88.5 WFDD - Fred Cockerham: Recent Episodes
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Unidentified musicians, Memphis, c. 1935. This week’s Across the Blue Ridge episode features some well known and some nearly unknown traditional musicians in a listening session that brings us sounds we seldom hear today.
Ben Shahn for Farm Security Administration. Public domain.
A listening session this week features brilliant southern mountain and piedmont musicians of the past who don’t get a lot of exposure on radio these days. Listen to fiddler John Ashby and his Free State Ramblers from northern Virginia; the often wild-sounding banjo player and singer George Pegram with fiddler Fred Cockerham of North Carolina; a mysterious couple, William and Versey Smith, their geographic origin uncertain – was it Texas or North Carolina? – who recorded briefly and, like many others in the 1920s, largely disappeared after the Great Depression began. The fiddler John Salyer from Kentucky graces us with a beautiful rendition of “Billy In The Lowground” through a scratchy yet deeply moving home recording. There are many more in this week’s episode whose music speaks of times before recording and radio both disseminated traditional music broadly and helped to homogenize its sound.
Playlist
- Rickett's Hornpipe
John Ashby & The Free State Ramblers
John Ashby
Field Recorders Collective FRC 2. Going To The Free State
John Ashby & The Free State Ramblers
John Ashby
Field Recorders Collective FRC 3. Cluck Old Hen
John Ashby & The Free State Ramblers
John Ashby
Field Recorders Collective FRC 4. Arkansas Traveler
George Pegram
Good Old Mountain Dew
Washington 5. Johnson's Old Gray Mule
George Pegram
George Pegram
Rounder 6. Where Could I Go But To The Lord
George Pegram
George Pegram
Rounder 7. Mountain Sally Ann
George Pegram
George Pegram
Rounder 8. Break 1 - Cripple Creek
George Pegram and Red Parham
Good Old Mountain Dew
Washington 9. Brown's Dream
Roan Mountain Hilltoppers
Down Home
Roan Mountain Hilltoppers 10. Blue Eyed Angel
Roan Mountain Hilltoppers
Down Home
Roan Mountain Hilltoppers 11. Little Gal'l Fool Me
Roan Mountain Hilltoppers
Down Home
Roan Mountain Hilltoppers 12. When That Great Ship Went Down
William & Versey Smith
The Songster Tradition
Document 13. Church Bells Blues #1
Luke Jordan
The Songster Tradition
Document 14. Moanin' The Blues
Allen Shaw
Times Like They Used To Be Vol. 2
Yazoo 15. Break 2 - Ella's Grave
Neriah Benfield
Masters of Old Time Country Autoharp
Smithsonian Folkways 16. Freight Train
Verlen Clifton, Frank Bode, Ginger Bode
Wanted! The Toast String Stretchers
Toast String Stretchers 17. London City Where I Did Dwell
Morgan Sexton
Shady Grove
June Appal 18. Billy In The Lowground
John Salyer
John Morgan Salyer V. 1
Loyal Jones Appalachian Center, Berea College 19. The Cuckoo
Jean Ritchie
Mountain Hearth & Home
Elektra 20. The Gospel Train
Belleville A Cappella Choir
Southern Journey Volume 1
Rounder
Story does not include AP content
atbr #john salyer #william and versey smith #john ashby #free state ramblers #george pegram #fred cockerham
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Kyle Creed was an influential banjo picker, luthier, fiddler and record producer in the Blue Ridge. We feature him this week with two of his best fiddle tunes – Roscoe and Alabama Gals, both performed with the Camp Creek Boys, including Bobby Patterson on bluegrass-style banjo.
Paul Brown collection
This week, we feature some classic Blue Ridge old time fiddle tunes and songs, from fiddlers Kyle Creed, Fred Cockerham, Tim Smith, and Tommy Jarrell. That’s just the start. In the center segment of the show, host Paul Brown tells us about an old Virginia song he learned from his mother, and how he’s slowly tracing its lineage. The emergence of the internet is helping, as Paul discovers recordings he was not previously aware of. We’ll hear Paul’s Down to Tampa with Mike Seeger, and old recordings of a related song, Tampa Blues. Finally, Doc Watson and Bill Monroe performed some duo shows over the years, and we hear two great songs … plus earlier music of the Monroe Brothers, Charlie Monroe & His Kentucky Pardners, and Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys. It’s an hour of power this week in old time tunes and songs.
