Leslie Keith - Black Mountain Blues

(Briar BF-4201) 1974
Reissued (Sierra/Briar SBR-4201) 1974

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Leslie Keith was the first fiddler to join the Clinch Mountain Boys when The Stanley Brothers formed in late 1946. Approximately 20 years older than Carter & Ralph, he had much needed experience working as a musician and initially, as the LP liner notes say: "He handled most of the MC work and business side of the show teaching every bit to Carter and Ralph".

His time with the band was limited however, being replaced sometime in 1948 when The Stanley's decided they wanted a more modern sound, emulating Bill Monroe's 'blue grass' style with Ralph switching from 2 to 3-finger banjo.

Leslie's style of fiddling is very much in the back-of-the-woods old-time vein, and sounds similar at times to a less polished Curly Ray Cline. This may in part be down to the common influence of fiddler Arthur Smith, who Leslie once beat in a fiddle contest, and who also lived in the Cline household for about a year c1940/41. It could also be due somewat to the direction Ralph Stanley took the band in the Curly Ray era, with more of an old-time influence than most of the Stanley Brothers records.

Several of the tracks on Leslie's album will sound familiar to Stanley aficinados:-

Black Mountain Blues is the famous tune which Leslie wrote, and which Curly Ray Cline, John Rigsby, Dewey Brown and Junior Blankenship all subsequently recorded. Often featured on Ralph's live shows, as well as those by the Stanley Brothers, Leslie's version includes the "pickin' part" 'B', which Tommy Magness omitted when he made Black Mountain Rag. Here on the original Leslie kind of does a pizzicato plucking / strumming of the fiddle strings in a style influenced by Mabel Carter, with the 'B' part having a melody similar to Bile Them Cabbage Down. To make Black Mountain Rag, Tommy Magness combined the first part of Black Mountain Blues with the second part of Leslie's Clinch Mountain Blues.

Another of Leslie's compositions, Clinch Mountain Blues, was recorded by The Stanley Brothers in 1955 with Art Stamper on fiddle. According to the line notes Leslie taught Art how to play the tune, and Leslie's version also features his 'Carter lick'.

Arthur Smith's Bound To Ride will be another immediately recognisable track, which The Stanley Brothers had recorded in 1964 with Ralph playing 3-finger style (King 5933). Leslie's version features clawhammer, as did Ralph's later versions on his John Henry & A Man And His Music LPs. Leslie's version is marred a little bit though by some over zealous electric bass playing.

The LP's version of Cotton Eyed Joe is similar to the 1975 recording Leslie made with Ralph on the Live! At McClure 2xLP set, complete with hollers. Leslie was a fixture at each of Ralph's McClure festivals from 1972-1977, and when Ralph played in Tucson, AZ in Oct 1977, Leslie did a guest spot of the end of the show.

Five of the remaining tracks: Cacklin' Hen, Natural Bridge Blues, Peacock Rag, Lee Highway Blues, Crazy Blues were also recorded by Curly Ray Cline, and you can hear the similarity in fiddle styles, particularly on Cacklin' Hen & Peacock Rag.

Leslie's vocals, are nothing to write home about, but the album will appeal mostly to the hardcore Stanley fan and lovers of old-time fiddling. The 'hit every note and then some' banjo on Crazy Blues also doesn't fit well...

The album was first released on Briar with a black & white cover, and then on Sierra/Briar with a new cover design. Both releases are pressed from the same master & have identical dead wax markings.

Two bass players are listed on the album, which may explain why some tracks have an acoustic bass & others an electric one. Rock 'n' Roll fans may also be interested in the "Production Assistance by Link Wray" credit in the liner notes.

• Leslie Keith: fiddle, vocal (a)
• Leonard Berline: guitar
• John Hickman: banjo
• Roger Bush: bass
• Tom Ford: guitar
• Bill Rondstadt: bass

NB: (a) clawhammer banjo on Bound To Ride

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