Bayou Bluegrass

by Jim Smoak, Jim Smoak & the Louisiana Honeydrippers

Overview

While banjoist Jim Smoak isn't well-known in bluegrass circles, his credentials are excellent. Smoak played and recorded with Bill Monroe in the early '50s and, following a stint in the army, played with Hylo Brown. In 1960 Smoak returned to the south and put together the Louisiana Honeydrippers for a recording session with Harry Oster. One can immediately pick up the influence of Monroe and the more rustic strains of tradition on Bayou Bluegrass. Smoak's old-time vocals seem just right for folk tunes like "Liza Jane," "Old Dan Tucker," and "Mama Don't Allow," and the band's accompaniment, more reminiscent of 1946 than 1960, seems just right. The ingredient that separates these songs and instrumentals from other traditional albums, however, is the "Bayou" factor, which is provided alternately by fiddlers Dewey Edwards and Bucky Wood. Edwards' bow work on "Rabbit, Where's Your Mammy?" and "The Fisher's Hornpipe" gives these pieces a real Cajun flavor. Smoak reinforces this old-time Cajun feel by using claw-hammer and single-note style, respectively, on these pieces. Several songs, including "East Bound Train" and "Underneath the Weeping Willow," are smoothed out a bit by J.C and V.J. Meyers' fine harmony. Bayou Bluegrass is a vital disc, full of inspired performances and lots of deft picking. The 2002 reissue includes four previously unreleased bonus cuts. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/27/2002
Label:	Arhoolie
UPC:	0096297903223
Rank:	122635

Tracks

1. Calinda
2. Run, Boy, Run
3. Liza Jane
4. My Last Dollar Is Gone
5. Old Dan Tucker
6. The Lakes of Ponchartrain
7. Rabbit, Where's Your Mammy?
8. Underneath the Weeping Willow
9. Chicken Pie
10. Kissin' Cousins
11. Woodchuck in the Deadnin'
12. Poor Man
13. Whoah, Mule, Whoah
14. Great Big Billy Goat
15. Bill Cheatum
16. Raisin' a Ruckus Tonight
17. The Fisher's Hornpipe
18. East Bound Train
19. Hop Light Ladies
20. Silver Dagger
21. Mama Don't Allow

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Jim Smoak   Primary Artist,Banjo,Vocals
Jim Smoak & the Louisiana Honeydrippers   Primary Artist
Lum York   Bass

Technical Credits

Chris Strachwitz   Reissue Producer,Producer,Liner Notes
Traditional   Composer
Clifton Chenier   Composer
Fred Wise   Composer
Harry Oster   Engineer,Liner Notes
Jim Smoak   Leader
Randy Starr   Composer
Mississippi Fred McDowell   Composer
Public Domain   Composer