Album Description

"Beautifully assembled, meticulously annotated, Folks is yet another striking contribution by Old Hat to the reassessment, if not the rewriting, of blues history. This is wonderfully unexpected music which refuses to conform to any of the accepted conventions of 12-bar blues. It should serve as a reminder of why the world continues to be drawn to this music, described by early observers as something unaccountably wild and strange. Folks restores some of that wildness, strangeness, and incalculable beauty." Peter Guralnick - author Careless Love, Searching For Robert Johnson, Last Train To Memphis

"I love this CD. So much so that I am jealous and wish that I had done it!" Lawrence Cohn - producer American Odeon's Blind Willie McTell box set, Columbia/Legacy's Roots N’ Blues Series

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

A fantastic collection of old-time music, "Folks, He Sure Do Pull Some Bow!" captures vintage fiddle music at that rare crossroads where the blues, jazz, and something that would one day be called folk were all in their infancy. For fiddle virtuosos performing between 1927 and 1935, quite simply, anything goes. Banjo Ikey Robinson's red hot "My Four Reasons" swings with humor and pizzazz, the State Street Boys' "Rustlin' Man" features the down-and-out blues vocals and fiddling of Big Bill Broonzy , and the Mississippi Sheiks' jazzy, but blues-inspired "Lazy Lazy River" musically straddles both sides of the Mason Dixon Line. For many listeners, the more esoteric tracks will stick out: Bo Chatman (a.k.a. double-entendre blues king Bo Carter) is heard fiddling behind Alec Johnson's goofy vocals on "Sister Maud Mule" (and in the spotlight on his own "Good Old Turnip Greens"); the Georgia Yellow Hammers' "G Rag" is the product of a then-rare integrated recording session; and Abrew's Portuguese Instrumental Trio performs "Cabo Verdranos Peca Nove" with incredible fiddling on what must be one of the first attempts at a crossover world-music disc. It's all here--great remastering, in-depth liner notes, and wonderful playing. Each release from Old Hat--Violin, Sing the Blues for Me and Music from the Lost Provinces--feels definitive, and this gem is certainly no different. --Jason Verlinde

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Discs and Tracks

Disc 1
  1 - Rukus Juice And Chittlin' - Memphis Jug Band
  2 - The Jazz Fiddler - Walter Jacobs And Lonnie Carter
  3 - Moanin' And Groanin' Blues - "Peg Leg" Howell And His Gang
  4 - Dance Hall Shuffle - Clifford Hayes' Louisville Stompers
  5 - My Four Reasons - Banjo Ikey Robinson And His Bull Fiddle Band
  6 - Wild Cow Blues - Joe Williams' Washboard Blues Singers
  7 - Knox County Stomp - Tennessee Chocolate Drops
  8 - Rustlin' Man - State Street Boys
  9 - Sister Maud Mule - Alec Johnson
  10 - G Rag - Georgia Yellow Hammers
  11 - Throw Me In The Alley - Peetie Wheatstraw And His Blue Blowers
  12 - If You Can't Make It Easy, Sweet Mama - Dixieland Jug Blowers
  13 - Bunker Hill Blues - Frank Stokes
  14 - I Got A Gal - James Cole's String Band
  15 - Sweet To Mama - State Street Boys
  16 - Doctor Medicine - South Memphis Jug Band
  17 - Cabo Verdranos Peca Nove - Abrew's Portuguese Instrumental Trio
  18 - Worried Man Blues - Joe Williams' Washboard Blues Singers
  19 - Georgia Crawl - Henry Williams And Eddie Anthony
  20 - Good Old Turnip Greens - Bo Chatman
  21 - Memphis Stomp - The Blue Boys
  22 - Get Up Off That Jazzophone - The Bubbling-Over Five
  23 - Rukus Juice Shuffle - Alabama Rascals
  24 - Lazy Lazy River - Mississippi Sheiks

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Hats off to Old Hat Records        Rating:

Like Old Hat's other compilations, this one is superb. The remastering is sufficiently clear and the liner notes are a joy to read. Know though that it highlights the use of the fiddle in African American music in the 1920's and 1930's. As the album cover states, the songs span the range from blues to jazz to jug band to even old time string band. Overall, it is a fascinating history lesson.

