(Shanachie ???) 1994. Reissued on DVD Shanachie 604) 1999
This is probably the finest bluegrass documentary film that has ever been made. Detailing the history and development of bluegrass music and it's Appalachian roots, it weaves togther a seamless mix of artist interviews plus archive & newly filmed footage with a superb narrative by Mac Wiseman.
Rachael Liebling told 'Bluegrass Unlimited': "I wanted the film to be cinematic. I wanted people to experience the music the way I had. So I used images and sound and voice-over and sound effects in a way that all converged and evoked what the music was about."
"What got me interested in the music, even though I don't come from that background, is this kind of wistful longing for something that has past. Maybe for me it's a childhood memory; I think for the musicians it's their childhood. But it's also the childhood of this country, in some way - this rural farm upbringing that we've gotten so far from. Maybe that's why I could relate. But the way they sing about that has a certain sentiment. I also feel just about my life - looking back at what is lost. And I think a lot of people can relate to that."
"The film was really structured by song - finding the song that would convey an element of the story. For instance 'Jerusalem Ridge', I knew that what I felt that song was about was something that needed to be told in the film, almost like a chapter - so I'd listen to it and think, what images go with this? Well, this song's about the land being destroyed... so then I would look at the archival footage, over and over again. And that's how the whole film worked. It took two years to edit."[1]
As Mac says early on in the film, "In 1911 Bill Monroe was born in Western Kentucky, the story of bluegrass is the story of his musical legacy". As one would expect, there is plenty of coverage of Monroe, including the Big Mon's visit to his old home in Rosine prior to it's restoration. Excerpts of sixteen of Monroe's recordings can be heard, along with archive footage from 1955, the Fincastle 1965 festival and an Opry performance from 1969. Rachael also filmed four of Monroe's songs at his Bean Blossom festival in June 1989, followed by a visit to Rosine where he played Going Across The Sea, a tune Monroe had learnt from his Uncle Pen, but hadn't previously recorded. Another three Monroe tracks were also filmed later on at the Bell Cove Club in Henderson, Tn.[2]
Although Bill Monroe music and it's development form the core of the film, Ralph and the CMB's are featured on two live extracts from the Wind Gap festival on 10th June 1989, with part of I'm Willing To Try and Room At The Top Of The Stairs. Additionally, Ralph pops up as one of the interviewees, and sings Village Churchyard & picks a bit of clawhammer on his Cuttin' The Cornbread. Curly Ray Cline also talks briefly about his country upbringing and plays a bit of Sourwood Mountain.
Archive footage of Ralph from the 1971 Camp Springs festival film Bluegrass Country Soul is also used with a snippet of Man Of Constant Sorrow.
The Stanley Brothers are also represented with part of Worried Man Blues from the Pete Seeger Rainbow Quest show.
Other Stanley related material includes incidental use of sections of: Gloryland from Ralph's Something Old, Something New LP; John Henry from A Man And His Music; Nobody's Love Is Like Mine from The Stanley Sound Around The World; The Fields Have Turned Brown from the I Want To Preach The Gospel LP; and The Stanley Brothers Meet Me By The Moonlight (aka Meet Me Tonight) which is a live recording from the 3rd June 1956 show at Shenandoah Valley Bowl, Edinburg, Va. That had also been issued on the Together For The Last Time LP and Stanley Series, Vol. 2 No. 1 LP/CD.
Other artists featured included Jim & Jesse, Jimmy Martin, The Osborne Brothers, Mac Wiseman, Seldom Scene, Nashville Bluegrass Band, and Alison Krauss.
The film was first premiered at the Anthology Film Archives in New York in Nov. 1991 and at the IBMA's 'International Bluegrass Music Museum' in Owensboro in '92 - Sat. Sept. 26th[2, 3] It got further showings at a number of festivals and won six awards, including a Gold Plaque Award at the Chicago International Film Festival, Best Feature Documentary at the Atlanta Film Festival, a Silver Award for Independent Feature at the Houston Film Festival, a Red Ribbon at the American Film Festival, an Indie Award from the National Association of Independent Record Distributors and Manufacturers, and a CINE Golden Eagle Award. In 1994 it got limited distribution at some art theaters and was released on VHS in August 1994.[2]
Although some of the archive footage isn't as good as later DVDs, such as the Pete Seeger show and the Camp Springs 1971 festival, this is so well put together and will please any life long bluegrass fan, or bluegrass newbie alike.
