Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard

Amazon.com
The partnership of the Thelma and Louise of folk music represents a curious convergence on a few fronts. Hazel Dickens is the daughter of a banjo-picking preacher in West Virginia. Alice Gerrard was raised in Oakland, California, by classically trained parents. A leftist political perspective underscores the songs of both women, but in very different ways. Dickens puts one in mind of old labor while Gerrard was inspired to write "Beaufort County Jail" after reading an article by New Leftist Angela Davis in Ms. What they did share was a deep affection for old-timey music, even if one of the women was weaned on the stuff while the other picked up on it while in college. The two began singing together in 1962; this collection was cut in the mid-'70s and features songs written by both women plus some choice covers, including a jaunty take on Jimmie Rodgers's "Mean Papa Blues" and the Louvin Brothers' "When I Loved You," which showcases their trademark close harmonies. In the end, despite their varied backgrounds, they shared plenty, too, including smarts, spunk, and soul. --Steven Stolder

Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard,Hazel Dickens,Alice Gerrard,Rounder Select,Bluegrass,Country,Folk,Pop

Average customer rating: Songcatcher Disappointed Not very authentic, but a couple of good songs Songcatcher - The real soundtrack Bad

Songcatcher: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture Roseanne Cash , Dolly Parton , Emmylou Harris , Maria McKee , David Mansfield , Patty Loveless , Allison Moorer , Emmy Rossum , David Patrick Kelly & Bobby McMillen Hazel Dickens , and Pat Carrolls Manufacturer: Vanguard Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Folk | Styles | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Indie Music | Stores | Music Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Songcatcher II: The Tradition That Inspired the Movie Songcatcher Classic Mountain Songs from Smithsonian Folkways Songs From the Mountain O Sister! The Women's Bluegrass Collection ASIN: B00005B50H Release Date: 2001-05-08

Tracks:

1. Fair And Tender Ladies - Roseanne Cash
2. Pretty Saro - Iri DeMent
3. When Love Is New - Dolly Parton & Emmy Rossum
4. Barbara Allen - Emmy Rossum
5. Barbara Allen - Emmylou Harris
6. Moonshiner - Allison Moorer
7. Sounds Of Loneliness - Patty Loveless
8. All My Tears - Julie Miller
9. Wayfarin' Stranger - Maria McKee
10. Mary Of The Wild Moor - Sara Evans
11. Wind And Rain - Gillian Welch, David Rawlings & David Steele
12. The Cuckoo Bird - Deana Carter
13. Score Suite #1 - David Mansfield
14. Conversations With Death - Hazel Dickens, David Patrick Kelly & Bobby McMillen
15. Score Suite #2 - David Mansfield
16. Single Girl - Pat Carrolls

Amazon.com

Maybe they should have subtitled this album O Sister, Where Art Thou? Like the music from the Coen brothers' O Brother... movie, Songcatcher celebrates the emotional purity of mountain music, the acoustic balladry of the Appalachians--only this soundtrack features an all-female assemblage. Among the luminaries who shine the brightest: Rosanne Cash, who sets the tone with the album-opening "Fair and Tender Ladies"; Julie Miller, whose original "All My Tears" could pass as an old spiritual; Patty Loveless, who returns to her Kentucky roots with "Sounds of Loneliness"; and Gillian Welch, who leads an a cappella rendition of "Wind and Rain." Of the more familiar material, Emmylou Harris seems like she's coasting through the oft-revived "Barbara Allen" while Maria McKee sounds like she's singing for her life on "Wayfarin' Stranger." Yet the emphasis throughout is less on vocal virtuosity than on the stark simplicity of the songs, the album more impressive as an ensemble piece than a showcase for individual singers. --Don McLeese

Customer Reviews:

Songcatcher.......2007-05-30

This CD is absolutely fantastic. If anyone that enjoys mountain music will
certainly be crazy about it. And if you enjoy the CD, you will diffiently enjoy the DVD of the Songcatcher.

Disappointed.......2007-05-25

I should have paid more attention to the fine print. Mostly, this is not a soundtrack album. If I want to listen to all the songs as they are performed in the film, it seems I will have to get the DVD.

If you want to listen to the soundtrack performances of all the songs, then do not get this CD.

Not very authentic, but a couple of good songs.......2007-01-17

This is an okay album if you are just looking for some listenable music, but in general the songs are overdone and not authentic-sounding (as in, they don't sound like mountain music but like something produced in some fancy studio). The exception is Iris DeMent's "Pretty Saro," which is an absolute gem and perhaps makes the album worth buying for just this one song!!! There are some good songs on here, but if you are looking for real Appalachian tunes, you'll not find much of that. Of course, many of the singers have fantastic voices, so that's one plus. There are a lot of really good authentic albums out there, but this isn't one of them.

