The Goins Brothers - Bluegrass Blues

(Plantation PLC-67) 1984

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This cassette consists of an album the Goins Brothers recorded in December 1973, but which not released at the time although a single from the session did get released in 1974: Bluegrass Blues / Hateful Thing (Jessup MB-147). The labels for this 45 advertised the 'Bluegrass Blues' LP (Jesup MB-148), but it remained in the can until this cassette saw light of day a decade later.

Much of the material on the album is drawn from the early '50s bluegrass catalogue, with the raw bluegrass feeling that epitomised much of the early classic Lonesome Pine Fiddlers material. Songs include versions of the Stanley Brothers Our Last Goodbye; Jimmy Martin & Bobby Osborne's She's Just A Cute Thing / Blue Eyed Darlin' (originally recorded by Jimmy Martin and Bobby Osborne in 1951 with Curly Ray and Charlie Cline);^[1] plus the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers / Flatt & Scruggs classic Pain In My Heart.

The brothers had previously recorded Across The Sea Blues on their 1969 debut LP Bluegrass Hits: Old And New and re-cut it in Nov. 1974 for their eponymous debut LP on Rebel. Likewise She's Just A Cute Thing and Blue Eyed Darlin' were re-recorded on their Take This Hammer LP (1977); Bluegrass Blues and Barefoot Nellie were re-cut on Sweet Sunny South LP (1985). Melvin also later re-recorded Bluegrass Blues on his Bluegrass Blues CD in 1999.

Other songs include Gonna Lay Down My Old Banjo which is a variant on the Delmore Brothers' Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar and Don Reno's 1951 comedy number Barefoot Nellie.

Worth noting also that Bluegrass Blues and Hateful Thing were co-written by Mike Paxton, who was a DJ for WLSI in Pikeville Ky. Mike is credited/co-credited withe songs on many of the early Goins Brothers albums.

If you can find a copy of this album it is well worth checking out!

Possible, but probably incomplete line-up:

• Melvin Goins: guitar, vocals
• Ray Goins: banjo, vocals
• Ralph 'Joe' Meadows: fiddle
• Leslie Sturgill: mandolin

Other artwork / related images:

[1] Gary Reid's liner notes to 'The Best Of King and Starday Bluegrass' 4xCD box set (King/Gusto KG-0952-4-2) 2004.