Happy Trails Indeed.

Thanks again to Sally for letting me sit-in at Greenespace these past two weeks; it's been a lot of fun. I am excited to have Sally back! Thanks to her, and to you, dear readers, for putting up with me and my posts.

As a modest going away present of sorts, I am posting an mp3 podcast entitled "An Evolutionary History of Country Music." I put this together back in 1997, shortly after purchasing the Smithsonian Institution's History of American Country Music, which was released in the 1990s and featured fantastic the fantastic liner notes of country music historian Sam Malone. This is a "best of" that box set (which clocked in at 6 discs, I believe), but is still quite an enjoyable listen, especially on a sunny Friday. I have broken it into two volumes, 1 and 2, due to the size of these mp3 files (approximately 45 minutes each).

The problem with the phrase "country music" is that it conjures up Toby Keith and Karl Rove and Hummers-- but that style is actually "modern country." This, on the other hand, is "classic country," also known as "roots music"; in fact, Smithsonian probably could have chosen a different name for its collection. This is the "good stuff," the music that is part of what writer Greil Marcus famously called the "old weird America," featuring old timey groups like the Louvin Brothers and W. Lee O'Daniel and his Light Crust Doughboys. It is "country" music, but if you are looking for Alan Jackson, look elsewhere-- most of this stuff was written or recorded in the 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s.

The tracklist appears below, as does a link to download Volumes 1 and 2. I hope you enjoy it, Greenespace readers, and like Jimmie Davis says, remember to keep on the sunny side!

THE TRACKLIST:
Hard Travelin'-- Woodie Guthrie
Sylvie-- Leadbelly
Blue Moon of Kentucky-- Bill Monroe and his Bluegrass Boys
Hesitation Blues-- Dave Von Ronk
Freight Train-- Elizabeth Cotten
Have a feast here tonight-- Bill Monroe and Doc Watson
Wildwood Flower-- The Carter Family
Waiting on a Train-- Jimmie Rodgers
Just Because-- The Shelton Brothers
My Mary-- W. Lee O'Daniel and His Light Crust Doughboys
South of the Border-- Gene Autry
Walking the Floor Over You-- Ernest Tubb
Born to Lose-- Ted Daffan's Texans
You are my sunshine-- Jimmie Davis
Cattle Call-- Eddie Arnold
Philadelphia Lawyer-- The Maddox Brothers and Rose
It's mighty dark to travel-- Bill Monroe and his Bluegrass Boys
Randy Lynn Ragg-- Flatt and Scruggs
I walk the line-- Johnny Cash
Faded Love-- Patsy Cline
When I stop dreaming-- The Louvin Brothers
Folsom Prison Blues-- Johnny Cash
Mama Tried-- Merle Haggard
El Paso-- Marty Robbins
Kneeling Drunkard's Plea-- The Louvin Brothers
Boulder to Birmingham-- Emmylou Harris
King of the Road-- Roger Miller
Rocky Top-- The Osborne Brothers
The Great Atomic Power-- The Louvin Brothers
Raised by the Railroad Line-- The Seldom Scene
Driftin too far from the shore-- The Seldom Scene
I'm so lonesome I could cry-- The Cowboy Junkies

Download Volume 1:
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=B52E763051384E87&rcpt=johnmoye@gmail.com

Download Volume 2:
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=8D1906FB58882DB6&rcpt=johnmoye@gmail.com