To accompany the VHS release there was soundtrack CD High Lonesome with Ralph's Gloryland, The Fields Have Turned Brown and The Stanley Brothers Meet Me By The Moonlight (aka Meet Me Tonight).
CMB Personnel on the Wind Gap festival 10th June 1989:-
PS: The Wind Gap performance by Ralph includes an extra guitar player, Bobby Ray Honeycutt from North Carolina. He later played in the Lonesome Mountain Boys who appeared on the Cumberland Highlanders show with a young Landon Fitzpatrick. You can find a few of their numbers on youtube, which are very much in the Stanley vein and feature Landon's cracking 'Stanley style' banjo work. Landon tells us that Ralph used to let Bobby tag along with the band on occassions.
Track: |
Artist: |
Title: |
Date: |
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DVD |
(1:34:59) |
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A-1 |
???? |
???? |
c19?? |
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?? |
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A-2 |
Bill Monroe |
A Voice From On High |
c19?? |
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Bill Monroe / Bessie Maudlin |
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A-3 |
Bill Monroe |
I'm Going Back To Old Kentucky |
c19?? |
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Bill Monroe |
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A-4 |
Almeda Riddle |
Chick A-Li-Lee-O |
c19?? |
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P.D. |
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A-5 |
Bill Monroe |
Scotland |
c19?? |
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Bill Monroe |
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A-6 |
Mac Wiseman |
I Wonder How The Old Folks Are At Home |
c19?? |
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A.P. Carter |
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A-7 |
W.M. Step |
Bonaparte's Retreat |
c19?? |
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P.D. |
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A-8 |
Bill Monroe |
Goin' Across The Sea |
c19?? |
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P.D. |
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A-9 |
Bill Monroe |
Uncle Pen |
c19?? |
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Bill Monroe |
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A-10 |
Ralph Stanley |
I'm Willing To Try |
10 Jun 1989 |
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David Marshall / Bob Fleming |
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A-11 |
Ralph Stanley |
Village Churchyard |
10 Jun 1989 |
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P.D. |
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A-12 |
Ralph Stanley |
Gloryland |
23 Feb 1971 |
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Addra McClellan |
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A-13 |
The Old Harp Singers |
Shape-Note Scales |
c19?? |
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P.D. |
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A-14 |
Bill Monroe |
Danny Boy |
c19?? |
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P.D. |
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A-15 |
Bill Monroe |
Jerusalem Ridge |
c19?? |
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Bill Monroe |
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A-16 |
Group at Cumins State Farm |
Rock Island Line |
c19?? |
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P.D. |
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A-17 |
Jesse Bradley & Group |
Hammer, Ring |
c19?? |
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P.D. |
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A-18 |
Uncle John Scruggs |
Little Log Cabin In The Lane |
c19?? |
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P.D. |
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A-19 |
Eddie Thomas & Carl Scott |
Tomorrow |
c19?? |
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??? |
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A-20 |
Butch Cage & Willie B. Thomas |
Jelly Roll |
c19?? |
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P.D. |
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A-21 |
Bill Monroe |
Sugarloaf Mountain |
c19?? |
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Bill Monroe |
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A-22 |
Bill Monroe |
Muleskinner Blues |
c19?? |
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Jimmy Rodgers |
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A-23 |
Nashville Bluegrass Band |
Angeline The Baker |
c19?? |
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P.D. |
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A-24 |
Curly Ray Cline |
Sourwood Mountain |
10 Jun 1989 |
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P.D. |
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A-25 |
Ralph Stanley |
John Henry |
23 Mar 1973 |
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P.D. |
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A-26 |
Ralph Stanley |
Nobody's Love Is Like Mine |
18 Feb 1973 |
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C. Stanley |
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A-27 |
Jim & Jesse |
I Want To Be Loved But Only By You |
c19?? |
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Johnny Bailes / Walter Bailes |
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A-28 |
Jimmy Martin |
Sunny Side Of The Mountain |
c19?? |
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Harry C. McAuliffe / Bobby Gregory |
