DANIEL KOULACK and KARNNEL SAWITSKY Fiddle and Banjo: Tunes from the North, Songs from the South Self-released www.hearthmusic.com I adore this album. The title says exactly what it is, fiddle and banjo, and Koulack and Sawitsky … Continue reading →
JEAN RITCHIE Kentucky Mother Goose: Songs and Stories from My Childhood Hal Leonard 9781495007880 www.halleonard.com Jean Ritchie was a phenomenal musician known as the Mother of Folk Music and for good reason. … Continue reading →
JENNA MOYNIHAN Woven Self-Released www.jennamoynihan.com I once asked Kevin Burke what kind of fiddlers impressed him. He replied that just about anyone with a moderate amount of talent can play fast; he pays attention … Continue reading →
Stephen Petrus and Ronald D. Cohen FOLK CITY: NEW YORK and THE AMERICAN FOLK MUSIC REVIVAL Oxford University Press global.oup.com Straightforward and engaging, breezily fresh and poignant, rich in reminiscences … Continue reading →
SIERRA HULL Weighted Mind Rounder Records www.rounder.com Innovation has long been an important part of the musical endeavor, and it’s often the first person to happen upon a new idea – rather than the … Continue reading →
JOHN BYRNE BAND The Immigrant and the Orphan John Byrne Band 082015 www.johnbyrneband.com I‘ve known John Byrne, an Irishman long settled in Philadelphia, about a decade. Besides being one of the most pleasant chaps … Continue reading →
Henry Glassie, Clifford R. Murphy, Douglas Dowling Peach OLA BELLE REED and Southern Mountain Music on the Mason-Dixon Line Dust to Digital 978-0-9817342-7-9 www.dust-digital.com The Mason-Dixon line was created in Colonial America to … Continue reading →
JOE ELY Panhandle Rambler Rack ‘Em Records 007 www.ely.com A new Joe Ely album is always cause for rejoicing in my house. The Texas songman creates dramatic story-songs which he delivers with heroic flourish. … Continue reading →
As we close out 2015, we gather up our thoughts to compile a list of the albums that we, as a staff of writers and editors, feel ought to be commended for their excellence. We recognize that this list is … Continue reading →
TENNESSEE ERNIE FORD Portrait of an American Singer Bear Family 17332 www.bear-family.com Have you ever felt like – to paraphrase “Sixteen Tons” – you owed your soul to the company store? October 17th marks … Continue reading →