Songcatcher - The real soundtrack.......2007-01-16

My mother loves this CD so much I had to buy her another, one for her home & one in the car. My grandmother and aunt loved the music & movie too, and now my 9 year old is singing some of the quirky songs too. They highly recommend it for people that like the movie or this type of music.

Bad.......2007-01-02

Nothing good to say about this... overproduced and does not capture spirit of the movie. Get "Songcatcher II" instead.

Average customer rating: Essential bluegrass album; the real stuff Pioneering Women of Bluegrass Review Mountain diamonds Excellent bluegrass. One of the best albums of all time

Pioneering Women of Bluegrass Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard Manufacturer: Smithsonian Folkways ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Country | Styles | Music Old-Time Country | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music General | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music Bluegrass | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music Smithsonian Folkways Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Hard Hitting Songs For Hard Hit People Hazel & Alice It's Hard to Tell the Singer From the Song Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard Heart of a Singer ASIN: B000001DJ7 Release Date: 1996-05-21

Tracks:

1. TB Blues (Or They're At Rest Together)
2. The One I Love Is Gone
3. Who's That Knocking?
4. Walkin' In My Sleep
5. Won't You Come And Sing For Me?
6. Can't You Hear Me Calling
7. Darling Nellie Across The Sea
8. Coal Miner's Blues
9. Sugar Tree Stomp
10. Train On The Island
11. Cowboy Jim
12. Lee Highway Blues
13. Memories Of Mother And Dad
14. Long Black Veil
15. Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar
16. Difficult Run
17. Mommy Please Stay Home With Me
18. Gabriel's Call
19. Just Another Broken Heart
20. A Distant Land To Roam
21. John Henry
22. I Just Got Wise
23. Lover's Return
24. A Tiny Broken Heart
25. Take Me Back To Tulsa
26. I Hear A Sweet Voice Calling

Amazon.com essential recording

Before these 1960s recordings were made, the impact of women on bluegrass was virtually non-existent. Molly O'Day and Wilma Lee Cooper had forged some success, but Hazel and Alice were more interested in the dual harmonies of the Stanley Brothers. The pair's unrefined, passionate, seamlessly intertwined harmonies leave a lasting impression, and their sound often owes more to traditional country than bluegrass. Supported by mandolinist David Grisman and fiddle legend Chubby Wise, the pair attack the songs of Bill Monroe, the Carter Family, the Stanleys, Delmores, and Louvins with fire and conviction. Dickens originals such as "Won't You Come and Sing for Me," with four-part harmonies, and the playful "Cowboy Jim" display her deft songwriting touch while her raw mountain tenor rivals that of Ralph Stanley. --Marc Greilsamer

Album Description

When Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard recorded these songs in the mid-1960s, bluegrass music was dominated by male performers. They selected their favorite songs and arranged them for a stellar group of sidemen—bluegrass legends Lamar Grier, Chubby Wise, David Grisman, and Billy Baker. Their widely admired performances made them role models for future generations of women in bluegrass. The 26 tracks have been remastered, resequenced, and newly annotated by the performers themselves. Includes Long Black Veil, The One I Love Is Gone, and I Hear a Sweet Voice Calling. "Hazel and Alice blast out vintage bluegrass-country soundsongs with fierce, raucous energy." -Time Magazine

Customer Reviews:

Essential bluegrass album; the real stuff.......2007-03-07

I used to have an old tape of these that a friend made from his LP's; I cannot believe it took me so long to replace it with a CD. What was I thinking?

Hazel Dickens is a national treasure. This is an absolutely wonderful CD and a must-have for anyone who even thinks they might like bluegrass. No prissy singing here: These women both have beautiful, strong, voices. The songs are great, the harmonies are great, the instrumentation is great (first-class accompanists and arrangements).

This isn't a great "women's bluegrass album", it's one of the great bluegrass albums, period.

Pioneering Women of Bluegrass Review.......2007-01-09

This is a great bluegrass recording. It is raw and you can feel the emotion in the singing. I also really enjoyed the banjo playing on a number of the pieces. This recording is worth every penny spent.

Mountain diamonds.......2003-11-13

Of all the treasures I've unearthed in the Indiana State University music library, this is one of the shiniest. It's the kind of disc that makes you crawl down onto the floor, stretch out, and soak up all the pathos and passion of the music. Dickens' and Garrard's voices are just strange and raw enough to make a lasting impression without coming across as either weird or harsh, and the songs themselves are totally out-of-this-world. The melodies and harmonies are intriguing, the instrumental accompaniment is superb, and the lyrics are very fine. Acoustically, it's amazing that a recording done on a simple LP forty years ago could sound this good, because the sound quality is virtually crystal clear. Don't miss this disc.

