The Essential Music Library: Grass & Roots

[ultrafilter]

The Essential Music Library project is an attempt to get the many musical minds of the SDMB to sit down and discuss what works are absolutely necessary for a well-stocked musical library. There will be roughly 20 threads detailing a variety of genres so that we can get the depth that would be missing from a single-threaded discussion and the breadth necessary to cover what's out there.

This thread's topic is grass and roots. As picker explained in the project planning thread, this is meant to include Old Time, all the grass variants, and Roots/Americana.

Previous threads: Project Planning | Classical | Rock | Jazz | Modern Rock | Blues | Punk/Post-Punk/New Wave | Opera/Choral Music | Rap/Hip-Hop | Gospel | Electronica | Contemporary Classical | Pop | Film Music/Musicals | R&B/Soul

[JKellyMap]

Various, Africa and the Blues (companion CD to book by Gerhard Kubik)
Bill Monroe, Live Recordings 1956-1959
The Holmes Brothers, Speaking in Tongues
Pete Seeger, American Favorite Ballads
Professor Longhair, Live on the Queen Mary
Anything by Odetta

[JKellyMap]

Bump.

[Birdmonster]

I'm a bit on the ignorant side here, but have to throw a recommendation out for:
-Hello, I'm Dolly (Dolly Parton)
-Luxury Liner (Emmylou Harris)
I know those are borderlines, but I'm also writing just to give another bump and hope some of our more country-lovin' dopers give me something to check out on my next trip to Amoeba. Picker? I know you're out there.

[Larry Borgia]

The soundtrack for O Brother Where Art Thou would be a good place to start.

[JKellyMap]

Originally Posted by Larry Borgia

The soundtrack for O Brother Where Art Thou would be a good place to start.

Agreed! Fantastic. One of many highlights: Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch singing I'll Fly Away .

We might want to add some Leo Kottke to this list.

[Godfrey Daniels]

The Bluegrass Album Band, vols I through VI.

[Enginerd]

Doc Watson On Stage, recorded live in 1971. Accompanied by his son Merle, Doc picks and sings through some classic country, blues, and old-time tunes. This album really gives you feel for what it's like to see Doc live.

Woody Guthrie's Asch Recordings. It's a 4 CD boxed set, which is probably overwhelming for a casual fan, but it's an integral part of Americana music that can't be ignored. Guthrie's writing covers the entire spectrum of human emotion, and he'd inspire a generation (and more) of musicians that would follow him.

Townes van Zandt Live at the Old Quarter.

Jerry Garcia and David Grisman's Shady Grove.

Michelle Shocked's Arkansas Traveler

Nanci Griffith's Other Voices and Other Voices, Too both feature a great selection of songs in this vein recorded by Griffith's friends. They're not the original versions (although sometimes the writer is involved), but they provide a pretty good sample of the genre. It might or might not be in keeping with this concept.

[vl_mungo]

Some more recent(ish) stuff...

The Bad Livers - Delusions of Banjer
The Be Good Tanyas - Blue Train
Johnny Dowd - Cemetary Shoes
The D. Rangers - We Stay High and Lonesome
Freakwater - Old Paint
The Handsome Family - Through The Trees
The Meat Purveyors - All Relationships Are Doomed To Fail
Oh Susanna - Johnstown
Split Lip Rayfield - Never Make It Home
Gillian Welch - Hell Among The Yearlings
Jim White - The Mysterious Story of How I Shouted Wrong Eyed Jesus

[ThisSpaceForRent]

I'll add the band Leftover Salmon and their first (i think) CD Bridges to Burt Banjo pickin' by Mark Vann (RIP)...

count me as a vote for PolyethnicCajunSlamGrass

as for "roots"...david Bromberg does some pretty interesting stuff...

ymmv

[JKellyMap]

Originally Posted by vl_mungo

The Bad Livers - Delusions of Banjer

I was going to mention this -- I love it! -- but I didn't want to risk being upbraided by the purists out there. (Silly me). A friend who lived in Austin, TX introduced me to these guys years ago. I think they later changed their name.

