Blue Ridge Institute

Blue Ridge Institute
	Title: Publisher: Format: Price:	Blue Ridge Folk Instruments and Their Makers Blue Ridge Institute book, 64 pages $9
Very nicely put together catalog from a 1992 exhibit at the Blue Ridge Institute Museum. Contains a wealth of great photos (140+) and these essays: - "Blue Ridge Folk Instruments and Their Makers" by Vaughan Webb and Bethany Worley - "The Banjo: From Africa to Virginia and Beyond" by Dr. Robert Winans - "Thoughts on the Appalachian Dulcimer" by Dr. Alan Smith - "The Fiddle in the Blue Ridge" by Dr. Alan Jabbour Please note that some copies may have slight rubbing on the cover.
	Artist: Title: Label: Format: Price:	Various Artists Virginia Traditions: Non-Blues Secular Black Music Blue Ridge Institute LP $14
A varied and consistently high quality collection of traditional African-American dance tunes, ballads, and so forth, most of which were recorded by Kip Lornell in 1976-77. Irvin Cook and Leonard Bowles grab the listener right from the start, with Bowles sawing away on the fiddle and Cook growling lines like "See old black Annie down the road she had forty men hanging around / Dirtiest man in the crowd, he had his face all in a frown". Also noteworthy are a couple of skeletal but funky solo accordion pieces from Clarence Waddy (whose singing reminds me of Boozoo Chavis a bit) and Isaac "Uncle Boo" Curry. Fans of traditional black banjo players will also find much to enjoy here, as will fans of the clean, somewhat raggy guitar music often associated with the region. Comes with an 11"x11" booklet containing detailed liner notes by Lornell and great photos. Last vinyl copies available. Track listing: Leonard Bowles and Irvin Cook - I Wish to the Lord I'd Never Been Born Jimmie Strothers - I Used to Work on the Tractor Daniel Womack - Come, Let's March Isaac "Uncle Boo" Curry - Casey Jones Uncle Homer Walker - Cripple Creek Marvin Foddrell - Reno Factory Sanford L. Collins - Buckdance "Big Sweet" Lewis Hairston - Bile Them Cabbage Down John Cephas - John Henry James Applewhite - Fox Chase Turner Foddrell - Railroad Bill John Lawson Tyree - Hop Along Lou John Calloway - The Cuckoo Bird Lemuel Jones - Poor Farmers Jimmie Strothers - Tennessee Dog Clayton Horsely - Poor Black Annie Clarence Waddy - Eve Irvin Cook - Old Blue John Jackson - Medley of Country Dance Tunes Lewis Hairston - Cotton-Eyed Joe
	Artist Title: Label: Format: Price:	Various Artists Virginia Traditions: Tidewater Blues Blue Ridge Insitiute LP $14
Another very strong collection from the good folks of the Blue Ridge Institute, this one focusing on blues from the coastal region of Virginia. This set includes an array of source material that includes pre- and post-war 78s and a batch of recordings made by Kip Lornell in the late 1970s. I'm especially fond of the contribution from Big Boy, a musician recorded by Roscoe Lewis in 1941 as part of a local project that also conducted many interviews with ex-slaves. He plays some lovely slide guitar and free-flowing narrative that Lornell favorably compares to Furry Lewis' classic "Kassie Jones - Parts 1 and 2". (I've been searching for more available recordings made by Roscoe Lewis but have come up empty. Clue me in, somebody!) There are also a few tracks on here that sound a bit more "down south" bluesy than you might expect from Virginians, such as the songs from Pernell Charity and The Back Porch Boys (Alec Seward and Louis Hayes). Also featured are some nice raggy guitar tunes and a couple excellent vocal quartets. Comes with an 11"x11" booklet of commentary by Lornell and some excellent photos. The covers of the LP have some rubbing at the corners, and these are the last available copies. Track listing: Carl Hodges - Leaving You, Mama Henry Harris - Albemarle County Rag The Virginia Four - I'd Feel Much Better Pernell Charity - Blind Love William Moore - Barbershop Rag The Back Porch Boys - King Kong Blues John Cephas - Black Rat Swing Corner Morris - Going Down the Road Feeling Good Pernell Charity - War Blues Big Boy - Blues The Back Porch Boys (Alec Seward and Louis Hayes) - Sweet Woman Blues Henry Harris - Motorcycle Blues Monarch Jazz Quartet of Norfolk - Pleading Blues Carl Hodges - Poor Boy Blues John Cephas and John Woolfork - Richmond Blues William Moore - One Way Gal