Playlist
- Roscoe
Kyle Creed & The Camp Creek Boys
Square Dance Time Blue Ridge Style 2. Bile 'Em Cabbage Down
Fred Cockerham, Oscar Jenkins, Shag Stanley
Stay All Night & Don't Go Home 3. Stay All Night
Tommy Jarrell & Fred Cockerham
Stay All Night & Don't Go Home 4. Alabama Gals
Kyle Creed & The Camp Creek Boys
Square Dance Time Blue Ridge Style 5. Katy Hill
Tim Smith
Straight from the Heart 6. Blue Moon of Kentucky
Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys
Lonesome & Blue 7. Break 1 - Salt Creek
Matt Bright
A Century of Heritage Guitar Music Vol.1 8. East Virginia Blues
Kathy Kallick
My Mother's Voice 9. Down To Tampa
Mike Seeger & Paul Brown
Way Down in North Carolina 10. Tampa Blues
Skoodle Dum Doo & Sheffield
Lonesome Blues 11. Tampa Blues
James Lowry
Virginia Traditions: Western Piedmont Blues 12. All The Good Times Are Past And Gone
Kathy Kallick
My Mother's Voice 13. Steamboat Bill
Billy C. Hurt
Fiddlin' 14. Break 2 - Stay in the Middle of the Road
Doc Watson
Portrait 15. Banks of the Ohio
Bill Monroe & Doc Watson
Live Recordings 1963-1980: Off the Record Vol. 2 16. What Would You Give In Exchange For Your Soul
Bill Monroe & Doc Watson
Live Recordings 1963-1980: Off the Record Vol. 2 17. Where Is My Sailor Boy
The Monroe Brothers
Just A Song Of Old Kentucky, Vol. 2 18. Campin’ In Canaan’s Land
Charlie Monroe & His Kentucky Pardners
Charlie Monroe His Recordings 1938-1956 19. Cryin' Holy Unto My Lord
Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys
Mule Skinner Blues
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atbr #kyle creed #fred cockerham #tim smith #tommy jarrell #doc watson #monroe brothers #charlie monroe & his kentucky pardners #bill monroe & his blue grass boys
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Burl Hammons and his family, of West Virginia, carried a fascinating tradition of singing and instrumental performance and repertoire.
Carl Fleischhauer
This week’s Across the Blue Ridge presents a fine collection of musicians and styles perfect for wintertime listening. Host Paul Brown takes us through a 1950s radio segment with The Sauceman Brothers, a band active around Bristol, VA and through much of the south in the 1950s and 1960s. We hear contemporary performers including Anna Roberts Gevalt and Elizabeth LaPrelle; Betse Ellis and Clarke Wyatt; and The Ephemeral String Band. And the third segment features old time icons including Burl Hammons and Fred Cockerham, plus a joyful rendition of Mississippi Sawyer on fiddle and piano by Bill and Clarice Shelor of southwestern Virginia, recorded in 1975. There’s something for everyone on Across the Blue Ridge.