Excellent bluegrass........2003-10-22

I actually first heard about Hazel Dickens on Worldlink tv. They aired a documentary entitled "You can't tell the singer from the song" about her life and work. The "throatiness" of her voice was strangely enticing. Her voice is piercing and emotional- perfect for bluegrass. Well, I went to a music store and found this disc. I didn't know who Alice Gerard was either, but I am extremely happy to have found this treasure. The two women compliment each other perfectly. Hazel's voice is shrill and passionate, Alice's full of conviction, yet with soothing tones. Some of the highlights of the album are "TB Blues", "Who's that Knocking?", "Gabriel's Call", "Walkin' in my Sleep", "Long Black Veil", "I hear a Sweet Voice Calling", and "I Just got Wise". This album is a revelation. Buy it. I promise you will have no disappointments.

One of the best albums of all time.......2003-10-12

Listening to this album will make anyone a convert to bluegrass. The range of sons is incredible, from rollicking upbeat tunes to mournful dirges. Hazel and Alice's voices blend together magnificently in harmony. This sounds so great that it is unbelievable that it was recorded on a minmal shoestring in the mid 1960s, in bare-bones conditions with borrowed old equipment, because it sounds so perfect.

If I had to recommend just one album to anyone, it would be this one.

Hazel Dickens has the most purely emotional singing voice I've ever heard, even better than Judy Garland or Edith Piaf. Her range can quickly go from utterly raw to softly sweet.

I have specified in my will that a song from this album be played at my memorial service.

Average customer rating: startling and beautiful Hazel and Alice One of the most haunting albums I've ever heard... Pure and essential bluegrass album Haunting Appalachian Sounds

Hazel & Alice Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard Manufacturer: Rounder Select ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Country | Styles | Music Old-Time Country | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Appalachian | North America | International | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music General | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Rounder Records | Specialty Stores | Music General | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music Bluegrass | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard Pioneering Women of Bluegrass Hard Hitting Songs For Hard Hit People By the Sweat of My Brow It's Hard to Tell the Singer From the Song ASIN: B0000002CQ Release Date: 1995-04-25

Tracks:

1. Mining Camp Blues
2. Hello Stranger
3. The Green Rolling Hills Of West Virginia
4. A Few More Years Shall Roll
5. Two Soldiers
6. The Sweetest Gift A Mother's Smile
7. Tomorrow I'll Be Gone
8. My Better Years
9. Custom Made Woman Blues
10. Don't Put Her Down You Helped Put Her There
11. You Gave Me A Song
12. Pretty Bird
13. Gallop To Kansas

Customer Reviews:

startling and beautiful.......2005-04-20

This is a fine CD. Hazel & Alice sing in lean and almost abrupt lines, peculiarly American, and their original songs are startling and beautiful. There's nothing outwardly prettified about the music - it's hard and strong and heartbreaking. But that directness frees ruminative sentiment to run deep through each song and allows these two artists to construct music that resonates meaningfully. Alice uses some unique banjo tunings, and their vocals practice the expected Appalachian flat tuning method with unexpected warmth and intimacy. 'A Few More years Shall Roll', taken from the Primitive Baptist Hymn Book, especially shows an unrivalled vocal mastery. This is the only Hazel and Alice disc I've heard, but would be inclined to try others.

Hazel and Alice.......2005-01-11

Hazel Dickens has one of the finest American voices heard since Maybelle Carter. Her songs will tear your heart out. These are authentic "rural white folks blues" tunes, some of which reflect 1970's issues, ie, women's rights, war, etc.

If you love American rural music, un-shrinkwrapped, this is the album.
Evangeline G. Jupiter, Florida

One of the most haunting albums I've ever heard..........2003-12-29

Hazel and Alice have given us a truly remarkable legacy with their three albums. This one, their second, stands out to me as remarkably pure and taut. The songs are touching, deep, and political- not in the typical confrontational way. It's a subltle, grass-roots politics with feminist undertones. The first song, "Mining Camp Blues" is a traditional mining ballad. The second speaks of the kindness of strangers. The song "The Green Rolling Hills of West Virginia" is sublimely beautiful- a touching poem about the ravages of exploitation and "hard times" in West Virginia. The old primitive Baptist hymn "A Few More Years Shall Roll" is striking, bleak, and poignant. "Two Soldiers", also recorded by Bob Dylan, is no less than enchanting. "The Sweetest Gift a Mother's Smile" tells of a woman's love for her son in prison- a love that cannot be shaken by his misshaps. Two songs by Hazel Dickens- "My Better Years" and "Don't Put her Down You Helped Put Her There"- speak for women's issues. Alice's beautiful "Custom Made Woman Blues" also reiiterates the feminist undertones found throughout the album. Alice also penned "You Gave Me a Song", a wonderful old- timey tune. "Pretty Bird" is an acapella piece sung by Hazel. The theme is freedom- from oppression and injustice. The last piece, the instrumental "Gallop to Kansas", composed by Alice, ends the album with a beautiful and mysterious wisp. This is art, pure and simple. The timelessness of these pieces and the themes that resound in their words stand as a testament to the work and artistry so meticulously cultivated by these two artists. Cheers to Hazel and Alice!

