Mountain Music Of Kentucky [2-CD Set] at Music Hills.com

Music CD 1

Old-Age Pension Blues - Bill Cornett
Hook & Line - Bill Cornett
John Henry - Bill Cornett
Pretty Polly - Bill Cornett
Old Reuben - Bill Cornett
Spring Of '65 - J.D. Cornett
Sally In The Garden - J.D. Cornett
Barbara Allen - J.D. Cornett
When We Shall Meet - Old Baptist Church
Amazing Grace - Old Baptist Church
Across The Rocky Mountain - Roscoe Holcomb
Graveyard Blues - Roscoe Holcomb
Cripple Creek - Roscoe Holcomb
True Love - Roscoe Holcomb
Sally In The Garden - Marion Sumner
Lost Indian - Marion Sumner
Hollow Poplar - Marion Sumner
Death Of The Blue Eagle - George Davis
Little Birdie - Willie Chapman
Lost Indian - Willie Chapman
Jaw Bone - Willie Chapman
Bunkers Hill - Willie Chapman
Cacklin' Hen - Willie Chapman
Julie Ann - Willie Chapman
Born In Old Kentucky - Bill Cornett
Buck Creek Girls - Bill Cornett
Sweet Willie - Bill Cornett
Cluck Old Hen - Bill Cornett
Coney Island - Roscoe Holcomb
Baby Let Your Hair Roll Down - Roscoe Holcomb
Wayfairing Stranger - Roscoe Holcomb

Music CD 2

Stingy Woman - Roscoe Holcomb
East Virginia Blues - Roscoe Holcomb
Single Girl - Roscoe Holcomb
Black Eyed Susie - Roscoe Holcomb
Hills Of Mexico - Roscoe Holcomb
Foriegn Lander - Martha Hall
Kitty Alone - Martha Hall
Young & Tender Ladies - Martha Hall
Charlie's Neat - Granville Bowlin
Cotton-Eyed Joe - Granville Bowlin
Little Sunshine - Granville Bowlin
Wild Bill Jones - Granville Bowlin
Great Speckled Bird - Holiness Church
Clap & Shout - Holiness Church
Cry From The Cross - Holiness Church
Clap & Shout & Shriek - Holiness Church
The Wagoner's Lad - Mr. & Mrs. Sams
The Absentee - Mr. & Mrs. Sams
The Coo Coo - Mr. & Mrs. Sams
Marthis Campbell - James Crase
Sally Goodin' - James Crase
Fiddler A Dram - James Crase
Fox Chase - James Crase
Old Joe Clark - James Crase
Fire On The Mountain - James Crase
Ways Of The World - James Crase
Inch Along - James Crase
Skip To My Lou - James Crase
St. Louis Blues - Lee Sexton
Pretty Polly - Lee Sexton
Fly Around - Lee Sexton
Fox Chase - Lee Sexton
Ruby - Grigsby & Young
No Letter In The Mail - Grigsby & Young
Fair Miss In The Garden - Grigsby & Young
John Henry - Grigsby & Young
Rocky Island - Grigsby & Young

Music reviews of Mountain Music Of Kentucky [2-CD Set]

Music Review: The hills were alive!
Rating: 4 Stars

Obviously the biggest "star" here is Roscoe Holcomb. He is the one person on this 2-disc set who is the most well-known to the largest number of people, but this is by no means a one-man collection. In fact, I don't even consider Roscoe to be the best musician present here. For the life of me I still cannot figure out why Bill Cornett's name isn't thrown around as "one of the greats". His voice and banjo playing, particularly on Pretty Polly, Old Reuben, Born In Kentucky, Sweet Willie, etc... just knock me out. Born In Kentucky being a variant of the more well-known tune, Dark Holler.

J.D. Cornett has a fine solo-vocal version of Spring of '65, and you do indeed get some fine stuff from Roscoe here in case he is your main focus. From bits of Jack-A-Roe to one of his "I made it myself" tunes where he then lifts an entire lyric from a Blind Lemon Jefferson tune, though neither he nor the liner-notes make mention of this. Plus, I will take Roscoe's Wayfaring Stranger over Bill Monroe's any day of the week. All in all, it's good stuff!

Moving on, I personally am not too much for the sets of church tunes, aside from Clap & Shout on disc two. However, there are alot of jewels in the sand of disc two. The highlights of disc two, for me, come in the form of Granville Bowlin's segment, Mrs. Sams solo-vocal Wagoners Lad, James Crase's various fiddle tunes, and Lee Sexton's solo banjo St. Louis Blues and his Pretty Polly that is rather closely related to Bill Cornett's but not as powerful. I just love Mrs. Sams' voice. Everyone has their own aesthetic of what is good and what isn't, and for me, Mrs. Sams is just exactly what a wise old female mountain singer should sound like.

There is such a richness and rugged individuality to all these performances that it just breaks your heart to know that for the most part, these traditions are gone. At least we were lucky enough to have someone like John Cohen roaming the hills and making these priceless recordings for all of us.