# Music by Genre > Old-Time, Roots, Early Country, Cajun, Tex-Mex >  Who do you listen to?

## AKmusic

When it comes to OT music, who do you listen to? ...your source of inspiration?

Could be a band, or a person...

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## Ed Goist

Great thread! I'm really looking forward to seeing what others listen to/are inspired by. Here are four acts I've been listening to a lot lately. Although they are not all strictly 'Old-Time', they all certainly are clearly informed by an understanding of, and appreciation for the genre:
Ann and Phil Case 
Tim O'Brien 
Sarah Jarosz 
Heather Stewart

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## banJoe

Bruce Molsky is a favorite of mine.  He has a trove of some of the most obscure OT tunes that I have ever heard.

The Freight Hoppers are another favorite.  They really capture the bouncing rythmic drive of Old Time music.

No mando content from either, but both great artists and performers.

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## Mike Bunting

Snake Chapman of late, working on some of his tunes.

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## Jim Garber

Let's see... in no particular order...

Ed Haley, Volo Bogtrotters, J.P. Fraley, Skillet Lickers, Charlie Poole, Southern Schoolhouse Rascals, Manhattan Valley Ramblers, Doc Roberts, and a bunch of my friends from whom I am still trading tunes. Prob a few more, too.

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## JEStanek

I like Tom Brad and Alice and I would include the Carolina Chocolate Drops as well... but I'm not a strict Old Tymer...

Jamie

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## Jim Nollman

Rayna Gellart,  Alasdair Fraser, Nathalie McMaster, "A Fish that's a Song" Smithsonian Anthology of old time tunes, David Bailey's recording of Scott Joplin Rags, CD of Mississippi John Hurt by others, Thelonious Monk solo piano, McKassons, Lucia Comnes, Joe Meadows, Peter Ostroushko

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## JeffD

A random sampling of who I listen to, in no particular order, would include Gid Tanner and the Skillet Lickers, Walker's Corbin Ramblers, the Peasall Sisters, John D. Foster, Bruce Greene, Tomm Jarrell, Bobby Osborne, Lezime Brusoe, Jehile Kirkhuff, Leake County Revelers, Don Pedi, New Lost City Ramblers, Mike Seeger, Kieth Whitley, Armstrong Twins, Carolina Tar Heels, Alice Gerrard, Travis and Trevor Stuart, Geogia Yellow Hammers, Hazel Dickens, Fiddlin' Doc Roberts, Roscoe Holcomb, Charlie Poole, Bascom Lamar Lundsford, Marion Underwood, Mississippi Possum Hunters, Fiddlin John Carson, Uncle Dave Macon, Gillian Welch, Ricky Skaggs, Earl Skruggs, ... ...

and I have barely scratched the surface. Seriously, just barely.

For example I left out the Stripling Brothers, Dixie Crackers, East Texas Serenadors, Marion Sumner, The Country Gentlemen, Louvin Brothers, Mark O'Conner, Bill Monroe, Red Allen, Marty Stuart, Kathy Mattea, Buell KaKazee, Crockett Family Mountaineers, Johnny Barfield, John Hammond, Riley Puckett, Norman Blake, Riddlin Red Herron, Abigail Washburn, Doc Watson ... ...

And four more posts of name dropping.

And thats just the Old Time mp3 player. I have other mp3 player dedicated to other kinds of music.

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## JeffD

My source of inspiration?

I saw a show on geneology, and heard this woman talking about her great great grand uncle, from Eastern Kentucky, who "invited fiddlers and banjo players over to his house and played all night."  That is all she could find. It was the only thing that lasted through time, but it was enough to make him immortal.

So my inspiraion is to be that long distant relative to future generations as yet unborn, who, 100 years hense, will be able to point way back up the family tree to "quirky uncle Jeff, Grandma Athalia's cousin twice removed (once for cause), who played music on the mandolin, of all things, and sometimes all night long."

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## Mike Snyder

Pretty well covered, so far. Add John Hartford to the list.

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## barney 59

For OT it's hard to beat Tommy Jarrell. Still alive ,I think, is Franklin George. I just heard live for the first time the other day "The Carolina Chocolate Drops" and in their own words they are "playing genuine old time negro string music and (believe it or not) performed by genuine negroes" That is hard to get! I thought they were terrific.

