Across the Blue Ridge #45 - New sounds from the old in the 1940s and ‘50s

The immediate post-World War 2 era was an exciting time in both traditional and contemporary country music. Old time mountain sounds were merging with swing, classic country, and gospel.  Bill Monroe was developing a new hybrid style, soon to be called bluegrass. He was taking old mountain motifs, demanding a high level of musicianship from his band members, and packaging it all in a jazz structure.  Along the way, musicians such as Molly O'Day and Jim Eanes were creating sounds and repertoire that connected the oldest mountain music to Nashville country styles. This week we listen to O'Day, a Kentucky-born singer who made West Virginia her home; and to Eanes, from Virginia's Shenandoah Valley.  Their recordings are seldom heard nowadays, but they are compelling.  We'll also hear some great old time string band music, and African-American piedmont blues from John Jackson and Elizabeth Cotten, as host Paul Brown guides us through the connections.

Episod 45 Playlist

1. New Five Cent Piece
   Adam Steffey
   New Primitive
    
2. Chinquapin Hunting
   Adam Steffey
   New Primitive
    
3. Arkansas Traveler
   Norman Edmonds & The Old Timers
   Norman Edmonds
    
4. Pretty Crowing Chicken
   Mac Traynham
   I'm Going That Way
    
5. Roaring River
   Ben Townsend
   Ben Townsend & Friends
    
6. Break 1 - Walk Along John 
   Aarun Carter And Jonathan Trawick
   Deep End Sessions, Vol. 1
    
7. Travelin' the Highway  Home
   Molly O'Day and the Cumberland Mountain Folks 
   Molly O'Day and the Cumberland Mountain Folks Disc 2
    
8. The Evening Train
   Molly O'Day and the Cumberland Mountain Folks 
   Molly O'Day and the Cumberland Mountain Folks Disc 2
    
9. It Takes A Heap Of Livin'
   Jim Eanes & The Shenandoah Valley Boys
   Jim Eanes & The Shenandoah Valley Boys
    
10. Cotton Pickers Stomp
    Jim Eanes & The Shenandoah Valley Boys
    Jim Eanes & The Shenandoah Valley Boys
     
11. You're The One
    Caleb Klauder & Reem Willms
    Innocent Road
     
12. Die In The Field of Battle
    Paul Brown
    Studio Recording
     
13. Break 2 - Lonesome Fiddle Blues
    Presley Barker
    Just Ten
     
14. How Can You Have The Blues?
    Martin Grosswendt & Susanne Salem-Schatz
    Old Songs, New Hats
     
15. Boat's Up The River
    John Jackson
    Don't Let Your Deal Go Down
     
16. Ball The Jack
    Elizabeth Cotten
    Shake Sugaree
     
17. Shoot That Buffalo
    Elizabeth Cotten
    Shake Sugaree
     
18. Poor Ellen Smith
    Tommy Jarrell
    The Legacy of Tommy Jarrel Vol. 3