The Goins Brothers - At Their Best

(Old Homestead OHS-90140) 1981

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The Goins Brothers first album for Old Homestead was recorded in March 1980 at Lowell Varney's Riverside Studio in Crum, West Virginia and released the following year.

In the three year period between recording this album and cutting the previous Wandering Soul LP, the band's personnel had changed somewhat, with Conley Goins, Curley Lambert and Buddy Griffin all having departed. In their place former CMB, Art Stamper who played on their In The Head Of The Holler album, is back on fiddle; multi-instrumenatlist Tommy Boyd, who'd played with many folks including Larry Sparks and Red Allen, is on dobro; former Blue Grass Boy & Bluegrass Alliance member Dan Jones is on mandolin; and Dave Skeens is on bass. Dave later played on Charlie Sizemore's debut LP, Congratulations.

Five tracks on the album are drawn from the Flatt & Scruggs repertoire: The Old Home Town, A Hundred Years From Now, Little Girl In Tennessee, Workin' On The Road (To Glory Land) (mistitled Road To Glory) and the Ballad Of Jed Clampett. The latter is preceded by Melvin paying his respects to Lester Flatt, who had died in May 1979. There's also a version of Toy Heart, which Lester had recorded with Bill Monroe in 1949.

The Goins had previously recorded That City That Lies Four Square on their Head Of the Holler LP; Black Lung Blues and Dirty Dishes Blues on their 1969 debut LP Bluegrass Hits Old And New; No Curb Service and Dirty Dishes Blues were also cut on the Tribute To The Lonesome Pine Fiddlers album. Finally Old Ruben was also recorded as Rubin for their unreleased Jessup album Bluegrass Blues.

The LP also includes two instrumentals: Sopping The Gravy an old fiddle tune that showcases Art Stamper's superb fiddle playing, with additional breaks by Ray on banjo and Dan on mandolin; and Old Ruben which gives Ray Goins the opportunity to show off his solid Scruggs-influenced picking.

I'm not sure who sings lead on the version of Jimmie Skinner's Don't Give Your Heart To A Rambler. My guess is Dan Jones, as he sounds similar on the follow-up LP Sweet Sunny South, but it could easily be one of the other band members, as there's no indication given on the rear LP sleeve.

That City That Lies Four Square is performed a cappella.

Overall this is another fine traditional bluegrass album, which sticks close to the original Monroe/Flatt/Scruggs template.

• Melvin Goins: guitar
• Ray Goins: banjo
• Tommy Boyd: dobro
• Dan Jones: mandolin
• Dave Skeens: bass
• Art Stamper: fiddle

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