The Goins Brothers - The Goins Brothers

(Rebel SLP-1543) 1975

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Their first album for Rebel, which was recorded in Nov. 1974 at R.D. Homer Associates Studio in Clinton, Maryland. It's another slab of decent 'keepin-it-real' bluegrass with brother harmony vocals and down-to-earth instrumentation. The LP is somewhat enhanced by Joe Meadows expressive fiddle playing and the mandolin of Jimmy Gaudreau, who had played with the Country Gentlemen and the short-lived Country Store with Bill Rawlings & Keith Whitley.

As with most other Goins Brothers LPs, a couple of songs are recycled Lonesome Pine Fiddlers numbers (in this case Baby You're Cheatin' and New Set Of Rules); and another two had been recorded for previous Goins Brothers releases (Fly Little Bluebird on Bluegrass Country and Across The Sea Blues on their debut LP Bluegrass Hits Old And New and their final Jessup recording - the unreleased Bluegrass Blues LP).

Highlights for me are the splendid instrumental version of Elizabeth Cotten's folk favourite Freight Train; Al Elliot's I Can't Forget; and Merle Haggard's Old Man From The Mountains.

This was the first album to feature Melvin & Ray's younger brother Conley B. Goins, who plays bass on some numbers.

• Melvin Goins: guitar
• Ray Goins: banjo
• Conley Goins: bass
• Jimmy Gaudreau: mandolin
• Ralph 'Joe' Meadows: fiddle
• Bill Rawlings: bass

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