This collection of old-time social and instrumental string-band music spotlights instrumental prowess. Old-time music features playing styles that pre-date bluegrass, emerging from the string band tradition stretching back to the early years of United States history. Both African-American and Anglo-American ingredients are at its core, the banjo having African origins, the fiddle European. Some of the most revered sources of old-time roots music—Dock Boggs, Roscoe Holcomb, Wade Ward, Tommy Jarrell, and more—are heard playing in their original styles. The Grateful Dead’s cover of “Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down” and Bob Dylan’s rendition of Clarence Ashley’s “Little Sadie” clearly attest to the continuing influence of these songs. Compiled and annotated by Jeff Place.

Track List:

1. Sugar Hill The Iron Mountain String Band
2. Bill Morgan and His Gal (My Name is Morgan But It Ain’t J.P.) The New Lost City Ramblers
3. Country Blues Dock Boggs
4. Little Sadie Clarence Ashley
5. Susannah Gal (Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss) Frank Bode and Tommy Jarrell
6. Wednesday Night Waltz Clark Kessinger
7. Cyclone of Rye Cove The New Lost City Ramblers
8. I’m Leaving You This Lonesome Song Maybelle Carter and Sara Carter Bayes
9. Carroll County Blues Doc Watson and Fred Price
10. Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down Sam and Kirk McGee
11. Trouble in Mind Roscoe Holcomb
12. Chilly Winds Wade Ward
13. Going Down the Road Feeling Bad David, Bill and Billie Ray Johnson
14. Pretty Polly Lee Sexton
15. Bonaparte’s Retreat Mike Seeger
16. Concord Rag J. E. Mainer’s Mountaineers
17. John Henry George Pegram
18. Bowling Green Cousin Emmy with The New Lost City Ramblers
19. Fine Times in Our House John W. Summers
20. Streets of Glory (Welcome Table) Old Reliable String Band
21. Policeman (This Mornin’, this Evenin’, so Soon) The Spare Change Boys
22. Love Somebody (Soldier’s Joy) Joe and Tommy Thompson
23. House of David Blues Red Clay Ramblers with Al McCanless
24. Ship in the Clouds Andy Cahan, Lisa Ornstein and Laura Fishleder
25. Late Last Night Sam and Kirk McGee
26. Look Down That Lonesome Road Gaither Carlton
27. Down Yonder Gordon Tanner, Joe Miller, and John Patterson
28. Jaybird March Etta Baker and Cora Phillips 1:51
29. John Brown’s Dream The New Lost City Ramblers