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The Goins Brothers - Bluegrass Country

(Jalyn JLP-131) 1971

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The second LP by the Goins Brothers was recorded on 10th May 1970. One 45 from the session was released shortly afterwards:- Fly Little Bluebird / Pistol Packin' Mama (Jalyn 45 353) 1970, but the LP didn't see light of day until a year later in mid-1971.

Musically the album is more country orientated than it's predecessor, and although it garnered quite a reasonable review in the Sept 1971 issue of 'Bluegrass Unlimited', it's said to have received some criticism in some quarters for the lack of any mandolin or fiddle.

Featured on the album are Dave Sutherland on bass and Harley Gabbard on Dobro. Dave Sutherland had previously played with Jim & Jesse whilst Harley Gabbard, from New Trenton Indiana, had played with Hylo Brown, Jim McCall and the Osborne Brothers. He also later helped form The Boys From Indiana, recording ten albums with them between 1975 and 1989.

Harley Gabbard sings lead on three cuts: This Train Is Going To Nashville, which he also wrote; the old train disaster song Wreck Of The Old '97; and the Carl Perkins' Daddy Sang Bass. The latter was a hit for Johnny Cash, and Harley has a somewhat similar vocal style on both that and This Train Is Going To Nashville.

On the bluegrass front, there's still plenty on offer, but there's only two original tunes: Fly Little Bluebird, a slow lamenting waltz which is co-credited to Mike Paxton (a DJ for WLSI in Pikeville Ky); and the banjo/dobro instrumental Chief Sitting Bull.

Of the non-original material: Pistol Packin' Mama is an fast-paced version of the 1943 honky tonk hit; Salty Dog Blues and Gone Home are patterned after Flatt & Scruggs. There's also three re-recordings of material Ray and Melvin had previously cut with the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers: Windy Mountain, Why Do You Treat Me The Way That You Do? & Lonesome Pine.

One track from the recording session, a sprawling & non too successful comedy arrangement of George Jones White Lightning with Dave Sutherland imitating Country stars, was omitted from the original LP. It was however included in the 1981 reissue. The reissue with the black sleeve had a different front cover picture and on the rear some copies had stickers over Jack Lynch's address.

Four cuts from the album were later re-recorded by The Goins Brothers:-

• Pistol Packin' Mama on We'll Carry On 1995;
• Lonesome Pine on Still Goin' Strong 1993;
• Windy Mountain on A Tribute To The Lonesome Pine Fiddlers 1973;
• Fly Little Bluebird on The Goins Brothers 1975;

• Melvin Goins: guitar, vocals
• Ray Goins: banjo, vocals
• Harley Gabbard: dobro, vocals
• Dave Sutherland: bass