VA - American Roots Music [4 CD, 2001]

 

The successes of the breakthrough soundtrack from the film O Brother Where Art Thou? and the in-depth PBS television series Ken Burns' Jazz seem to have combined in the 2001 production of Palm Pictures' four-part TV series American Roots Music. The series touches on the development of the distinctly American styles of traditional folk, country, blues, gospel, Western swing, bluegrass, cajun, zydeco, Tejano, and Native American music. Corresponding with the television event, Palm has released a four-CD box set soundtrack with a 48-page booklet covering the styles covered during the show. Much like a broadened version of the amazing Washington Square Memoirs: The Great Urban Folk Boom, 1950-1970 CD set, American Roots Music has pulled together an impressive list of performers, including the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, Bill Monroe, B.B. King, Hank Williams, Robert Johnson, Son House, Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, the Staple Singers, Clifton Chenier, Flaco Jimenez, and Bob Dylan. The depth of the track selection is impressive, as is the breadth of the performers chosen. The producers have chosen to include some studio recordings, and some audio tracks taken from the film archives, making for a somewhat uneven sound quality. While the previously unreleased nature of these select tracks will appeal to collectors and die-hard fans, those just exploring these styles might be turned off by the rough quality of these performances. The discs span more than eight decades of music, acting as a good overview of these genres for new listeners, while Americana enthusiasts will view it as another great collection of the most influential American roots artists in music history.


CD01: Country

01. Ricky Skaggs, Earl Scruggs, James Cotton And Marc & Ann Savoy - American Roots Music Theme
02. Jimmie Rodgers - Waiting For A Train
03. The Carter Family - Wildwood Flower
04. Uncle Dave Macon - Take Me Back To My Old Carolina Home
05. Roy Acuff - Wabash Cannonball
06. Gene Autry - That Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine
07. Bob Wills - Sitting On Top Of The World
08. Bill Monroe - Uncle Pen
09. Flatt And Scruggs - Salty Dog Blues
10. Merle Travis - Nine-Pound Hammer
11. Ernest Tubb - Walking The Floor Over You
12. Lefty Frizzell - If You've Got The Money, I've Got The Time
13. Hank Williams - Cold Cold Heart
14. Kitty Wells - It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels
15. Doc Watson - Black Mountain Rag
16. Earl Scruggs - Earl's Breakdown
17. Ralph Stanley - Little Maggie
18. Doyle Lawson And Quicksilver - Where Shades Of Love Lie Deep
19. Bela Fleck And The Flecktones - Stomping Grounds

CD02: Blues

01. James Cotton - The King Biscuit Time Theme
02. Mamie Smith - Crazy Blues
03. Bessie Smith - St. Louis Blues
04. Blind Lemon Jefferson - Black Snake Moan
05. Charley Patton - Screamin' And Hollerin' The Blues
06. Robert Johnson - Cross Road Blues
07. Son House - Death Letter Blues
08. Lonnie Johnson - Another Night To Cry
09. Whistler's Jug Band - Foldin' Bed
10. Albert Ammons And Pete Johnson - Boogie Woogie Dream
11. Sonny Boy Williamson - Bye Bye Bird
12. Howlin' Wolf - Shake For Me
13. Muddy Waters - Got My Mojo Working
14. B.B. King - The Thrill Is Gone
15. Robert Lockwood Jr. - Take A Little Walk With Me
16. Keb' Mo' - Henry

CD03: Gospel & Folk

01. Fisk Jubilee Singers - Joshua Fit De Battle
02. Thomas A. Dorsey - Precious Lord, Take My Hand
03. The Golden Gate Quartet - Blind Barnabus
04. Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Down By The Riverside
05. Mahalia Jackson - Move On Up A Little Higher
06. The Staple Singers - Sit Down Servant
07. Edwin Hawkins - Oh Happy Day
08. Woody Guthrie - This Land Is Your Land
09. Lead Belly - Goodnight Irene
10. The Weavers - So Long It's Been Good To Know Yuh
11. The New Lost City Ramblers - The Soldier And The Lady
12. Mississippi John Hurt - John Henry
13. Peter, Paul And Mary - If I Had A Hammer (The Hammer Song)
14. SNCC Freedom Singers with Pete Seeger - We Shall Overcome
15. Bob Dylan - The Times They Are A-Changin'

CD04: Cajun & Zydeco & Tejano

01. Joe Falcon And Cleoma Breaux - Allons A Lafayette
02. Amede Ardoin And Dennis McGee - Madame Atchen
03. Dewey Balfa - Port Arthur Blues
04. Clifton Chenier - I'm A Hog For You
05. Marc And Ann Savoy - Dans La Louisianne
06. Steve Riley And The Mamou Playboys - Ossun Two-Step
07. Lydia Mendoza - Mal Hombre
08. Narciso Martinez - Muchacha Bonita
09. Valerio Longoria - Rosalito
10. Little Joe Y La Familia - Las Nubes
11. Mingo Saldivar - Ring Of Fire
12. Flaco Jimenez - Sorry Boy
13. Unidentified Performers - Yeibichei Song
14. Renzel Last Horse And Kiyaksa - Traditional Pow Wow
15. Everette Red Bear And Sandor Iron Rope Of The Native American Church - Jesus Loves Me
16. Floyd Westerman - Wounded Knee
17. R. Carlos Nakai - Enchantment Song
18. Robert Mirabal - The Dance