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"There's 'folk music,' and then there's music actually made--and made well--by some folks. These intriguing and enjoyable CDs put together at the State University of West Georgia focus on the latter." No Depression magazine.
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Everybody’s Tuned to the Radio: Rural Music Traditions in West Georgia, 1947-1979
Various Artists In 1947, WLBB, a 250-watt radio station in Carrollton, Georgia,began broadcasting live programs by local country and gospel musicians to the rural communities and small towns of western Georgia and eastern Alabama. While few of these pickers and singers were known outside the region, WLBB’s colorful roster of homegrown talent found considerable favor with local listeners during the years following World War II. |
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The musical collection of West Georgia’s rural musicians and string bands combined traditional fiddle tunes, hymns, and early country music with the newer influences of bluegrass and western swing. Everybody’s Tuned to the Radio includes 31 previously unreleased recordings by performers like Uncle John Patterson, the “Banjo King” and one-time musical partner of Fiddlin’ John Carson; the energetic Storey Sisters, featuring “champion girl fiddler” Rhoda Storey; early country ballad singer Alton Stitcher; fiddler Joe "Red" Tyson, a one-time member of the Blue Sky Boys; N.J. “Slim” Defoor, who was a regular on the Renfro Valley Barn Dance during the 1950s; and West Georgia’s bluegrass ambassadors, J.N. & Onie Baxter.
Songs are linked by vintage WLBB station IDs, commercials, public service announcements, weather reports, humorous messages, and snippets of radio preaching to recreate the down-home atmosphere of live radio programs on a small-town station in the South. The CD is compiled from acetate discs and home recordings archived at the Center for Public History and remastered by the Grammy Award-winning engineers at Airshow Mastering. Includes a 32-page booklet with detailed liner notes, essay, and historical photographs.
"...this whole project has been lovingly prepared, with lots of notes and photos, and it's a treasure trove for musicians and music lovers looking for some authentic homemade music. It's also an audio album from a time when radio truly was local and a vital part of local and regional music and culture." Gary Whitehouse, The Green Man Review.
To learn more about this CD or to purchase a copy, please click the links below:
[Liner Notes] [Song List and Sound Samples] [Ordering Info]
"Before America's airwaves were smothered with generic Top-40 hits, the musical stars lived among us. 'Everybody's Tuned to the Radio' is a collection of the history of these people and their music. Songs West Georgia worked and played to." Times-Georgian
In the 1930s, Stitcher joined the ranks of thousands of pickers and singers who flocked to radio stations throughout the South to perform live over the airwaves. From 1947-1962, Stitcher's nostalgic vocals and selections of romantic ballads, hymns, and folk songs could be heard regularly on WLBB and other regional radio stations.Stitcher’s debut album features 18 new studio recordings and 10 home recordings from the late 1950s & early 1960s. Among the old-time musicians providing backup are Rounder recording artist James Bryan on fiddle and the late Uncle John Patterson on banjo. Includes 28-page booklet with liner notes, essay, and historical photographs.
To learn more about this CD or to purchase a copy, please click the links below:
[Liner Notes] [Song List and Sound Samples] [Ordering Info]
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Your Fields on Fire, Volume 1: Various
Artists Imagine being inside Antioch Baptist Church on a Sunday, part of an eager audience that not only listens but helps create the experience. You will |
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Shape note, black gospel, bluegrass gospel, spiritual and southern gospel music--it's all here. New recordings of material that has been performed for 150 years appear side by side with vintage recordings of gospel music from the 1920s through the 1960s. In addition to preserving the sacred traditions represented in these recordings, the cneter has also tried to capture the feel of the environment in which the music was performed. This CD was made possible with funds from the Georgia Folklife Program, the Warren and Ava Sewell Foundation, and the Community Foundation of West Georgia.
We hope that you enjoy this latest offering from the Center for Public History as much as we enjoyed making it.
To learn more about this CD or to purchase a copy, please click the links below:
[Liner Notes] [Song List and Sound Samples] [Ordering Info]
Watch for Set Your Fields on Fire Volume 2, to be released April, 2007.
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This program is supported
in part by the Georgia Humanities Council and the Georgia Council for the
Arts through appropriation of the Georgia General Assembly. The Georgia Council
for the Arts is a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional
support includes contributions from the Warren P. and Ava F. Sewell Foundation
and the generosity of the College of Arts and Sciences and the History Department
at the University of West Georgia, the Community Foundation of West Georgia,
Airshow Mastering, Sony Music, and individual donors.