Various Artists – Kentucky Mountain Music: Classic Recordings Of The 1920s & 1930s

Kentucky has long held a special allure for folk song scholars, collectors of hillbilly 78s, revivalists and other aficionados of old-time music. It’s a near-mythical place in the minds of these folks, a place where fact and legend often overlap. It’s a plain fact, however, that Kentucky has long been a wellspring of hillbilly music, which is confirmed by the very existence of this 7 CD box set. Other CD reissues have been devoted to the music of a state or region, but this collection sets a new standard for the comprehensive examination of the music of a geographic locale.

At the turn of the last century and up through the time these recordings were made, Kentucky was undergoing rapid economic, social and cultural changes. As one might expect, all this had an impact on the development of the varying musical styles captured on the early commercial and field recordings found here.

In fact, what’s noticeable immediately is the diversity of musical styles; nearly the entire spectrum of old-time music is represented. There are unaccompanied singers performing ballads with roots in England; others sing mountain love songs, or tunes that describe recent local events, often accompanying themselves on banjos or guitars. There are string bands and fiddlers playing everything from hot fiddle breakdowns to blues and rags to sophisticated pop songs. And of course, there are groups performing sacred material.

Most of the music is drawn from early 78s, but some come from field recordings, mostly the work of Alan Lomax. At times it’s hard to tell which are which; some of the earliest commercial recordings were made by people whose repertoires leaned toward the more traditional, and whose backgrounds were similar, if not identical, to those whose performances were documented by folklorists and song collectors.

The songs and tunes are not organized in any particular manner, so each successive cut is a surprise. Singer and guitarist Asa Martin, one of the unsung heroes of old-time country music, is well-represented throughout, both as an accompanist for fiddlers Doc Roberts and Charlie Wilson, and as a vocalist. Of special note is his version of “Hot Corn” (now a bluegrass standard), with Doc Roberts playing some hot mandolin.

Also a highlight are Taylor’s Kentucky Boys, a string band led by an African-American fiddler named Jim Booker. Their recording session for Gennett Records in Richmond, Indiana, in 1927 was one of the first integrated recording sessions in the history of American popular music. These exquisite examples of Anglo-American fiddling by a black man contrast intriguingly with some of the fine string-band blues performances by white groups included in this set. The contrast may raise more questions than it answers about the development of country music.