Southern Banjo Sounds

by Mike Seeger

Overview

With this collection, Mike Seeger's intention is to illustrate the wide variety of banjo sounds heard in the rural South before 1950. Each of the 26 tracks employs a different style, using a range of techniques, many in the clawhammer, two-finger, and three-finger style; "Come My Little Pink," for instance, specifically emulates Earl Scruggs' playing. The repertoire of the songs chosen covers a similarly wide range, from blues and bluegrass to 19th century African-American banjo and traditional folk. As icing on the cake, no less than 23 separate banjos were used in the recording (photos of each model are in the liner notes). As you might gather from such a carefully assembled disc, the presentation tends toward the academic and preservationist, rather than the original and artistic; Seeger is a fine and versatile player, though only adequate as a singer. It's of most use to banjo players and scholarly types looking for a handy reference to Southern banjo styles, and it's a successful project when judged by those standards, embellished by lengthy and readable liner notes from Seeger, including a brief history of the American banjo and details about each track. The most unusual item is "Down South Blues" (which Seeger learned from Dock Boggs), on which he achieves a slide banjo-like effect. ~ Richie Unterberger

Product Details

Release Date:	09/15/1998
Label:	Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
UPC:	0093074010723
Rank:	93069

Tracks

1. Soon in the Morning Babe
2. Josh Thomas's Roustabout
3. Jim Crack Corn
4. Darling Cora
5. Devil's Dream
6. Little Birdie
7. Around the World
8. Whoopin' Up Cattle
9. Flop Eared Mule
10. Lost Gander
11. The Sailor and the Soldier
12. American Spanish Fandango
13. Got No Silver Nor Gold Blues
14. We're Up Against It Now
15. That's What the Old Bachelor's Made Out Of
16. The Last of Callahan
17. Lady Gay
18. Down South Blues
19. Last Night When My Willie Come Home
20. Wabash Blues
21. Bright Sunny South
22. Roll on John
23. Needlecase
24. Come My Little Pink
25. Battle in the Horseshoe
26. I'm Head Over Heels in Love

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Mike Seeger   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Fred Meinken   Composer
Traditional   Composer
Charlie Pilzer   Mastering
Jeremy Ledbetter   Photography
Peter Seitel   Editorial
Michael Maloney   Production Coordination
Dane Penland   Cover Art
Carla Borden   Editing
Mary Monseur   Production Coordination
John Lair   Composer
Pete Reiniger   Sound Supervision
Lester Flatt   Composer
Mike Seeger   Engineer,Producer,Liner Notes
Anthony Seeger   Production Supervisor
Dave Ringle   Composer
Tom Adams   Engineer