Pure and essential bluegrass album.......2001-09-18

There is nothing better than Hazel & Alice if you are looking for great roots bluegrass mountain music.

Haunting Appalachian Sounds.......2000-02-13

I bought this album almost 25 years ago; it has stayed in my memory haunting and fresh ever since.To me, this is Roots music: the sound of folks from up and down the hollow sitting in the parlor on a Saturday evening, making music from the scrappy instruments they owned and the hard-scrabble lives they led. There are songs here of hard times, faith, love, sorrow. Some are bleak, some are optimistic, if skeptical. But there's not a song or a sound here that isn't rooted in the reality of life and living. Hazel and Alice complement each other beautifully. Hazel's voice is piercing; Alice's soothes. I can't think of any two better people to spend an evening with.

Average customer rating: Authentic Folk Music Beautiful beyond compare... One of the most underrated American artists of all time My Favorite Singer/Songwriter The deepest hardest blues

Hard Hitting Songs For Hard Hit People Hazel Dickens Manufacturer: Rounder Select ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Country | Styles | Music Old-Time Country | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Rounder Records | Specialty Stores | Music General | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music Bluegrass | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: It's Hard to Tell the Singer From the Song Pioneering Women of Bluegrass Hazel & Alice By the Sweat of My Brow Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard ASIN: B00000DC6I Release Date: 1998-10-27

Tracks:

1. Busted
2. Aragon Mill
3. Old Calloused Hands
4. Scraps From Your Table
5. Out Among The Stars
6. West Virginia, My Home
7. Tomorrow's Already Lost
8. Lonesome Pine Special
9. Lost Patterns
10. Beautiful Hills Of Galilee
11. Rocking Chair Blues
12. They'll Never Keep Us Down

Amazon.com

Few singers have fused lonesome beauty and political passion in the way Hazel Dickens has, though with her voice she could deliver a speech by Newt Gingrich and still break your heart. She writes like a bluegrass-trained Woody Guthrie and sings with the high, sparkling vulnerability of Loretta Lynn--but with even more grit, more pain--relaying the stories, past and present, of the "hard-working people" she grew up with and lived with her whole life. This 1980 album is Dickens's best and most radical. She shines an intense, honest light on the plight of the mining communities--men and women, old and young--of her native West Virginia, and her version of "Aragon Mill," a gorgeous hymn to workers' despair, is sung the way the song should be. A great group of musicians backs her, including Norman and Nancy Blake, Lloyd Green, Buddy Spicher, and Tony Trischka, but Dickens's brilliance is most clear on the wailing a cappella gospel "Beautiful Hills of Galilee": in every note, her strong, authentic character is undeniable. --Roy Kasten

Customer Reviews:

Authentic Folk Music.......2007-01-09

If you are a fan of old fashioned folk music This is a must have CD. It has songs of rousing union fights and intimate observations of the human condition. There is an old Country Western influence in the music, but I find that appealing.
The purity of this CD is refreshing and has me feeling connected to our past in a way much of what is called "Americana" misses. This is the genuine article.

Beautiful beyond compare..........2006-08-24

I feel incompetent in reviewing this music. There's truly nothing I can write that can do justice to Hazel Dickens, still, there's something to be said for the attempt... Rounder rereleased this in the late-90s I believe, and the world is all the better for it. Whether you're a fan of bluegrass, appalachian old-time music, protest folk or even country. There are shades of gospel in her vocal stylings (comparable to Ralph Stanley's, I feel), which makes sense as she grew up singing in the unacompanied style of the (early) Baptist church. Hazel's style can't simply be relegated into any one of those categories: she transmuted all she heard and saw and felt into a style that was unique to her. I've never heard anything like it.

Truth be told, I'm not an afficiando of any of the afore-mentioned musical genres. But I know what I love and I know damn good music when I hear it. This was Hazel Dickens' first solo release for Rounder around 1980 (?) or so. Along with her, "It's Hard to Tell the Singer From the Song," this is some of the most poignant and marvelous music out there, regardless of the style.

