Bluegrass at the Roots: 1961

by The Lilly Brothers

Overview

Bluegrass at the Roots: 1961 is split half-and-half between the Lilly Brothers dueting in the traditional bluegrass "brother" style of the Monroe Brothers and the Blue Sky Boys; and a larger band session that brings in the phenomenal Don Stover on banjo, as well as band regular Herb Hooven on fiddle and bass, with Mike Seeger contributing occasional bass and detailed liner notes. The material focuses totally on the traditional side of things and might be too somber in general tone for some listeners. Although the Lilly Brothers recorded modern pieces and liked to mix the repertoire up, it must be said that they really sink their teeth into this chance to focus on old-timey music exclusively. The vocals from brothers Everett Allen and Bea Lilly are piercing, and as clean as a West Virginia mountain stream might have been before the mines were opened. Instrumentally, things only really jump when Stover steps in and drives ten-penny nails through the front of his banjo head. The recording quality is a trifle mousy sounding; it was supposedly done with an Ampex machine and Electrovoice microphones, so it must have happened in the mastering. ~ Eugene Chadbourne

Product Details

Release Date:	04/26/2005
Label:	Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
UPC:	0093074015827
Rank:	114116

Tracks

1. In My Dear Old Southern Home
2. Midnight on the Stormy Sea
3. Forgotten Soldier Boy
4. Down on the Banks of the Ohio
5. Where Is My Sailor Boy?
6. Sinner, You Better Get Ready
7. What Would You Give in Exchange?
8. Oh, Hide You in the Blood
9. Little Annie
10. 'Neath That Cold Grey Tomb of Stone
11. Barbara Allen
12. The Fox and Hounds
13. John Hardy
14. Old Joe Clark
15. Salt River
16. Cornbread and 'Lasses and Sassafras Tea
17. The Waves on the Sea
18. Saints Go Marching In

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Lilly Brothers   Primary Artist
Don Stover   Primary Artist,Vocals,Banjo
Herb Hooven   Double Bass,Bass,Fiddle
Bea Lilly   Guitar,Vocals,Vocal Harmony
Mike Seeger   Double Bass,String Bass
Everett Lilly   Banjo,Fiddle,Guitar,Vocals,Mandolin,Vocal Harmony

Technical Credits

Mike Seeger   Liner Notes,Audio Engineer,Audio Production,Essay,Editing,Engineer
Dan Sheehy   Production Supervisor
D.A. Sonneborn   Production Supervisor
Ellsworth T. Cozzens   Composer
Sonya Cohen Cramer   Package Design,Layout Design
Richard K. Spottswood   Track Notes,Discographical Information,Liner Notes
Bea Lilly   Group Member
Everett Lilly   Composer,Group Member
Bert Layne   Composer
Mary Monseur   Production Coordination
Carla Borden   Editorial Assistant
Mel Foree   Composer
Pete Reiniger   Mastering
John Cohen   Cover Design,Photography
Pete Kuykendall   Discographical Information
Stephen Foster   Composer
Traditional   Composer