Appalachia

Instrumental Music of the 
Southern Appalachians
Tradition Records, TLP 1007
Recorded in 1956

I do not like the sleeve, and it's not quite of the same caliber as some other field recording collections from the region (say Mountain Music of Kentucky, recorded by John Cohen), but it is still a great find, especially on a red tag 50% day at the Goodwill with a red price tag of 99 cents on it. You can't even buy a candy bar for 50 cents anymore, and the vinyl is in great condition. Finding field recording records in itself makes for a good day at thrift store. The field work on this record wasn't too extensive, everything was recorded in a few days and only two or three families were involved. It was all recorded in the summer of 1956 in Virginia and North Carolina by Diane Hamilton, Liam Clancy, and Paul Clayton. They're all instrumental versions of well known traditional ballads. In the liner notes the story for each song is outlined. The recordings are of good quality and the musicianship is of good quality as well. Below you can find a small sampling of the tunes on the record. Cripple Creek is performed on a fiddle by Hobart Smith, Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad on guitar by Etta Baker, and Sally Goodin on dulcimer by Mrs. Edd Presnell. Two of the three tunes are typically played on a different instrument than you can hear here. Sally Goodin is really a fiddle tune while the fidle tune Cripple Creek is mostly played on a banjo.