Clarence Ashley And Doc Watson: The Original Folkways Recordings, 1960-1962 [2-CD Set]

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When blind singer/guitarist Arthel "Doc" Watson was "discovered" by folklorist Ralph Rinzler in 1960 he sounded as though he'd been picking for a hundred years, not to mention the fact that his huge repertoire of old songs seemed like it could go on for days. Watson had actually been playing in a honky-tonk band when Rinzler came across him in Deep Gap, North Carolina. When he asked Doc to set down his electric guitar he created one of the first--and most lasting--stars of the folk revival. Ashley was already a mountain music legend himself when he cut these front-porch sessions; picking a fine banjo and singing along on one standard--like "Shady Grove" and "Peg and Awl"--after another. --Michael Ruby

Product Description:
With 20 previously unreleased performances, many rare photos, and producer Ralph Rinzler's comprehensive notes, this is the definitive collection of two earlier volumes entitled Old Time Music at Clarence Ashley's. These LP's introduced the world to Doc Watson and played an important role in the folk revival of the '60s. Featured are Gaither Carlton, Clint Howard, Fred Price, Jack Burchett, and others. Compiled by Ralph Rinzler, Matt Walters and Jeff Place. Annotated by Ralph Rinzler. "Soul pours out of these unschooled folk musicians..." -- SF Chronicle

Clarence Ashley And Doc Watson: The Original Folkways Recordings, 1960-1962 [2-CD Set]

Tracks:

Crawdad Song
I'm Sitting On Top Of The World
Lee Highway Blues
Free Little Bird
The Coo-Coo Bird
Rising Sun Blues
Looking T'ward Heaven
Rambling Hobo
Rambling Hobo
Shady Grove
Cumberland Gap
Tough Luck
Humpbacked Mule
My Home's Across The Blue Ridge Mountains
Way Down Town
Banks Of The Ohio
Little Sadie
Carroll County Blues
Cluck Old Hen
Chilly Winds (Lonesome Road Blues)
Sweet Heaven When I Die
Fire On The Mountain
Will The Circle Be Unbroken
Daniel Prayed
Amazing Grace

Tracks:

Sally Ann
Richmond Blues
Old Ruben
Willie Moore
Walking Boss
Shout Lulu
Skillet Good And Greasy
Pretty Little Pink
Run, Jimmie, Run
Hicks' Farewell
The Old Man At The Mill
A Short Life Of Trouble
Brown's Dream
Footprints In The Snow
I'm Going Back To Jericho
Peg And Awl
Maggie Walker Blues
God's Gonna Ease My Troublin' Mind
I Saw A Man At The Close Of Day
Handsome Molly
John Henry
Honey Babe Blues
Wayfaring Pilgrim

Amazon.com

When blind singer/guitarist Arthel "Doc" Watson was "discovered" by folklorist Ralph Rinzler in 1960 he sounded as though he'd been picking for a hundred years, not to mention the fact that his huge repertoire of old songs seemed like it could go on for days. Watson had actually been playing in a honky-tonk band when Rinzler came across him in Deep Gap, North Carolina. When he asked Doc to set down his electric guitar he created one of the first--and most lasting--stars of the folk revival. Ashley was already a mountain music legend himself when he cut these front-porch sessions; picking a fine banjo and singing along on one standard--like "Shady Grove" and "Peg and Awl"--after another. --Michael Ruby

Album Description

With 20 previously unreleased performances, many rare photos, and producer Ralph Rinzler's comprehensive notes, this is the definitive collection of two earlier volumes entitled Old Time Music at Clarence Ashley's. These LP's introduced the world to Doc Watson and played an important role in the folk revival of the '60s. Featured are Gaither Carlton, Clint Howard, Fred Price, Jack Burchett, and others. Compiled by Ralph Rinzler, Matt Walters and Jeff Place. Annotated by Ralph Rinzler. "Soul pours out of these unschooled folk musicians..." -- SF Chronicle

Customer Reviews:

American Music for the Desert Island.......2004-08-26

These recordings with Doc & Clarence Ashley are as good as American folk/old-time music gets. And the performances are truly timeless -- it could've been 1910 or 1960 or 2010. When you've had it with flash-in-the-pan, here-today-forgotten-tomorrow dreck that's on eMpTV and the radio, then put on this disk & enjoy the music.

Clarence Ashley/Doc Watson Review.......2003-12-18

I'm a big Doc Watson fan and was expecting more vocals from Doc. The CD featured more Ashley and less Doc than I expected. I was somewhat disappointed. If you're buying this CD because your an Ashley fan then I'd think that you'll find it satisfying. On the other hand, if you're getting it because you want to hear Doc, then you may be less than satisfied.

Classic, fun, wonderful.......2002-08-20

I've owned these recordings first as records, then as tapes, and now as CDs since they came out in the early 1960s. After 40 years, they are still fresh, fun, and fantasic, they make me want to pick up my guitar and my banjo and pick behind them. You will find that there is a slight overlap in the cds compared with the original versions of the records. More tunes and more players are on here, particularly banjo players, than on the original records, and some tunes that were on the original recordings under this title now appear on Smithsonian Folkways' new version of the Watson Family. All and all, I couldn't think of the last 40 years of my life without these CDs.

A revelation.......2001-04-12

This is one of the most amazing sets of recordings that I have ever heard. I listen to a fairly wide range of jazz and classical (Ellington to Ayler, Bach to Ligeti) but have only recently begun listening to old-time folk. The intimacy, clarity of sound and creativity of these recordings might be matched elsewhere, but they cannot be surpassed. The musicianship is quite incredible - I wish I did anything as well as these gentlemen play their instruments. Each song sends shivers down my spine. It is disturbing to consider how few people will hear this album. Order it now & become one of the blessed few.

Sorry, - there's only 5 stars to give, worth 10.......2000-11-18

Such a variety on one double-disk - it's incredible. What's more, it's soulful, handmade, down-to-earth music - a kind of music we will probably never hear again in the age of plastic and computer chips. Both Doc and Clarence are first-rate musicians, too. Dig the guitar playing and the banjo, dig the fantastic, never syrupy, harmony singing. And these songs tell stories, stories about ordinary people in a big country and a great nation. To me as a European, this music is probably as close as I can get to the soul of that dreamland - AMERICA. The packaging, the booklet and the sound quality (given the circumstances and the time of recording) are superb, too. US record number ONE of the 20th century?

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