tracks.
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1.StopWhite House Blues – Earl Taylor 02:01
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2.StopOur Last Goodbye – The Johnson Mountain Boys 02:35
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3.StopWhen He Reached Down His Hand for Me – Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys 02:48
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4.StopTiny Broken Heart – Alice Gerrard, Hazel Dickens 03:05
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5.StopNew Camptown Races – Frank Wakefield, Red Allen, The Kentuckians 02:34
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6.StopSuzanne – Harley Allen Jr., Harley Allen, Mike Lilly 02:40
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7.StopI Heard My Mother Call My Name in Prayer – Nashville Grass 03:10
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8.StopTeardrops in My Eyes – The Friendly City Playboys 02:29
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9.StopCumberland Gap – Snuffy Jenkins 01:33
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10.StopLive and Let Live – The Kentuckians, Red Allen 02:47
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11.StopThe World Is Waiting for the Sunrise – Doc Watson, Roger Sprung 02:40
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12.StopHello City Limits – Hugh Moore 02:22
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13.Stop(Legend of The) Brown Mountain Light – The Country Gentlemen 02:36
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14.StopLonesome Road Blues – Roni Stoneman 01:14
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15.StopThe Train That Carried My Girl from Town – Doc Watson 02:19
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16.StopThe Little Girl and the Dreadful Snake – The New Lost City Ramblers 03:31
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17.StopLittle Birdie – The Stanley Brothers 02:40
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18.StopRabbit in a Log – The Stanley Brothers 02:24
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19.StopGrey Eagle – David & Billie Ray Johnson 02:50
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20.StopWayfaring Stranger – Cullen Gaylean, The Virginia Mountain Boys 05:10
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21.StopBilly in the Lowground – Lonesome Strangers 01:03
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22.StopThe Rebel Girl – Hazel Dickens 03:00
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23.StopTrain – Smiley Hobbs 02:22
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24.Stop'Neath a Cold Gray Tomb of Stone – Don Stover, The Lilly Brothers 03:06
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25.StopGet Up John – Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys 02:36
While bluegrass samplers are by no means rare, it's unusual to encounter one as well thought-out as this generous (and mid-priced) package from Smithsonian Folkways, the folk label known more for its ethnomusicological field recordings than its bluegrass albums. Cynics will point out that this collection comes hot on the heels of the success of the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? and its soundtrack, but they miss the point: if bluegrass becomes trendy for a while and the result is fine albums like this one that wouldn't otherwise have an audience, then everyone benefits. The artists on Classic Bluegrass From Smithsonian Folkways range from the obvious (Bill Monroe, the Country Gentlemen, Doc Watson, the Stanley Brothers) through the influential but obscure (Red Allen, the Lilly Brothers) to the just plain obscure (Smiley Hobbs, Hugh Moore, banjo innovator Roger Sprung), and the result is a thorough overview that offers as much musical satisfaction as scholarly edification. Many of the songs selected were recorded live, and those are among the best performances: the Johnson Mountain Boys deliver a bit of pitch-perfect high-lonesome heartbreak on "Our Last Goodbye," while the Friendly City Playboys kick things into high gear with the hard-edged "Teardrops in My Eyes." Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard illustrate an important thematic stream in bluegrass songwriting with their rendition of the horrifying "Tiny Broken Heart," and the Stanley Brothers reveal some of the roots of bluegrass with their performance of "Little Birdie" (on which Ralph Stanley plays banjo in the older "clawhammer" style). Highly recommended, especially to anyone looking for an introduction to the genre. Rick Anderson, Rovi
- Genre: Country, World, Folk
- Subgenre: Worldbeat, Traditional Folk, Traditional Country, Progressive Country, Honky Tonk, Contemporary Country, Alternative Country
- Category Traditional Folk, String Bands, Traditional Bluegrass, Progressive Bluegrass, Traditional Country, Folklore, Bluegrass, Old-Timey, Contemporary Bluegrass
- Label: SMITHSONIAN FOLKWAYS
- Release Date: April 23, 2002
- Artist: Classic Bluegrass from Smithsonian Folkways
- Additional Artist: Benny Martin (Vocals), Roni Stoneman (Performer), Alice Gerrard (Performer), Lonesome Strangers (Performer), Various artists collection, Harley Allen (Vocals), Red Allen (Vocals), Dudley Connell (Vocals), Bobby Harrison (Vocals), Sam Porky Hutchins (Vocals), David McLaughlin (Vocals), Tracy Schwarz (Vocals), Curly Seckler (Vocals), Carter Stanley (Vocals), Eddie Stubbs (Vocals), Charlie Waller (Vocals), John Warren (Vocals), Hugh Moore (Vocals), John Duffey (Vocals), Walter Hensley (Vocals), Mac Wiseman (Vocals), Doc Watson (Vocals), Hazel Dickens (Vocals), Mike Seeger (Vocals), Tom Adams (Vocals), Don Reno (Vocals), Greg Allen (Vocals), Ralph Stanley (Vocals), Mike Lilly (Vocals), Kenny Ingram (Vocals), Scott Adams (Vocals), Warren Pinnix (Vocals), Willis Spears (Vocals), The Country Gentlemen (Performer), The Johnson Mountain Boys (Performer), The Lilly Brothers (Performer), Nashville Grass (Performer), The Stanley Brothers (Performer), The New Lost City Ramblers (Performer), Everett Lilly (Vocals)