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A-29 |
Bill Monroe |
Sally Goodin |
c19?? |
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P.D. |
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A-30 |
Bill Monroe |
Brown County Jamboree Barn |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Bill Monroe |
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A-31 |
Ralph Stanley |
Cuttin' The Cornbread |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
R. Stanley |
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A-32 |
Bill Monroe |
Travelin' Blues |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Bill Monroe |
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A-33 |
Bill Monroe |
Cheyenne |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Bill Monroe |
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A-34 |
Jimmy Martin |
Twenty Twenty Vision |
c19?? |
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Joe Allison / Milton Estes |
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A-35 |
Bob Wills |
I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby |
c19?? |
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Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh |
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A-36 |
Mac Wiseman |
Prisoner's Song |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Guy Massey |
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A-37 |
Ted Daffan |
Over The Hills |
c19?? |
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Ted Daffan |
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A-38 |
Bessie Smith |
Do Your Duty |
c19?? |
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W. Wilson |
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A-39 |
Louis Graveure |
Che Gelida Manina |
c19?? |
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Puccini |
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A-40 |
Bing Crosby |
My Kind Of Love |
c19?? |
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J. Trent |
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A-41 |
Duke Ellington |
Black And Tan Fantasy |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Bub Miley / Duke Ellington |
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A-42 |
Nashville Bluegrass Band |
Last Night I Dreamed Of Loving You |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Hugh Maffatt |
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A-43 |
The Seldom Scene |
Muddy Water |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Phil Rosenthal |
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A-44 |
Bill Monroe |
I'm Blue I'm Lonesome |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Bill Monroe |
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A-45 |
Ralph Stanley |
The Fields Have Turned Brown |
22 Mar 1971 |
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C. Stanley |
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A-46 |
Bill Monroe |
Wayfaring Stranger |
c19?? |
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P.D. |
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A-47 |
???? |
???? |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
?? |
||||||||||||||||||
A-48 |
Coon Creek Girls (?) |
How Many Biscuits Can You Eat This Morning |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
?? |
||||||||||||||||||
A-49 |
???? |
???? |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
?? |
||||||||||||||||||
A-50 |
???? |
Square Dance |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
?? |
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A-51 |
Bill Monroe |
This World Is Not My Home |
c19?? |
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P.D. |
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A-52 |
???? |
Opry recording |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
?? |
||||||||||||||||||
A-53 |
Uncle Dave Macon |
That Old Carolina Home |
c19?? |
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P.D. |
||||||||||||||||||
A-54 |
???? |
Opry credits |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
?? |
||||||||||||||||||
A-55 |
Bill Monroe |
Blue Moon Of Kentucky |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Bill Monroe |
||||||||||||||||||
A-56 |
Bill Monroe |
It's Mighty Dark To Travel |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Bill Monroe |
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A-57 |
Stringbean |
Run, Rabbit, Run |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Ben Weisman / Fred Wise |
||||||||||||||||||
A-58 |
Flatt & Sruggs |
Randy Lynn Rag |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Earl Scruggs |
||||||||||||||||||
A-59 |
Bill Monroe |
Bluegrass Breakdown |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Bill Monroe |
||||||||||||||||||
A-60 |
Flatt & Scruggs |
Bluegrass Breakdown |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Bill Monroe |
||||||||||||||||||
A-61 |
Bill Monroe |
Blue Grass Stomp |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Bill Monroe |
||||||||||||||||||
A-62 |
Bill Monroe |
Travelin' This Lonessme Road |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Bill Monroe |
||||||||||||||||||
A-63 |
Bill Monroe |
When The Golden Leaves Begin To Fall |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Albert Price (aka Bill Monroe) |
||||||||||||||||||
A-64 |
Bill Monroe |
Heavy Traffic Ahead |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Bill Monroe |
||||||||||||||||||
A-65 |
Bill Monroe |
Roanoke |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Joe Ahr (aka Bill Monroe) |
