VA ~ Music From the Lost Provinces: Old-Time String Bands from Ashe County, North Carolina & Vicinity, 1927-31 [Old Hat, 1997]

01. Train 45 - Grayson & Whitter
02. Nine Pound Hammer - Frank Blevins & His Tar Heel Rattlers
03. Last Gold Dollar ~ Ephraim Woodie & The Henpecked Husbands
04. Ground Hog - Jack Reedy & His Walker Mountain String Band
05. My Name Is Ticklish Reuben - Smyth County Ramblers
06. Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss - Frank Blevins & His Tar Heel Rattlers
07. Nobody's Darling - North Carolina Ridge Runners
08. Short Life Of Trouble - Grayson & Whitter
09. Don't Get Trouble In Your Mind - Frank Blevins & His Tar Heel Rattlers
10. Cluck Old Hen - The Hill Billies
11. Likes Likker Better Than Me ~ Woodie Brothers
12. Way Down in Alabama ~ Smyth County Ramblers
13. The Fatal Courtship ~ Ephraim Woodie & The Henpecked Husbands
14. I've Always Been A Rambler - Grayson & Whitter
15. I've Got No Honey Babe Now - Frank Blevins & His Tar Heel Rattlers
16. Governor Al Smith For President - Carolina Night Hawks
17. Chinese Breakdown - Jack Reedy & His Walker Mountain String Band
18. Be Kind To A Man When He's Down - North Carolina Ridge Runners
19. Old Aunt Betsy - Frank Blevins & His Tar Heel Rattlers
20. Chased Old Satan Through The Door - Woodie Brothers
21. Handsome Molly - Grayson & Whitter
22. Sally Ann - Frank Blevins & His Tar Heel Rattlers



'An outstanding collection of 22 songs and tunes first recorded between 1927-1931 by string bands from Ashe County, North Carolina, a mountainous area in the northwest corner of the state once known as “The Lost Provinces” because of its extreme isolation. The music includes traditional fiddle tunes, folk songs, Anglo-Irish ballads, comic songs, topical numbers and original compositions, all from the time period often called the “golden era” of old-time string music. The anthology brings together for the first time the complete recordings of Frank Blevins & His Tar Heel Rattlers, the Carolina Night Hawks, the North Carolina Ridge Runners, and many more.'

the first comp we ever picked up from this superb label sometime last century & still a stunner, due in no small part to the presence of the venerable Grayson & Whitter on several cuts. do yer homework. these are just the kinda jams that make me wanna live waaaaaaay out in the country & a dam fine way to enjoy yer stay on this planet. 320 hillbilly hollers

VA - Folks, He Sure Do Pull Some Bow! Vintage Fiddle Music 1927-1935 [Old Hat, 2001]

01. Rukus Juice And Chittlin' - Memphis Jug Band
02. The Jazz Fiddler - Walter Jacobs And Lonnie Carter
03. Moanin' And Groanin' Blues - "Peg Leg" Howell And His Gang
04. Dance Hall Shuffle - Clifford Hayes' Louisville Stompers
05. My Four Reasons - Banjo Ikey Robinson And His Bull Fiddle Band
06. Wild Cow Blues - Joe Williams' Washboard Blues Singers
07. Knox County Stomp - Tennessee Chocolate Drops
08. Rustlin' Man - State Street Boys
09. Sister Maud Mule - Alec Johnson
10. G Rag - Georgia Yellow Hammers
11. Throw Me In The Alley - Peetie Wheatstraw And His Blue Blowers
12. If You Can't Make It Easy, Sweet Mama - Dixieland Jug Blowers
13. Bunker Hill Blues - Frank Stokes
14. I Got A Gal - James Cole's String Band
15. Sweet To Mama - State Street Boys
16. Doctor Medicine - South Memphis Jug Band
17. Cabo Verdranos Peca Nove - Abrew's Portuguese Instrumental Trio
18. Worried Man Blues - Joe Williams' Washboard Blues Singers
19. Georgia Crawl - Henry Williams And Eddie Anthony
20. Good Old Turnip Greens - Bo Chatman
21. Memphis Stomp - The Blue Boys
22. Get Up Off That Jazzophone - The Bubbling-Over Five
23. Rukus Juice Shuffle - Alabama Rascals
24. Lazy Lazy River - Mississippi Sheiks



'24 tracks of rare fiddle music from the early years of recorded sound, covering a wide range of artists and styles. Playing ragtime tunes, country breakdowns, hardcore blues and hot jazz, these fiddlers cut loose on the instrument known as 'The Devil's Box.' Blues fans recognize Lonnie Johnson, Bo Carter, and Big Bill Broonzy as masters of the guitar, but these men were also talented fiddlers, and they’re all included on this disc. You’ll hear jazz from Chicago’s South Side, string band music from Mississippi, and blues from Beale Street. The State Street Boys play uptown blues, while groups like the Alabama Rascals and the Dixieland Jug Blowers provide good-time dance music.'

we loves old hat. the amazing musical selections & illustrious accompanying booklet [not included here] make this collection a mandatory perchase. 320 quintessential scrapes