Even despite the dark content of her music and her poetic ability at describing scenes and sentiments, there is still much joy all over these songs. She transmutes an honest sense loss and betrayal into something that rises and flies...

5 stars and then some. Just listen to the audio samples if you don't believe all us 5 star-ers...

One of the most underrated American artists of all time.......2003-11-19

The thing that amazes me about Hazel Dickens is her breathtaking lyrical ability. The music is absolutely superb, and well produced, but it's the lyrical power of songs like "Lost Patterns" that leave me completely speechless. She is actually singing poetry. I recommend you download the MP3s available here to see what I'm talking about, but keep in mind that her sound and messages range beyond what's represented here.

Her word choice on "Lost Patterns" is exceptionally descriptive and well designed, and by itself is enough to make you feel the desperation as if it was your own. But coupled with her voice, and that lovely mountain sound... Outstanding. Not all of her songs are as intensely lonely as Lost Patterns. Some are especially lush and vibrant, such as "West Virginia, My Home." If you have a single bluegrass bone in your body, you won't be disappointed buying this album.

My Favorite Singer/Songwriter.......2003-01-24

I think Hazel Dicken's lyrics and her delivery of the music written by others as well as her own is as relevant to today's rural areas as it was over 20 years ago. She isn't "commercial country" -- just sings it like it is for so many of us. Her honest voice and the emotions she envokes make me laugh or cry or just sit and think like very few other performers.

The deepest hardest blues.......2002-03-08

This music is clear-eyed, bright, and hard. "Aragon Mill," "Tommorow's Already Lost," and, well, everything else is impossibly beautiful and harsh. There are a lot of over used adjectives for deeply American music like this, and they really all apply. Listening to this music you know you can trust what she says. Listening to this music you also know that you should be looking out as much as you can for people who are not as fortunate as you. I first heard her singing "Conversation with Death" on Songcatcher, and just knew that I would have to listen to everything she's done. As a fan I hope she makes a record either by herself, with Iris Dement, Alice Gerrard, or whoever she wants to and makes a million bucks. As a person I just hope I can live up to what her work makes me feel. With the political weather the way it is now, this hard world will just get harder.

Average customer rating: Sophisticated, modern American Folk intro energizing folk i grew up in a city

Rounder Folk Manufacturer: Rounder Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Cutout CDs | Folk General | Folk | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Folk General | Folk | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music ASIN: B00004UDB1 Release Date: 2000-06-27

Tracks:

1. Blackbird - Mary McCaslin
2. Hello Stranger - Norman Blake
3. If I Were Made Of Metal - Patty Larkin
4. Atlantic High - John Fahey
5. Best Of Friends - Mimi Farina
6. Bullfrog Shuffle - Bela Fleck
7. Beyond The River Bend - Hazel Dickens
8. Jack And Lucy - Delia Bell & Bill Grant
9. Cold On The Shoulder - Tony Rice
10. Once In A Very Blue Moon - Nanci Griffith
11. My Old Town - Bill Morrissey
12. Twelfth Street Rag - Bob Brozman
13. Cold Pizza For Breakfast - Christine Lavin
14. Jubilee Stomp - Guy Van Duser & Billy Novick
15. Looking For Money - The Chicken Chokers
16. I've Been All Around This World - Joe Val & The New England Bluegrass Boys
17. Waves On The Sea - The Johnson Mountain Boys
18. I'd Like To Be A Cowgirl - Cathy Fink
19. Yippie-Yi-Yo And Away We Go - Riders In The Sky
20. The Dolphin - Pentangle
21. Christmas In The Trenches - John McCutcheon

Customer Reviews:

Sophisticated, modern American Folk intro.......2004-05-10

This is a great introduction to American Folk. Song selections are modern and sophisticated with just enough "twang". Jack & Lucy will break your heart.

energizing folk.......2001-08-11

I found this album in the Cuyahoga Library and it hooked me. Cold pizza - toe tapping and zingy harmonies. Wanna be a cowgirl - everyone you play this for will want to learn the words. There are a few sentimental lyrics that I would skip (jack and lucy and christmas) but you might not! Get this album before it aint no more...

I listen to this driving from Cleveland to Pittsburgh and it makes my trip. Good roadtrip music.

i grew up in a city.......2000-10-02

If you grew up in the Ozark mountains listening to Grandpa and Dad playing duets on a banjo this is the cd for you...and if you didn't try another cd...unless you really like banjo music..otherwise try another cd.

