The Simmons Family - Stone County Dulcimer (1970 Dancing Doll LP)

The Simmons family occupied a unique role in the thousands of country/folk albums that were being produced to meet the folk music craze of the 1950s through the 1970s. While most of those albums were being recorded by city dwellers who happened to know about and play old-time tunes, the Simmons family was living in rural Stone County, Missouri, just as they had for generations. This gave them an edge that city folk artists (especially before the Internet) could not compete with, since the family learned truly obscure folk songs from other nearby musicians that almost no one else would be familiar with (for example, when was the last time anyone in the past four decades recorded "Lord Lovelle?")

The other aspect of the family that made them so special is that besides being a family act, they made their living by owning a music shop. Most of the country/folk music family acts were remnants of the early 1900s through the Great Depression (they certainly were not common in the 1970s!), and even those musical families of the past tended to be composed of day laborers who performed music at night and during social gatherings. In other words, music was their pastime, not their career. The Simmons family was one of just a handful of family acts who made music their career, and that is certainly reflected in the high quality of their playing and their creative arrangements on this LP.

Considering that my last post featuring mountain dulcimer was by city dweller Neal Hellman, I wanted to post this album to give listeners an understanding of how different rural artists can sound compared to the more widely-recognized city artists, even when performing the same kind of music! In my opinion, the Simmons family style of playing sounds a lot like that of Fiddlin' Powers & Family, a country musical group popular in the 1920s whose sound was characterized by a laid-back feel, but with much gusto underneath it and a high degree of overall musical skill.

The Simmons family released several albums during their time with Dancing Doll Records, but this album appears to have been their best-seller. While there are some classic folk songs on it that virtually every country music fan knows ("Ragtime Annie", "Wildwood Flower", etc.), they are still just as delightful to listen to as the more obscure tunes ("Come thy Fount", "Lord Lovelle", etc.)

Check out this clip from YouTube to hear it for yourself!

The songs on this album are as follows:

1. "The Arkansas Traveler"
2. "Bury Me Under the Weeping Willow"
3. "Green Corn"
4. "Buffalo Girls"
5. "The Carol of the Birds"
6. "Wildwood Flower"
7. "Greensleeves"
8. "Come thy Fount"
9. "Ragtime Annie"
10. "Red Wing"
11. "Down on the Banks of the Old Ohio"
12. "Turkey in the Straw"
13. "The Rosewood Casket"
14. "Un-Cloudy Day"
15. "The Eighth of January"
16. "Lord Lovelle"
17. "Pretty Mary"
18. "The World is Not My Home (I'm Just Passing Through)"

Download (28.3 MB, 128 kbps)

Neal Hellman, et al. - Appalachian Dulcimer Duets (1981 Kicking Mule LP)

Continuing the foray into my Record Store Day 2017 musical finds, I am presenting an underrated album by the folk musician Neal Hellman (1948-) that simultaneously is one of the best old-timey albums to listen to, yet has one of the most atrociously cartoonish album cover designs ever - which, as far as country music albums go, is truly saying something.

Unless you are a folk or country musician of a certain age, it is quite unlikely that you have known of Neal Hellman prior to reading about him here. Born in New York and having his formative years shaped during the post-war folk music revival, Hellman has worked as a country music performer, educator, author and (strangely enough) children's entertainer for almost 40 years. Starting as a music teacher/recording artist, this LP is one of his earliest releases and features some fine collaboration with other musical artists such as banjoist George Stavis and dulcimer player Michael Rugg. However, it was not until 1993 when Hellman got his "big break", after he and fellow musician Joe Weed wrote the score for Princess Furball, a 1993 kids' video that won an American Library Association Commendation. Shortly thereafter, he founded the record label Gourd Music, producing over thirty critically-acclaimed folk and country albums, and where he still works today.

This album offers a wealth of old-time tunes, including a few freshly-revived military ballads (such as "Bonnie Blue Flag" and "Graycoat Soldiers") as well as containing one of the eeriest gospel tunes I have ever heard that also happens to be one of the few recordings available featuring a musical saw as the primary instrument ("I am a Little Scholar")! Unlike dozens of other old-timey albums recorded during the 1980s, this album thankfully does not have any strange pop-synth arrangements, talkboxes or similar crap added to the background. If anything, Hellman's arrangements rival more that of a "wall of sound", somewhat reminiscent of a Phil Spector (1939-) influence had Spector decided to work with acoustic instruments instead of orchestral duplication of parts (and, you know, not murdered anyone either...)

Check out a few clips below to hear it for yourself (each link opens the Dropbox media player in a new window)!

a.) "Betty Likkens/Cluck Old Hen/West Virginia Gals"

b.) "I am a Little Scholar"

c.) "The Oot-Pick Waltz" 

The songs in this album are as follows:

1. "Betty Likkens"/"Cluck Old Hen"/"West Virginia Gals"
2. "Bonnie Blue Flag"
3. "Colored Aristocracy"
4. "Ducks on a Pond/Boatin' up Sandy"
5. "Graycoat Soldiers"
6. "I am a Little Scholar"
7. "Indian Nation"
8. "John Henry"
9. "Old Dog Blue"/"The Arkansas Traveler"/"The Eighth of January"
10. "On a Cold Winter's Night"
11. "The Oot-Pick Waltz"
12. "Scotland"
13. "Seven Bridges Road"
14. "Shortnin' Bread"

Download (36.4 MB, 128 kbps)

The White Oak Mountain Boys [w/Leon Jackson & Johnny Bryant]/The Sunny Mountain Boys [w/Jimmy Martin & Bob Osborne] (1961 Blue Grass Special EP)

Today is the first day of September, which means we North Americans are now officially in autumn! Early autumn happens to be my favorite season, when it is still warm enough to do outdoor activities yet cool enough that the worst of the mosquitoes are gone, the tourists have left and, most importantly, the bluegrass and folk music festivals begin! (At least they do here in the Twin Cities metro area, I don't know about the rest of Hicksville Minnesota...)

This EP is one of many kick-ass country music finds that I uncovered at Hymie's Vintage Records during this year's Record Store Day. While the vinyl itself has seen better days (and better styli!), it still plays loud and clear enough to display the unbelievable talent of The White Oak Mountain Boys and The Sunny Mountain Boys, both studio bands contracted to King Records in the mid-to-late 1950s. This EP happens to be a compilation or "sampler" of sorts, likely for promotional and broadcast use by King Records, which at the time was starting to wind down production of its Country & Western division.

Side A showcases the talents of banjoist Leon Jackson and the regrettably-forgotten fiddler Johnny Bryant, with all three tracks composed by Jackson. Side B showcases the talents of guitarist Jimmy Martin (1927-2005) and mandolinist Bob(by) Osborne (1931-), with all three tracks composed by the pair. Considering that Martin and Osborne went on to much greater fame than Bryant and Jackson ever did, it is curious that they were relegated to Side B on this record. Regardless of the reason why, this is a great EP that is certain to be a favorite of any bluegrass fan!

Check out these clips from YouTube to hear it for yourself!

The tracks on this EP are as follows:

1. "White Oak Mountain Breakdown"*
2. "Love, Please Come Home"*
3. "Leon's Breakdown (Buttahatchee)"*
4. "My Lonely Heart"#
5. "She's Just a Cute Thing"#
6. "You'll Never be the Same"#

*Performed by The White Oak Mountain Boys [w/Leon Jackson & Johnny Bryant]
#Performed by The Sunny Mountain Boys [w/Jimmy Martin & Bob Osborne]

Download (12.5 MB, 128 kpbs)