A delight for the ears and eyes        Rating:

Old Hat Records always goes the extra mile to present incredibly rare sides from vintage 78s. The sound quality is top-notch, and the generous booklet is packed with equally rare photography, highly-informative notes and thorough documentation.

There are lots of reissues of early recordings, but all the offerings from Old Hat are head and shoulders above the rest.

Sure, the pirates of the world can probably find this material in MP3 format, but despicable thievery aside, they're missing out on the complete package. The music combined with the ample booklet is the true prize. The true value is owning this release, holding it in your hand: listening, reading, viewing the rare photos.

Whether you're a hard-core collector or occasional enthusiast of early recordings of Jazz and Blues, you'll enjoy this truly superlative production.

old time magic.        Rating:

a wonderful disc of old time fiddle/violin recordings. pianos, guitars, banjos, and vocals also are present on a 24 set of songs that all old time music lovers should possess.

People Music for Real People        Rating:

Inspired by my recent review of Sam Ku West's cd of Hawaiian steel guitar from 1927 and '28, and his version of Memphis Blues contained therein, I decided I need to review Violin, Sing the Blues for Me which contains a killer Memphis Blues by the Mobile Strugglers. Then of course I had to review this, its equally compelling companion disc.

This stuff is history-come-alive. There's a fun tidbit for those folks who still think the blues began with Robert Johnson. Check Wild Cow Blues by Joe Williams' Washboard Singers, recorded in 1935... before RJ's earliest sides. RJ obviously listened to, liked, and studied this side. RJ's iconic vocal phrasings come straight from here, but RJ had the better voice, thus pulling them off more powerfully.

Rukus Juice features some serious fiddling over a hopping groove. Moanin' and Groanin' Blues has the best humming this side of one of the better Grateful Dead Candymans.

You also get Lonnie Johnson. You may largely think of him as one of the best lyricists and guitarists (both 6 and 12-string) the blues have ever known, or as one of the primal jazz guitarists, but had Lonnie gotten tired of the guitar he could have taken Stephane Grappelli's place in the QHCF with little problem. His Memphis Stomp glides and swirls through time in rather astounding fashion. Pre-war Lonnie Johnson was THE MAN. I still don't understand why there isn't a complete boxset of him from 1925-1932. But I digress...

From slow blues drawl, to a track like Peetie Wheatstraw's Throw Me in the Alley, which would have made King Oliver proud. There's a lot of ground covered here, much of it great. Just try to hold still during Doctor Medicine by the South Memphis Jug Band!

The heart and soul of both this and "Violin, Sing..." are the people you probably never heard of. People who may have only recorded a few sides total, and have rarely if ever before been presented on cd. The few tracks by the famous greats can be heard elsewhere, so it's those largely forgotten by time who make this such a gift.

Phenomenal!        Rating:

Well, I completely disagree with the negative review below, and I have a feeling that the gentleman who wrote it, who claims to be a mediocre picker of several instruments, will remain mediocre for his entire life. Fiddle and violin are not the same thing. As the old joke goes, the difference between the two is that you shouldn't spill beer on a violin.

To expect rural and traditional black fiddlers from the Depression to play fiddle like classically trained modern fiddlers like Mark O'Connor or Allison Krauss is like expecting your country Grandma to make Hazelnut-crusted filet of Chilean Seabass with a Pomegranate and Wasabi reduction for Sunday dinner, instead of pot roast and mashed potatoes. It's an absurd expectation. This is the music of real people. Many of these musicians undoubtedly farmed or did other backbreaking labor all week, taking their only joy from the music they'd play on the weekend. Their faithful listeners were in the same boat.

Remember that for many of these recordings, the concept of "jazz" hadn't been invented yet. Bluegrass, for that matter, wouldn't be invented for a couple more decades.

Anyone with a genuine appreciation for American traditional and folk music will love this album. Yes, some of the recording quality is a little bit rough (many of the songs sound like they're playing on an old turntable instead of on a CD), but it's completely listenable, not nearly as difficult to listen to as many other re-released gems from this era. Listen to it with an open mind, and after you've heard the first few tunes, your brain will automatically tune out the static (which is minimal to begin with).

This album is one of the more brilliant re-releases and collections from this era. Get an idea of what real people were listening to and playing in this time period. You'll thank yourself for giving it a try.

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