Episode 55 Playlist
- Louisville Breakdown
Kenny Baker & Bobby Hicks
Darkness On The Delta 2. Darling Corey
The Sauceman Brothers
On WCYB BristolI 3. Love You Until I Am Dizzy
The Sauceman Brothers
On WCYB Bristol 4. Working On A Building
The Sauceman Brothers
On WCYB Bristol 5. Boats Up The River
John Jackson
Don't Let Your Deal Go Down 6. Near The Cross I Watch & Pray
Etta Baker
One Dime Blues 7. Cabin Creek
Mac Benford
Half Past Four 8. Break 1 - Hangman's Reel
Presley Barker
Just Ten 9. Lost Girl
The Ephemeral Stringband
Land of Rest 10. Midnight
The Ephemeral Stringband
Land of Rest 11. Diamond Joe
Betse Ellis & Clarke Wyatt
River Still Rise 12. Listen They're Playing My Song
Courtney Granger
Beneath Still Waters 13. Very Day I'm Gone
Anna Roberts Gevalt & Elizabeth LaPrelle
Anna & Elizabeth 14. Midnight
Paul Brown
studio recording 15. Break 2 - Backstep Indi
Jason Romero
A Wander I'll Stay 16. Sandy Boys
Burl Hammons
The Hammons Family Volume 1 17. Singing Birds
Burl Hammons
The Hammons Family Volume 1 18. Mississippi Sawyer
Shelor Family
The Shelor-Blackard Family 19. The Boston Burglar
Harry & Jeanie West
Good Old Mountain Dew 20. Little Satchel
Fred Cockerham
High Atmosphere 21. Cotton Eyed Joe
Camp Creek Boys
Old Time String Band
atbr #the sauceman brothers #anna roberts gevalt #elizabeth laprelle #betse ellis #clarke wyatt; #the ephemeral string band #burl hammons #fred cockerham #billy and clarice shelor
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Uncle Dave Macon was an uproarious entertainer in the old minstrel show, Vaudeville and medicine show styles, and an early Grand Ole Opry star.
This week, in a rebroadcast of a popular show from May, 2016, we hear a broad selection of music from country music pioneers including Mac Wiseman, Fiddlin’ Arthur Smith, Hazel Dickens, Fred Cockerham, Paul David Smith and Uncle Dave Macon. We’ll sample a couple of songs from a rare field recording of Uncle Dave, one of the first stars of the Grand Ole Opry, made at his home in 1950. Plus… new generations continue the tradition, learning music from a wide range of sources and putting their own stamp on it. Jesse Milnes and Emily Miller sing their interpretation of a Hazel Dickens song, and The Buck Stops Here, an exciting foursome, perform a wonderful hybrid of old time and bluegrass music.
Episode 50 Playlist
- On My Way Back to the Old Home – Bluegrass Album Band
The Bluegrass Compact Disc Vol. 1
Rounder Records 1984 2. Handsome Molly -- Glen Neaves and Roscoe Russell
Music From Grayson And Carroll Counties, Virginia
Smithsonian Folkways 1962 3. Bill Cheatham – Scott Freeman
Fiddle Favorites
Independent Release 2013 4. Step Back Cindy – Fred Cockerham, Kyle Creed & Bobby Patterson
Brandywine Mountain Music Convention #1
Rounder 1974 5. Mixed Blues – Dock Boggs & Mike Seeger
Dock Boggs: His Folkways Years, Vol. 1
Smithsonian Folkways 1998 6. Danville Girl – Dock Boggs
Dock Boggs Country Blues
Revenant Records 1997 7. BREAK 1
Gailanne’s Tune – The Buck Stops Here
The Buck Stops Here
Independent Release 2015 8. Goin’ Up On A Mountain – The Buck Stops Here
The Buck Stops Here
Independent Release 2015 9. My Better Years – Emily Miller & Jesse Milnes
Jesse Milnes & Emily Miller The Deep End Sessions Vol. 2
Deep End Sessions 2015 10. Don’t Bother To Cry – Hazel Dickens
A Few Old Memories
Rounder Records 1987 11. Don’t Let Your Sweet Love Die – Mac Wiseman
Mac Wiseman Early Dot Recordings Vol. 3
County/MCA 1992 12. Going Down To Maysville – Paul David Smith
Devil Eat the Groundhog
Rounder Records 1999 13. Money Musk – Snake Chapman
Walnut Gap
Rounder Records 1999 14. High On A Mountain – Snake Chapman
Walnut Gap
Rounder Records 1999 15. BREAK 2
Cincinnati Rag – Jeff Little
Made In The Blue Ridge
Independent Release 2014 16. Over the Mountain – Uncle Dave Macon
Travelin’ Down The Road
County Records 1995 17. Rabbit In The Pea Patch – Uncle Dave Macon
Uncle Dave At Home
Spring Fed Records 2013 18. Bully Of The Town – Uncle Dave Macon
Uncle Dave At Home
Spring Fed Records 2013 19. Diamonds in the Dust – Steep Canyon Rangers
Radio
Rounder 2016 20. Till The End Of The World Rolls Round – The Earls of Leicester
The Earls Of Leicester
Rounder Records 2014 21. Smith’s Rag -- Fiddlin’ Arthur Smith & His Dixieliners
Fiddlin’ Arthur Smith & His Dixieliners
County 2002
atbr #mac wiseman #fiddlin’ arthur smith #hazel dickens #fred cockerham #paul david smith #uncle dave macon
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Uncle Dave Macon was an uproarious entertainer in the old minstrel show, Vaudeville and medicine show styles, and an early Grand Ole Opry star.