[ThisSpaceForRent]

The Bad Livers were Danny Barnes and Mark Ruben and sometimes in the early phase, Ralph White....to my knowledge they no longer tour together....I believe Mark went on to work on some Klezmer Projects...gotta love Klezmer with a Tuba bass line....

I first saw the bad livers open for leftover salmon in Champaign IL around 99 or so....just Danny and Mark....WOW...what a show!

Danny Barnes Bio

[Ogre]

I'm not a big bluegrass guy, but I know roots. Here are a few that are absolutely essential:

Harry Smith's legendary Anthology of American Folk Music - produced in 1952, this compilation supposedly inspired young Bob Zimmerman to start playing and singing.

Sounds of the South - a reissue of Alan Lomax's second Southern music recording trip in 1959. One word: Leadbelly.

Speaking of Lomax, his parents made several recordings in the 30's and 40's in the rural South. I'm not aware of a single compilation with all those recordings, but they are collected in the Deep River of Song series, which are very well done.

Alan Lomax will also be essential in the World music thread, since he spent years of his life recording world folk songs, from Spain to Africa. He just died a couple of years ago, and I don't think anybody noticed.

Rounder Records also released an excellent compilation of roots music for their 30th anniversary - Roots Music - An American Journey.

I'll probably have more later.

[Ogre]

I'll make a couple more recommendations while they're on my mind, but then work, darn it!

Roscoe Holcomb - The High Lonesome Sound. His version of "House of the Rising Sun" is by a large margin the most haunting I have ever heard.

Elizabeth Cotten - I like Shake Sugaree better, but this collection has "Freight Train" on it, which is Cotten's signature song, making it absolutely essential.

[August West]

Nobody out there is doing bluegrass better than Del McCoury. His voice, to me, defines that "high lonesome sound"

I defy you to listen to "'52 Vincent Black Lightning" and not get goose bumps!

[Ogre]

I should also point out that when one talks about American roots music, genre boundaries really break down, and one might as easily regard Robert Johnson: the Complete Recordings as much "roots music" as any other recording, including early country, Appalachiana, "country blues," etc.

And a couple more (Lomax. Who else?):

Georgia Sea Island Songs - an oft-neglected subgenre of roots music.

Sacred Harp Singers. Shape note singers. Not Lomax's clearest recordings, but very important nonetheless.

[PookahMacPhellimey]

I absolutely agree with Enginerd's Townes van Zandt nomination.

I'm not going to claim expertise here, but I also really loved:

Hot Rize: So Long of a Journey.
James Leva: Memory Theatre.

[PookahMacPhellimey]

Would this be the right thread to include Patty Griffin? It is never quite clear to me what "genre" she is but she is brilliant.

My vote would be for 1000 Kisses.

[Ogre]

bump

[picker]

Hi Folks

I will be in here to post quite a lengthy list of thoughts and recommendations, but it will have to wait a little bit. Right now a whole bunch of things in my life have all come to a head to create a 'perfect storm' of suck and there's just no way I can do this as well. Money, health, relationships, job, housing, musically - if there's a way it can go south, it just did.

Hopefully I'll be able to get to this in a week or so; if I haven't weighed in here by then by all means feel free to email me to remind me.

Best to all

[ThisSpaceForRent]

Originally Posted by picker

Hi Folks

I will be in here to post quite a lengthy list of thoughts and recommendations, but it will have to wait a little bit. Right now a whole bunch of things in my life have all come to a head to create a 'perfect storm' of suck and there's just no way I can do this as well. Money, health, relationships, job, housing, musically - if there's a way it can go south, it just did.

Hopefully I'll be able to get to this in a week or so; if I haven't weighed in here by then by all means feel free to email me to remind me.

Best to all

Picker....i feel your pain... i hope your hope Southward journey turns into...

a headlight on a north-bound train,
shining your light through the cool Colorado rain

HOW could we forget John Hartford in this whole discusion; though he was mentioned vicariously in the "how bother where art though" post" ...

John Hartford 1937-2001 musician, songwriter, steamboat pilot, author, artist, disc jockey, calligrapher, dancer, folklorist, father, and historian. Luckily, he never needed a business card.

oh...and lest we forget Vassar...or Jorma....

Peace, Love and Music,

dsw...aka ThisSpaceForRent