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

Tourpikecounty.com
Molly O’Day, a pioneering country singer, combined old time mountain, gospel and contemporary country influences in her music.

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
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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