Clarence Ashley And Doc Watson: The Original Folkways Recordings, 1960-1962 [2-CD Set]

Clarence Ashley, Doc Watson

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 28, 1994)
• Original Release Date: 1994
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Smithsonian Folkways
• ASIN: B000001DHG
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #71,150 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  #91 in	Music > Indie Music > Folk > Traditional Folk

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

When blind singer/guitarist Arthel "Doc" Watson was "discovered" by folklorist Ralph Rinzler in 1960 he sounded as though he'd been picking for a hundred years, not to mention the fact that his huge repertoire of old songs seemed like it could go on for days. Watson had actually been playing in a honky-tonk band when Rinzler came across him in Deep Gap, North Carolina. When he asked Doc to set down his electric guitar he created one of the first--and most lasting--stars of the folk revival. Ashley was already a mountain music legend himself when he cut these front-porch sessions; picking a fine banjo and singing along on one standard--like "Shady Grove" and "Peg and Awl"--after another. --Michael Ruby

Product Description

With 20 previously unreleased performances, many rare photos, and producer Ralph Rinzler's comprehensive notes, this is the definitive collection of two earlier volumes entitled Old Time Music at Clarence Ashley's. These LP's introduced the world to Doc Watson and played an important role in the folk revival of the '60s. Featured are Gaither Carlton, Clint Howard, Fred Price, Jack Burchett, and others. Compiled by Ralph Rinzler, Matt Walters and Jeff Place. Annotated by Ralph Rinzler. "Soul pours out of these unschooled folk musicians..." -- SF Chronicle

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A revelation, April 11, 2001

By	John A. Sloat (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is one of the most amazing sets of recordings that I have ever heard. I listen to a fairly wide range of jazz and classical (Ellington to Ayler, Bach to Ligeti) but have only recently begun listening to old-time folk. The intimacy, clarity of sound and creativity of these recordings might be matched elsewhere, but they cannot be surpassed. The musicianship is quite incredible - I wish I did anything as well as these gentlemen play their instruments. Each song sends shivers down my spine. It is disturbing to consider how few people will hear this album. Order it now & become one of the blessed few.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sorry, - there's only 5 stars to give, worth 10, November 17, 2000

By	6XERVANTES (Dortmund, Ruhr Valley, Germany) - See all my reviews

Such a variety on one double-disk - it's incredible. What's more, it's soulful, handmade, down-to-earth music - a kind of music we will probably never hear again in the age of plastic and computer chips. Both Doc and Clarence are first-rate musicians, too. Dig the guitar playing and the banjo, dig the fantastic, never syrupy, harmony singing. And these songs tell stories, stories about ordinary people in a big country and a great nation. To me as a European, this music is probably as close as I can get to the soul of that dreamland - AMERICA. The packaging, the booklet and the sound quality (given the circumstances and the time of recording) are superb, too. US record number ONE of the 20th century?

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic, fun, wonderful, August 19, 2002

By	Tony Thomas (SUNNY ISLES BEACH, FL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

I've owned these recordings first as records, then as tapes, and now as CDs since they came out in the early 1960s. After 40 years, they are still fresh, fun, and fantasic, they make me want to pick up my guitar and my banjo and pick behind them. You will find that there is a slight overlap in the cds compared with the original versions of the records. More tunes and more players are on here, particularly banjo players, than on the original records, and some tunes that were on the original recordings under this title now appear on Smithsonian Folkways' new version of the Watson Family. All and all, I couldn't think of the last 40 years of my life without these CDs.