Average customer rating:

A Few Old Memories Hazel Dickens Manufacturer: Rounder Select ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Country | Styles | Music Old-Time Country | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Rounder Records | Specialty Stores | Music General | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music Bluegrass | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Hard Hitting Songs For Hard Hit People It's Hard to Tell the Singer From the Song By the Sweat of My Brow Hazel & Alice Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard ASIN: B0000003MG Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

1. A Few Old Memories
2. Beyond the River Bend
3. Busted
4. Old and In the Way
5. It's Hard To Tell the Singer from the Song
6. Don't Bother To Cry
7. Hills of Home
8. Pretty Bird
9. Only the Lonely
10. Coal Tattoo
11. Little Lenaldo
12. Old Callosed Hands
13. Scars from An Old Love
14. You'll Get No More Of Me
15. Mama's Hand
16. Working Girl's Blues
17. West Virginia, My Home
18. Play Us A Waltz

Average customer rating: Three of the very best voices around! Down Home Flavor This is the real thing....

Heart of a Singer Ginny Hawker , Carol Elizabeth Jones , and Hazel Dickens Manufacturer: Rounder Select ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Country | Styles | Music Old-Time Country | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music Contemporary | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Rounder Records | Specialty Stores | Music General | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music Bluegrass | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Letters From My Father Bristol Pioneering Women of Bluegrass Good Songs for Hard Times Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard ASIN: B00000DC6L Release Date: 1998-10-27

Tracks:

1. Forsaken Lover
2. Lay Me To Rest
3. Not A Word Of That Be Said
4. Old Memories Mean Nothing To Me
5. Love Me Or Leave Me Alone
6. Times Are Not What They Used To Be
7. Faded Pressed Rose
8. Jealous Heart
9. Old River
10. I Can't Find Your Love
11. Let Me Go
12. Time Is Winding Up
13. Coming Down From God

Amazon.com

Hazel Dickens has one of those voices that grab you with the first note and never let go. Vastly influential if far from famed, the robust West Virginian here is the centerpiece in a trio in which her two younger singing partners--Virginian Ginny Hawker and Kentuckian Carol Elizabeth Jones--are clearly under her sway. Backed by a crack crew of acoustic players, the complementary trio split up lead-vocal duties, with Hawker stepping to the fore on five selections, while Dickens and Jones each take center stage on four numbers. Dickens contributes a couple of originals, and Jones chips in one of her own, but the threesome mostly dig deep to come up with choice covers, with Woody Guthrie's "Forsaken Lover," the traditional "Times Are Not What They Used to Be," and the Civil War lament "Not a Word of That Be Said" standing out. This is mountain music that's as old as the hills and as fresh as spring water. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews:

Three of the very best voices around!.......2002-07-27

I can't believe I waited so long to buy this record!

When you have three monumental talents like this, there is just no way to go wrong. Hazel Dickens is just a powerhouse of a singer. Ginny Hawker is my favorite singer period. And Carol Elizabeth Jones' voice is sweet without being bland.

The trio switch roles throughout the recording, with each one taking her turn on the lead. There is a variety of material here, from the traditional ("Time is Winding Up") to the new (CE Jone's heart-breaking "Let Me Go").

If you like country music, buy this now.

Down Home Flavor.......1998-12-31

Reminds me of the good old days sitting on the back porch with the radio on and listening to someone like the Carter Family. Great, is probably a one word word summary to this music.

This is the real thing...........1998-12-29

This CD combines three great voices - timeless voices, in songs that speak to the heart from the heart. Anyone who remembers what country and old time music really sounds like will love this CD.

Average customer rating: perfect Hasr,s review "Its hard to tell a singer from a song" Voice of Heartache, Voice of Hope

It's Hard to Tell the Singer From the Song Hazel Dickens Manufacturer: Rounder Select ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Country | Styles | Music Old-Time Country | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Rounder Records | Specialty Stores | Music General | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music Bluegrass | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Hard Hitting Songs For Hard Hit People Pioneering Women of Bluegrass By the Sweat of My Brow Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard Hazel & Alice ASIN: B00004TTFZ Release Date: 2000-08-08

Tracks:

1. You'll Get No More Of Me
2. A Few Old Memories
3. Do Memories Haunt You?
4. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
5. Hills Of Home
6. Don't Bother To Cry
7. It's Hard To Tell The Singer From The Song
8. Only A Hobo
9. Will Jesus Wash The Bloodstains From Your Hands?
10. California Cottonfields
11. Play Us A Waltz

Customer Reviews:

perfect.......2005-11-18

from a lover of old time gospel bluegrass and country this is definately one of the best stained glass bluegrass cd's out there.

Hasr,s review.......2004-02-13

enjoyed it very much need a list of songs for each album of hazel dickens--hazel dickens& alice gerrard with a price list for each Email if you want to Thank You H.A.

