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By Jeff Eason
If you were one of the television viewers who enjoyed the recent
PBS four part documentary Appalachia: A History of Mountains
& People, you probably noticed that the film series utilized
authentic yet original recordings to help bring the mountains
into your living room.
Now those recordings are the basis of a new compilation album
Appalachia: Music from Home, released this month on the Lonesome
Records label. The 20 tracks on the album represent the wealth
of different music traditions that have come out of the Appalachian
Mountains for the past 200 years.
“It was our intent to demonstrate that at the heart of
Appalachia there is a very real and powerful ‘live music’
tradition,” said Ron Short, the producer of the new CD.
“I think it is fair to say that most of the Appalachian
music that is played is never recorded, but exists in a living
environment and is passed on through the oral tradition.”
Artists who lent their talents to the new CD include Ralph
Stanley, Blue Highway, Darrell Scott, Robin & Linda Williams,
the Clack Mountain String Band, Dock Boggs, Mitch Barrett, Carl
Martin and others.
The album opens with the television series orchestral prelude,
as performed by Kenton Coe and the University of Tennessee Symphony,
then presents a traditional Corn Dance chant performed by Seneca
singers and dancers.
Many of the cuts on the new album deftly show how settlers
from the British Isles brought their traditional styles of music
with them when the found new homes in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
“Haste to the Wedding,” “Pretty Saro” and
“Last of Callahan” can all trace their musical roots
back to the Old Country.
One of the highlights of the new CD is the traditional Scottish
love ballad “The Blackest Crow” as sung by 15 year
old Molly Slemp of Norton, Va.
“Molly is an ‘old-soul’ in a young person’s
body,” explained Short. “Her skills belie her age.
Her great gift is her voice, but her true talent is the emotional
interpretation and passion that she brings to each song she
sings.”
Slemp’s performance is enhanced by the wonderfully mournful
fiddling of Kevin Jackson.
Another highlight is the semi-original song “Banjo Clark,”
songwriter Darrell Scott’s unique take on the traditional
fiddle tune “Old Joe Clark.” Recorded from a live
performance at the Carter Family Fold in 2007, the song fairly
bristles with electricity, as guitarist Scott, bassist Matt
Mangano and fiddler Shad Cobb trade licks and thrill the audience.
Anyone familiar with bluegrass festivals will instantly recognize
the song “Roll On Buddy,” presented here by the Midnight
Ramblers.
“Roll On Buddy,” or “Nine Pound Hammer,”
is a song that has so many origins in folk music that it is
almost impossible to determine its true origins,” said
Short. “There is no doubt that the song was greatly popularized
by the singing of Merle Travis, who wrote two new verses. With
the magical power of the ‘music industry’ behind him,
he claimed ownership of the song, at least his version—nullifying
the contributions of all the earlier musicians who contributed
to the song’s lyrical and tune development.”
The album does a great job of tracing the region’s musical
history to its church singing roots, nowhere as clearly than
with Ralph Stanley’s a capella version of “Gloryland,”
sung with Dan and Judy Marshall.
“If there is such a thing as a living legend, Ralph Stanley
probably comes as close as any musician deserving that accolade,”
said Short. “From the time he started playing music with
his brother Carter in the forties, to this collaboration with
his grandson, Nathan, Ralph’s plaintive tenor voice has
never faltered, and his style has remained true throughout his
60-year history of playing music.
“For many people, hearing Ralph Stanley sing ‘Gloryland’
is as close to heaven as one can come here on this earth.”
Containing 20 tracks, Appalachia: Music from Home is available
at stores and through the Web site, www.lonesomerecords.org.
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