Curly Ray, Charley and Timmy Cline - Together Again At Their Best

(River Track Studios RTS-1341) c1990

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I'm not sure when this was recorded, but the similarity of the cover photo to the Lonesome Pine Fiddler's 'Reunion' (RTS-1372) points to 1989/90.

It's a shame this was only released on cassette, and it is about as rare as Hens Teeth...

Sow Hog is a spirited re-working of Boar Hog, much more in keeping with Curly's energetic live performances than the 1980 Boar Hog studio version. This version has different amusing lyrics, and Curly / Charlie make great farmyard/animal noises over the top... Curly calls out something like "Pick 'em Mousey" and Charlie shouts out "Play it Ralph" before the banjo break.

Similarly When They Cut Down The Old Pine Tree and Whose Gonna Mow My Grass virtually crackle with energy... then there's the sweet melodic double fiddle work on a version of Buckwheat (here titled Buckwheat Breakdown), The Waltz You Saved For Me and Over The Waves^[1].

Boil Them Cabbage Down also has clawhammer banjo, and vocals by both Charlie and Curly.

It sounds like they were having a lot of fun, but with one eye on the recording studio's clock. Curly adlibs instructions and some tracks end abruptly - "Stop it when you want to, friends and neighbours".

When Curly and Charlie were working with The Lonesome Pine Fiddlers, they also cut a version of Lost Girl in 1963, on the 'More Bluegrass' LP (Starday SLP-222). Curly also re-recorded the song in 1971 on They Cut Down The Old Pine Tree.

Thanks to Sammy Adkins for the personnel details.

• Curly Ray Cline: fiddle, vcls
• Charlie Cline: fiddle
• Timmy Cline: bass
• Sammy Adkins: guitar
• Ralph Stanley: banjo

Other artwork / related images:

[1] Some interesting history behind Over The Waves: http://tunearch.org/wiki/Annotation:Over_the_Waves_%281%29