Americana Country Historical

Old Time Music in Clay County, West Virginia

MetroNews, a site in West Virginia, posted an interesting feature this week on the premiere of a documentary about old time music in and around Clay County, which is in West Virginia.

The story is accompanied by an extended trailer for the film, “In Tune: A Community of Musicians.” It’s above. Both the trailer and the film are from West Virginia Public Broadcasting. The hour-long documentary, produced by Russ Barbour, is intended to complement Ken Burns’ eight part country music documentary that will air nationally in September.

The welcome and perhaps somewhat surprising news is that a good deal of this music is available. Recordings made in the first half of the 20th century had more or less sat in dusty catalogs now are available for listening and purchase at many places on the Internet. Click here or on the image for “Classic Old-time Music” from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. “The Art of Old-Time Mountain Music” from Rounder Heritage also looks good. Click here.
The Barbour film is structured around 1975 footage of country music, which is more commonly called “hillbilly music.” I get the sense that the community of people who play this music want to move on from that somewhat pejorative term.

The preview paints the picture of music that has remained the same in spirit but gradually shifted with the times. A couple of the speakers make the point that the music is about collaboration and emotion. It’s community-based and seems that the line between the audience and the performers is not set in stone. One of the individuals interviewed said that the music generally isn’t electrified or amplified.

Clay County and surrounding areas were isolated early on. At times the only ways to reach the region were walking or by boat. Slowly, the natural resources of the area attracted industry and the businesses that supported them. The population grew. The people who arrived brought their own music, which was integrated into the whole.

This music is at the heart of our country and is closely aligned with blues and other genres. “Old​-​Time Music from Clay & Calhoun Counties” is available from Bandcamp. The Field Recorders’ Collective offers a live recording from the 1975 Brandywine Mountain Music Convention. Featured are Phoeba Cottrell Parson (banjo and vocalist), Ira J. Mullins (fiddler), Jenes Cottrell (banjo), Wilson Douglas (fiddler) and the Morris Brothers (MCs and unidentified instruments).

The Morris Brothers are in the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame. Their induction video (below) is very interesting. These guys — and many like them — are deeply entwined in American history.

Folks interested in old time music may enjoy an interview and song (“The Cuckoo”) from Clarence Ashley.

Our New Things: Links to Music Sites and Info on Analog Tech and Vinyl

TDMB has focused on music and musicians. We will continue to do that, of course. We're also expanding our coverage to include vinyl and analog equipment.

More specifically, we'll look at this huge and interesting world from the perspective of music lovers who want a better experience, not committed non-audiophiles.

Check out is some of what we've written so far:

-- Assessing the Value of Vinyl Records: An Overview

-- 7 Quick Tips on Optimizing Your Turntable Cartridge

-- Why Vinyl Records Continue to Thrive

-- Finding the Best Amplifier

-- Finding the Best Phono Preamp

-- What Speakers Do I Need for My Turntable?

Check out more articles on analog equipment and vinyl.

The site also is home to The Internet Music Mapping Project, an effort to list and describe as many music-related sites as possible.

Our Music

--A Tribe Called Quest to The Dick Hyman Trio (In other words, A to H)

--Indigo Girls to Queen Ida (I to Q)

--Radiohead to ZZ Top (R to Z)

Reading Music

The stories of the great bands and musicians are fascinating. Musicians as a group are brilliant, but often troubled. The combination of creativity and drama makes for great reading.

Here are some books to check out.

Duke Ellington brought class, sophistication and style to jazz which, until that point, was proudly unpolished and raucous. His story is profound. The author, Terry Teachout, also wrote "Pops," the acclaimed bio of Louis Armstrong. Click here or on the image.

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What else is there to say? Here is the story behind every song written by The Beatles. Click here or on the image.

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The Grateful Dead don't get enough credit for the profound nature of its lyrics. Many of the band's songs are driven by a deep and literate Americana ("I'm Uncle Sam/That's who I am/Been hidin' out/In a rock and roll band" and "Majordomo Billy Bojangles/Sit down and have a drink with me/What's this about Alabama/Keeps comin' back to me?").

David Dodd's exhaustive study tells the story, song by song. Click here or on the image.

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