This week we hear a broad selection of music from country music pioneers including Mac Wiseman, Fiddlin’ Arthur Smith, Hazel Dickens, Fred Cockerham, Paul David Smith and Uncle Dave Macon. We’ll sample a couple of songs from a rare field recording of Uncle Dave, one of the first stars of the Grand Ole Opry, made at his home in 1950. Plus … new generations continue the tradition, learning music from a wide range of sources and putting their own stamp on it. Jesse Milnes and Emily Miller sing their interpretation of a Hazel Dickens song, and The Buck Stops Here, an exciting foursome, perform a wonderful hybrid of old time and bluegrass music.
Episode 21 Playlist
- On My Way Back to the Old Home – Bluegrass Album Band
The Bluegrass Compact Disc Vol. 1
Rounder Records 1984 2. Handsome Molly -- Glen Neaves and Roscoe Russell
Music From Grayson And Carroll Counties, Virginia
Smithsonian Folkways 1962 3. Bill Cheatham – Scott Freeman
Fiddle Favorites
Independent Release 2013 4. Step Back Cindy – Fred Cockerham, Kyle Creed & Bobby Patterson
Brandywine Mountain Music Convention #1
Rounder 1974 5. Mixed Blues – Dock Boggs & Mike Seeger
Dock Boggs: His Folkways Years, Vol. 1
Smithsonian Folkways 1998 6. Danville Girl – Dock Boggs
Dock Boggs Country Blues
Revenant Records 1997 7. BREAK 1
Gailanne’s Tune – The Buck Stops Here
The Buck Stops Here
Independent Release 2015 8. Goin’ Up On A Mountain – The Buck Stops Here
The Buck Stops Here
Independent Release 2015 9. My Better Years – Emily Miller & Jesse Milnes
Jesse Milnes & Emily Miller The Deep End Sessions Vol. 2
Deep End Sessions 2015 10. Don’t Bother To Cry – Hazel Dickens
A Few Old Memories
Rounder Records 1987 11. Don’t Let Your Sweet Love Die – Mac Wiseman
Mac Wiseman Early Dot Recordings Vol. 3
County/MCA 1992 12. Going Down To Maysville – Paul David Smith
Devil Eat the Groundhog
Rounder Records 1999 13. Money Musk – Snake Chapman
Walnut Gap
Rounder Records 1999 14. High On A Mountain – Snake Chapman
Walnut Gap
Rounder Records 1999 15. BREAK 2
Cincinnati Rag – Jeff Little
Made In The Blue Ridge
Independent Release 2014 16. Over the Mountain – Uncle Dave Macon
Travelin’ Down The Road
County Records 1995 17. Rabbit In The Pea Patch – Uncle Dave Macon
Uncle Dave At Home
Spring Fed Records 2013 18. Bully Of The Town – Uncle Dave Macon
Uncle Dave At Home
Spring Fed Records 2013 19. Diamonds in the Dust – Steep Canyon Rangers
Radio
Rounder 2016 20. Till The End Of The World Rolls Round – The Earls of Leicester
The Earls Of Leicester
Rounder Records 2014 21. Smith’s Rag -- Fiddlin’ Arthur Smith & His Dixieliners
Fiddlin’ Arthur Smith & His Dixieliners
County 2002
mac wiseman #fiddlin’ arthur smith #hazel dickens #fred cockerham #paul david smith #uncle dave macon #jesse milnes and emily miller #the buck stops here
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