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Across the Blue Ridge #25 - A joyful collection of songs and tunes for Spring and Summer

Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
Piedmont bluesman John Jackson is but one of the many songsters and instrumentalists we hear on this week’s Across the Blue Ridge. Jackson’s subtle yet powerful blues style and engaging personality endeared him to blues fans worldwide.

This week we hear from a varied group of piedmont and mountain south artists for a joyful, invigorating hour of listening.  Bluesman John Jackson provides a serene rag he composed.  Our music also includes songs from Carol Elizabeth Jones, Doc Watson, Obray Ramsey and many more well known and lesser known performers.  Along the way we'll hear fascinating fiddle tunes from Benton Flippen and John Ashby; and come to understand the importance of piano in Blue Ridge music, with the stories and tunes of Jeff Little and Haywood Blevins.  Plus … eleven-year-old guitar sensation Presley Barker from North Carolina puts in an appearance with his rendition of “Nothing Doing” – a bit of a misnomer considering how much work this youngster has put into the guitar to play at a level far beyond his years. 

Episode 25 Playlist

  1. Maple On The Hill – Carl Jones & Erynn Marshall
    Sweet Memories Never Leave
    Dittyville 2015
     
  2. Little Log Cabin By The Sea – The Carter Family
    The Bristol Sessions Disc 1
    CMF  1927
     
  3. Greasy String – The West Virginia Coon Hunters
    The Bristol Sessions Disc 1
    CMF  1927
     
  4. From Jerusalem to Jericho – Uncle Dave Macon
    Travelin' Down That Road
    County Records 1995
     
  5. If You've Got The Money Honey – Del McCoury
    High Lonesome & Blue
    Rounder Records 1996
     
  6. John's Ragtime – John Jackson
    Don't Let Your Deal Go Down
    Arhoolie 1992
     
  7. BREAK 1
    Davenport – Dock Boggs
    Dock Boggs His Folkways Years Vol. 2
    Smithsonian Folkways 1998
     
  8. Nothing To It – Presley Barker
    Presley Barker
    Independent Release 2015
     
  9. Deep River Blues – Doc Watson
    Legacy
    High Windy 2002
     
  10.  Boy She's A Daisy – Double Decker String Band
    The Rest Is Yet To Come
    Independent Release 2006
     
  11.  Goin' Round This World – Lee Sexton
    Whoa Mule
    June Appal 2006
     
  12. Cataloochee – Carol Elizabeth Jones
    Cataloochee
    5-String Productions 2008
     
  13.  Mississippi Sawyer – Benton Flippen
    Beware of Dog
    Independent Release 2006
     
  14. BREAK 2
    Blowin' The Blues – Chuck Darling
    Harmonica Blues
    Yazoo 1991
     
  15. Goin' To The Free State – John Ashby
    John Ashby
    Field Recorders Collective FRC  2007
     
  16.  Little Maggie – Obray Ramsey
    Good Old Mountain Dew
    Washington Records 1963
     
  17. Ground Speed – Jeff Little Trio
    Made In The Blue Ridge
    Independent Release 2014
     
  18. Fisher's Hornpipe – Haywood Blevins
    Haywood Blevins
    Field Recorders Collective FRC  2007
     
  19. Fisher's Hornpipe – Paul Brown & John Schwab
    Field Recording
     
  20. Brandywine – Megan Lynch Chowning & Adam Hurt
    Inside Out
    Fiddlestar 2016
Former 88.5 WFDD News Director Paul Brown founded Across the Blue Ridge at WFDD in the late 1980s. It was an instant hit, and was broadcast on WFDD for more than a decade until Paul left to become an executive editor, producer, reporter, and world newscaster at NPR in Washington, DC. Now Paul is back in his beloved Blue Ridge region, his journalism and storytelling skills honed better than ever. He's ready to present more music, share discussion with more interesting characters, and be your friend and guide in discovery. Paul is actively involved in today's acoustic music scene, crisscrossing the region and the country as a teacher, performer, and interviewer.

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