remastering) - Robert Vosgien; Remastered By, Coordinator - Christopher C. King.
Tracklist:
- 01. Railroad Blues - Sam McGee
- 02. Brown Skin Blues - Dick Justice
- 03. Down South Blues - "Dock" Boggs
- 04. Cumberland Blues - Fiddling Doc Roberts Trio
- 05. Cannonball Blues - Frank Hutchison
- 06. Left All Alone Again Blues - Lowe Stokes & His North Georgians
- 07. New Carroll County Blues No. 1 - Narmour & Smith
- 08. Match Box Blues - Larry Hensley
- 09. Troubled Minded Blues - Cliff Carlisle
- 10. Leake County Blues - Leake County Revelers
- 11. K. C. Whistle Blues - Lester McFarland
- 12. Side Line Blues - Gwen Foster
- 13. My Trouble Blues - Byrd Moore & Jess Johnston
- 14. Easy Rider - Sam McGee
- 15. Careless Love - Jimmie Tarlton
- 16. Cannon Ball Rag - David Miller
- 17. Curly Headed Woman - Burnett & Rutherford
- 18. Bibb County Grind - South Georgia Highballers
- 19. Johnson City Blues - Clarence Green