"Its hard to tell a singer from a song".......2001-06-25

WE ARE LUCKY to have an artist like Hazel. Her great range and style exemplifys classic Bluegrass music tradition. Her tight harmony with her backup singers is outstanding. The band is traditional bluegrass and the musicians are excellent. Hazel carries on where the Carter family left off and exposes music lovers to a great art form, i.e. traditional bluegrass music.

Voice of Heartache, Voice of Hope.......2001-06-13

With this CD, Hazel Dickens continues to write and sing songs that give voice to the aching heart that won't be beaten down. I can't think of any other performer who quite expresses that feeling of having reached the depths of despair, but then finding an inner strength that gives one hope enough to carry on. This quality perfectly befits songs of the Scottish-Irish, Appalachian, bluegrass, folk/country vein. It's a hard-hearted person who doesn't get choked up listening to the song Hills of Home. I like her own songs best on this selection, but her taste in other writers is always impeccable -- Ruby Kitchen's Here Today, Gone Tomorrow stands out, as well as Bob Dylan's early Only a Hobo. As usual with Dickens' albums, the accompanying musicians here are excellent. A must-have for any Hazel fan, and a good introduction for the uninitiated.

Average customer rating: a perfect album from start to finish Lost Treasure!!

Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard Hazel Dickens , and Alice Gerrard Manufacturer: Rounder Select ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Country | Styles | Music Old-Time Country | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Appalachian | North America | International | Styles | Music Country Gospel | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music General | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Rounder Records | Specialty Stores | Music General | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music Bluegrass | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Hazel & Alice Hard Hitting Songs For Hard Hit People Pioneering Women of Bluegrass It's Hard to Tell the Singer From the Song By the Sweat of My Brow ASIN: B000007S7T Release Date: 1998-07-14

Tracks:

1. Let That Liar Alone
2. When I Loved You
3. Working Girl Blues
4. West Virginia My Home
5. Mama's Gonna Stay
6. Montana Cowboy
7. Mean Papa Blues
8. Nice Like That
9. Mary Johnson
10. Ramblin' Woman
11. Beaufort County Jail
12. Banjo Picking Girl
13. James Alley Blues
14. True Life Blues

Amazon.com

The partnership of the Thelma and Louise of folk music represents a curious convergence on a few fronts. Hazel Dickens is the daughter of a banjo-picking preacher in West Virginia. Alice Gerrard was raised in Oakland, California, by classically trained parents. A leftist political perspective underscores the songs of both women, but in very different ways. Dickens puts one in mind of old labor while Gerrard was inspired to write "Beaufort County Jail" after reading an article by New Leftist Angela Davis in Ms. What they did share was a deep affection for old-timey music, even if one of the women was weaned on the stuff while the other picked up on it while in college. The two began singing together in 1962; this collection was cut in the mid-'70s and features songs written by both women plus some choice covers, including a jaunty take on Jimmie Rodgers's "Mean Papa Blues" and the Louvin Brothers' "When I Loved You," which showcases their trademark close harmonies. In the end, despite their varied backgrounds, they shared plenty, too, including smarts, spunk, and soul. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews:

a perfect album from start to finish.......2003-12-10

This is a nearly perfect album. Not only are the songs taut and perfectly executed, but the ordering of the songs is brilliant. The general pattern alternates between a sort of campy-classic sound to one of pure profundity. For instance, Alice's slow, pensive ballad "Mama's Gonna Stay" ends totally peacefully and is immediately followed by the breakneck "Montana Cowboy". And later "Beauford County Jail", a striking song about the rape of a black women in a Chicago Prison, is followed by the delightfully rambunctious "Banjo Picking Girl". "James Alley Blues" is a perfectly harmonized a-capella piece and my personal favorite on the album. "West Virginia My Home" is a drop-dead gorgeous piece right out of the hills. This is really an incredible CD. The juxtaposition of moods coupled with the amazing brevity and tautness make this one a real treat. Hazel and Alice compliment each other perfectly. By the way, the sound quality is superb. Get this one and you won't be disappointed! Hazel and Alice also have two other albums, and the one entitled "Pioneering Women of Bluegrass" is packed with 26 amazing classics- a must. Get this now!

Lost Treasure!!.......1999-09-28

I had an absolute fit the first time I ever heard this record, back in 1979 or so. I picked it up in Tower, kind of liking the look of the package. Little did I know what I was getting. I've worn my vinyl copy flat, despite making several cassette copies along the way. This is an absolutely essential CD. Everyone I have ever played it to has fallen flat on their backs in amazement. Trust me, you have never heard such perfectly thought-out bluegrass and old-timey music in your life. Is it purist? I don't know. It's just so damned good! Hazel and Alice only made a few records together, but this was the pinnacle of their collaborations. The singing is so precise, it makes you shiver. Try "Working Girl Blues" and see what I mean. C&W Factoid: The Judds were huge fans of this duo. To me, with eclectic tastes, this is right up there with classics like "Highway 61", "Workingman's Dead," "London Calling", "Trout Mask Replica," or modern marvels like Cheri Knight's "Northeast Kingdom." They just don't make them like this anymore...

