(ATO 0882188429) 2013
This 2xCD set of American Civil War songs, was put together with the help of Randall Poster, whose credits include music for TV series 'Boardwalk Empire' and the 'Moonrise Kingdom' film.[1] It features a good selection of songs, which were either written about the war, or popularised at the time; with quite an impressive cast of performers drawn from the old-time / bluegrass / country genres.
It's noticeable how some of the tunes were adopted by both sides, and ironic that the confederate favourite (I Wish I Was In) Dixie was composed by a minstrel artist from New York. The 32 songs included, also cover the war from many different perspectives.
Ralph is featured singing The Vacant Chair, which first appeared in the 'Worcester Spy' newspaper around Thanksgiving 1861. It was written to commemorate the death of Lieutentant John William Grout of the 15th Massachusetts Infantry, who was killed at the Battle Of Ball's Bluff.[2] Personnel on the track are:-
The CD comes in a fold-out digipak, and there's a 32-page booklet including details of the individual songs, and liner notes by Sean Wilentz and John Cohen. There are also three short films on youtube, giving the background behind the project, including interviews with some of the artists (but not Ralph).[3]
Track: |
Title: |
---|---|
CD One: |
(62:10) |
1 |
Take Your Gun And Go, John - Loretta Lynn |
Hiram T. Merrill |
|
2 |
Lorena - Del McCoury |
Rev. Henry D.L. Webster |
|
3 |
Wildwood Flower - Sam Amidon |
Maud Irving / Joseph Philbrick Weber |
|
4 |
Hell's Broke Loose In Georgia - Bryan Sutton |
P.D. |
|
5 |
Two Soldiers - Ricky Skaggs |
P.D. |
|
6 |
Marching Through Georgia - Old Crow Medicine Show |
Henry C. Work |
|
7 |
Dear Old Flag - Vince Gill |
George Cooper / Stephen Foster |
|
8 |
Just Before The Battle, Mother / Farewell Mother - Steve Earle & Dirk Powell |
George F. Root |
|
9 |
The Fall Of Charleston - Shovels & Rope |
P.D. |
|
10 |
Tenting On The Old Campground - John Doe |
Walter Kittredge |
|
11 |
Day Of Liberty - Carolina Chocolate Drops |
Henry Clay Work / George F. Root |
|
12 |
Richmond Is A Hard Road To Travel - Chris Thile & Michael Daves |
Daniel Decatur Emmett |
|
13 |
Two Brothers - Chris Stapleton |
P.D. |
|
14 |
The Faded Coat Of Blue - Norman Blake, Nancy Blake & James Bryan |
J.H. McNaughton |
|
15 |
Listen To The Mockingbird - Stuart Duncan / Dolly Parton |
Richard Milburn/Septimus Winner |
|
16 |
Kingdom Come - Pokey LaFarge |
Henry C. Work |
|
CD Two: |
(66:26) |
1 |
Rebel Soldier -Jamey Johnson |
P.D. |
|
2 |
The Legend Of The Rebel Soldier - Lee Ann Womack |
Caroline Norton / P.D. |
|
3 |
The Mermaid Song - Jorma Kaukonen |
P.D. |
|
4 |
Dixie - Karon Elson w/ The Secret Sisters |
Daniel Decatur Emmett |
|
5 |
The Vacant Chair - Ralph Stanley |
P.D. |
|
6 |
Hard Times - Chris Hillman |
Stephen Foster |
|
7 |
Down By The Riverside - Taj Mahal |
P.D. |
|
8 |
Old Folks At Home / The Girl I Left Behind Me - Noam Pikelny / David Grisman |
Stephen Foster / P.D. |
|
9 |
Secesh - The Tennessee Mafia Jug Band |
P.D. |
|
10 |
The Battle Of Antietam - T Bone Burnett |
P.D. |
|
11 |
Pretty Saro - Ashley Monroe w/Aubrey Haynie |
P.D. |
|
12 |
Aura Lee - Joe Henry |
W.W. Fosdick / George R. Poulton |
|
13 |
Johnny Has Gone For A Soldier - AA Bondy |
P.D. |
|
14 |
When Johnny Comes Marching Home - Angel Snow |
Patrick Gilmore |
|
15 |
Battle Cry Of Freedom - Bryan Sutton |
George F. Root |
|
16 |
Beautiful Dreamer - Cowboy Jack Clement |
Stephen Foster |