Music From The Lost Provinces: Old-Time Stringbands From Ashe County, North Carolina & Vicinity 1927-1931

Various Artists - Country - Traditional

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 27, 1999)
• Original Release Date: April 13, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Old Hat Records / Enterprises
• ASIN: B00000I9NA
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #27,124 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  #3 in	Music > Country > Compilations > Classic Country
  #42 in	Music > Country > Classic Country > Old-Time Country

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
For whatever reason, the so-called "Lost Provinces" of North Carolina--Ashe, Watauga, and Alleghany Counties--were a breeding ground for fantastic string bands in the late '20s. Maybe it was the isolated and tough nature of the region that inspired folks to turn to music. Or perhaps all those enterprising record companies were eager to sign old-time musicians. Whatever the case, the talent on this anthology of vintage 78 records is astounding and, at times, surprising. Is it possible, for instance, to listen to the Woodie Brothers sing "Likes Likker Better Than Me"--a woman's lament for her alcoholic love interest--with a straight face? Probably not. And why the heck did Jack Reedy & His Walker Mountain String Band use a Hawaiian guitar for the intro to "Chinese Breakdown"? Don't worry, there's also plenty of straightforward and memorable string band music here from the likes of Grayson & Whitter, Frank Blevins, the Smyth County Ramblers, and more. Throughout, you'll hear incredible old-time guitar, fiddle, and (thanks to Jack Reedy) banjo playing on a thoroughly engaging collection of laments, traditional tunes, and at least one presidential campaign number ("Governor Al Smith For President"). As with Old Hat's Violin, Sing the Blues for Me compilation, you'll find copious liner notes and excellent remastering in this wonderful package. --Jason Verlinde

Product Description
Reissues 22 songs and tunes recorded between 1927-1931 by stringbands from Ashe County, North Carolina, a mountainous area in the northwest corner of the state once known as "The Lost Provinces" because of its extreme isolation. The music includes traditional fiddle tunes, folk songs, Anglo-Irish ballads, comic songs, topical numbers, and original compositions, all from a time period often called the "golden era" of old-time string music. The anthology brings together for the first time the complete recordings of Frank Blevins & His Tar Heel Rattlers, the Carolina Night Hawks, the North Carolina Ridge Runners, and many more. All tracks on the CD have been carefully remastered from original 78rpm records. A 28-page booklet presents a detailed history of the music based on interviews with original band members. Also included is a complete discography and numerous vintage photographs, many never before published. Music From The Lost Provinces is the premier release! from Old Hat Records, a label devoted to quality reissues coupled with thorough historical research.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Super-cool, super rare old-timey music, July 26, 2002

By	Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com (...in Middle America) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

It's pretty amazing, this late in the folkloric/historic reissues game, to find a whole album's worth of "undiscovered" old-timey music that is of such a high caliber. Old Hat Records, a tiny North Carolina indie label, packs its discs with some of the best music in the style that you're ever likely to hear. (You might also want to check out the "Violin, Sing For Me" and "Folks, He Sure Do Pull Some Bow" CDs...) This disc concentrates its attention geographically, collecting old 78s from artists out of Ashe County, NC, one of those backwoods areas unusually rich in hillbilly talent. The best known of these artists was the team of Grayson & Whitter (who were favorites of Ralph Stanley), but there are plenty of other great Ashe County artists on here, with fab names like The Woodies, The Carolina Night Hawks and (my favorite) Ephraim Woodie & The Henpecked Husbands. In addition to great sound quality and great material, both discs are also quite handsomely packaged; the insert booklets include some really cool archival photos, as well as extensive liner notes of the sort that have been woefully absent on similar recent reissue efforts.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Astonishing, May 22, 2002

By A Customer

Sure, this CD probably isn't for everyone. If you like your music produced in such a way so that all the life, soul, and passion is drowned out in a slick, radio friendly sound, that makes it sound like everything else on the radio you need to steer very clear of this one. But if you like your music real, exciting, and full of life, snatch this one up pronto.

Far from being mere "musicology" (though given its age alone, I suppose, on one level it can exist as that) this is a reminder that often times the best music comes from seemingly "unlikely" places. Unlikely that is, for those who assume that only contemporary pop stars can offer talent. One listen to the rough, no holes barred, fiddling, the shaggy but captivating vocals will prove that the further away music gets from the current corporate run music industry, the more exciting it becomes. Fans of "O Brother" will want to check this one out and see where it came from.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great artists, great songs, great album, August 24, 2001

By	Frank Allen Blissett III (Sault Sainte Marie, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This is one of the best old-time collections I've found. The featured instrument on most of the tracks is the fiddle (of which you'll hear many different "voices"), which is arranged with guitar, banjo and voice. The remastering was done quite well and the tracks HAVE been cleaned up. Purists need not worry though, as they managed to avoid that "watery" sound some of the worst collections out there have, and also managed to avoid flattness in the sound while keeping with the original mono feel. As for the liner notes, they're about as good as you can get. Three pages are devoted to discographical information, followed by ninteen pages of biographical and cultural information along with numberous photos.