Average customer rating: One of Hazel's best. Old time music with a modern edge.

By the Sweat of My Brow Hazel Dickens Manufacturer: Rounder Select ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Country | Styles | Music Old-Time Country | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Rounder Records | Specialty Stores | Music General | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music Bluegrass | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Hard Hitting Songs For Hard Hit People It's Hard to Tell the Singer From the Song Hazel & Alice Pioneering Women of Bluegrass Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard ASIN: B00000JY0H Release Date: 1999-09-14

Tracks:

1. Beyond The River Bend
2. Only The Lonely
3. By The Sweat Of My Brow
4. Mama's Hand
5. Little Lenaldo
6. Are They Gonna Make Us Outlaws Again?
7. Go Away With Me
8. Your Greedy Heart
9. Scars From An Old Love
10. Ballad Of Ira Hayes, The
11. Old And In The Way
12. Here Today And Gone Tomorrow

Amazon.com

As folk music became increasingly more polite and overly intellectual in the 1980s, Hazel Dickens continued to make honest, heartbreaking, piercing music that was anything but genteel. On 1983's By the Sweat of My Brow, the second of her three 1980s Rounder solo albums, she delivers six typically moving and plainspoken originals plus a variety of apt covers such as Johnny Cash's "Ballad of Ira Hayes" (done here in a positively jolly arrangement), James Talley's "Are They Gonna Make Us Outlaws Again?" and the Browns' "Here Today and Gone Tomorrow," a tune that the Louvin Brothers once recorded. Dickens's uncompromising voice is as real and sad and hopeful as the subject matter. --Marc Greilsamer

Customer Reviews:

One of Hazel's best........2003-03-19

Bluegrass/old-timey legend Hazel Dickens returns with another stunning album featuring song after song exploring the hardships, losses and endurance of the working class poor, as well as women's issues such as domestic abuse, etc. The title track, written by Jack Rhodes, is a winner, a welcome throwback to old-fashioned left-leaning social protest songs, and which perfectly compliments the original songs and well-chosen cover tunes that stud the rest of the album. It's territory that Dickens has covered before, but this album has a compactness and sureness about it that will stop you in your tracks. Several songs feature a bunch of "usual suspects" bluegrass super-pickers, such as Jerry Douglas, Blaine Sprouse, Dudley Connell, etc. -- Hazel Dickens is one of the few modern artists who seems capable of getting these slick studio cats to play *her* music, and not theirs... This record is wonderfully restrained, and quietly powerful. Recommended!

Old time music with a modern edge........2001-08-28

After her break up with her singing partner Alice Gerrard, Hazel Dickens made three wonderful solo-albums for Rounder. The first, "Hard Hitting Song For Hard Hit People", contained a surprisingly wide range of musical styles, from hard honky tonk laments to uptempo bluegrass and slow folk songs, all focusing on the plight of the working man. As the title, "By The Sweat Of My Brow" implies, that theme was continued in this, her second solo record. The songs include a cover of James Talley's working class anthem "Are They Gonna Make Us Outlaws Again", the extremely beautiful ballad "Mama's Hand" and "Little Lenaldo" on the subject of child labor.) The music is less varied this time, focusing on pure, acoustic mountain music or old time country. But we get some sad love songs as well, all aching with loneliness ("Beyond The River Bend", "Only The Lonely" and "Scars From An Old Love".) Peter La Farge's "Ballad Of Ira Hayes" is reworked into a bluegrass number. Musically this record is the logical step between her first and third solo work, "It's Hard To Tell The Singer From The Song", which was even more bluegrass-oriented. I love all three records (as well as all her earlier duo-work with Alice) but this record might actually be the hardest one to appreciate for the first-time listner, so I'd recommend you check out "Hard Hitting Songs" first. Hazel has a strong voice, full of character, and some might find that they may need some time to get used to it, but once you do, there's hardly anything more beautiful in country music. Or more heartfelt.

Music Album:

1. Here's to the Ladies
2. Hooked on Country
3. Hymns from the Bayou
4. I Found the Doorknob
5. I Heard the Bluebirds Sing/A Harvest of Country Songs
6. If Only My Heart Had a Voice [Import]
7. Island in the Sea
8. Keith Urban
9. Killbilly Hill/County Line
10. Kin to the Wind

Music Album