||||||||||||||||||
A-66 |
Flatt & Scruggs |
Foggy Mountain Breakdown |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Earl Scruggs |
||||||||||||||||||
A-67 |
Mac Wiseman |
Rainbow In The Valley |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
P.D. |
||||||||||||||||||
A-68 |
Jimmy Martin |
Shenandoah Waltz |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Clyde Moody / Chubby Wise |
||||||||||||||||||
A-69 |
Stanley Brothers |
Meet Me By The Moonlight |
03 Jun 1956 |
|||||||||||||||
Joseph Augustine Wade |
||||||||||||||||||
A-70 |
Stanley Brothers |
Worried Man Blues |
Feb 1966 |
|||||||||||||||
A.P. Carter |
||||||||||||||||||
A-71 |
Eddie Fisher |
Wish You Were Here |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Harold Rome |
||||||||||||||||||
A-72 |
Osborne Brothers |
Roll Muddy River |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Betty Perry |
||||||||||||||||||
A-73 |
Elvis Presley |
Heartbreak Hotel |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Mae Bourne / Tommy Durden / Elvis Presley |
||||||||||||||||||
A-74 |
???? |
???? |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
?? |
||||||||||||||||||
A-75 |
Jim & Jesse |
Johnny B. Goode |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Chuck Berry |
||||||||||||||||||
A-76 |
???? |
???? |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
?? |
||||||||||||||||||
A-77 |
Bill Anderson |
Still |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Bill Anderson |
||||||||||||||||||
A-78 |
Porter Wagoner |
One Way Ticket To The Blues |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Jack Keller / Hank Hunter |
||||||||||||||||||
A-79 |
George Jones |
White Lightning |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
J.P. Richardson |
||||||||||||||||||
A-80 |
Osborne Brothers |
The Kind Of Woman I've Got |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Danny Walls |
||||||||||||||||||
A-81 |
Bill Monroe |
With Body And Soul |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Virginia Staufer |
||||||||||||||||||
A-82 |
Ian & Sylvia |
You Were On My Mind |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Sylvia Fricker |
||||||||||||||||||
A-83 |
Country Gentlemen |
Mrs. Robinson |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Paul Simon |
||||||||||||||||||
A-84 |
Seldom Scene |
Little Georgia Rose |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Bill Monroe |
||||||||||||||||||
A-85 |
Flatt & Scruggs |
Foggy Mountain Breakdown |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Earl Scruggs |
||||||||||||||||||
A-86 |
Eric Weisberg & Steve Mandell |
Duelling Banjos |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Arthur Smith |
||||||||||||||||||
A-87 |
Flatt & Scruggs |
Ballad Of Jed Clampett |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Paul Henning |
||||||||||||||||||
A-88 |
Stringbean |
Crazy Vietnam War |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Dave Akeman |
||||||||||||||||||
A-89 |
Osborne Brothers |
Rocky Top |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Boudleaux Bryant / Felice Bryant |
||||||||||||||||||
A-90 |
Bill Monroe |
Going Up Caney |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Bill Monroe |
||||||||||||||||||
A-91 |
???? |
Parking lot jam from Bluegrass Country Soul |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
?? |
||||||||||||||||||
A-92 |
New Deal String Band |
Love Potion Number Nine |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Jerry Leiber / Mike Stoller |
||||||||||||||||||
A-93 |
Bluegrass 45 |
Dueling Banjos |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Arthur Smith |
||||||||||||||||||
A-94 |
Jimmy Martin |
Freeborn Man |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Mark Lindsay |
||||||||||||||||||
A-95 |
Ralph Stanley |
Man Of Constant Sorrow |
2-5 Sep 1971 |
|||||||||||||||
R.D. Burnett |
||||||||||||||||||
A-96 |
Osborne Brothers |
Ruby |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Cousin Emmy |
||||||||||||||||||
A-97 |
Bill Monroe |
Rawhide |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Bill Monroe |
||||||||||||||||||
A-98 |
Bill Monroe |
Southern Flavor |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Bill Monroe |
||||||||||||||||||
A-99 |
Alison Krauss |
Don't Follow Me |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
John Pennell |
||||||||||||||||||
A-100 |
Ralph Stanley |
Room At The Top Of The Stairs |
10 Jun 1989 |
|||||||||||||||
Randall Hylton |
||||||||||||||||||
A-101 |
Mac Wiseman |
Keep On The Sunnyside |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
A.P. Carter |
||||||||||||||||||
A-102 |
Seldom Scene |
I Know You Rider |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
P.D. |
||||||||||||||||||
A-103 |
Nashville Bluegrass Band |
Dog House Blues |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Peewee King / J.L. Frank |
||||||||||||||||||
A-104 |
Bill Monroe |
There's An Old, Old House |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
George Jones / Harold Bynum |
||||||||||||||||||
A-105 |
Bill Monroe |
I'm On My Way To The Old Home |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Bill Monroe |
||||||||||||||||||
A-106 |
Bill Monroe |
Sugarloaf Mountain |
c19?? |
|||||||||||||||
Bill Monroe |
[1] 'Lonesome No More: The Film High Lonesome' by Kurt Wolf, 'Bluegrass Unlimited' June 1994. (p.50-53)
[2] Neil Rosenberg and Charles Wolfe's book 'The Music Of Bill Monroe' (p.237-238)
[3] https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?72147-High-Lonesome-The-Story-of-Bluegrass-Music