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## Ed Goist

> My source of inspiration?
> 
> I saw a show on geneology, and heard this woman talking about her great great grand uncle, from Eastern Kentucky, who "invited fiddlers and banjo players over to his house and played all night."  That is all she could find. It was the only thing that lasted through time, but it was enough to make him immortal.
> 
> So my inspiraion is to be that long distant relative to future generations as yet unborn, who, 100 years hense, will be able to point way back up the family tree to "quirky uncle Jeff, Grandma Athalia's cousin twice removed (once for cause), who played music on the mandolin, of all things, and sometimes all night long."


Well, it looks like we have a new front-runner for the best post EVER on a Cafe forum!

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## Bill Foss

We've got a pretty long list going here. I don't think I saw Kenny Hall or the Foghorn String Band. Kenny is a blind mandolin player probably in his upper 80s now. Foghorn has a very hot, yet tasteful mandolin player named Calib Klauder. Both highly recommended.

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## M.Marmot

Tommy Jarrell, Foghorn Stringband, Norman Blake, Jody Strecher and Kate Brislin, Dirk Powell, Bruce Molsky, John Hartford, Ed Haley, The Inlaw Sisters, Roscoe Holcolmb, Dock Boggs, are some folks, amongst others, that i have been listening to.

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## Dave Gumbart

After looking at Abigail Washburn's web site this past weekend, I then surfed on over to see what Rayna Gellert is up to these days.  She has a new cd out with Susie Goehring (a new name to me), called Starch & Iron.  I figured I'd buy it if it was on itunes, but then read the liner notes, posted online, written by Dirk Powell.  If I wasn't buying it before, I was certainly buying it then - best album notes I've seen in a long time (and, indeed, a great album!).  Check it out: http://starchandiron.utopiandesign.com/

And might as well add Reeltime Travelers to the list....

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## Caleb

> My source of inspiration?
> 
> I saw a show on geneology, and heard this woman talking about her great great grand uncle, from Eastern Kentucky, who "invited fiddlers and banjo players over to his house and played all night."  That is all she could find. It was the only thing that lasted through time, but it was enough to make him immortal.
> 
> So my inspiraion is to be that long distant relative to future generations as yet unborn, who, 100 years hense, will be able to point way back up the family tree to "quirky uncle Jeff, Grandma Athalia's cousin twice removed (once for cause), who played music on the mandolin, of all things, and sometimes all night long."


Jeff, this really is a great post.  I see you writing things like this from time to time and they never fail to captivate.  Have you considered collecting your thoughts in book form, even if only for the sake of future generations stumbling upon your perspective?

On topic: I listen to quite a bit of Doc Watson.  I've got a lot of "burned" CDs that friends have passed along over the years with many of his songs scattered all over the place.  I also listen to the "Three Pickers" record quite a bit that he did with Ricky and Earl.  There's a wonderful piece of music history captured on that particular record.  

I'm on a road-trip right now and dusted off a bunch of Alison Krauss CDs for the drive.  She's a national treasure.

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## farmerjones

Strictly Old Time, Missouri Valley style? (That means a fence within a fence) i listen to Dwight "Red" Lamb, Uncle Bob Walters, and Cyril Stinnett. Stretch the fence and i listen to the Stoneking's. I love John Hartford for his distillation of Ed Haley, and Gene Goforth, and Cleo Persinger, Major Franklin, Roy Wooliver, Doug & Ron Dillard. I've said John Hartford's, Hamilton Ironworks CD really spoke to me. 

I like music from J.S. Bach to Spyro Gyra. But right now i have The Pizza Tapes in the slot.

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## Shelagh Moore

Current listening favourites, some of whom have been mentioned already, include Reyna Gellert, Furnace Mountain, Foghorn Stringband, Carolina Chocolate Drops and John Hartford.

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## mandopops

It looks by everyone's lists "Old-Time" is fairly wide open. That's fine with me.
 So "Old" stuff I've been digging lately:

- a recent release on Delmark by Junior Wells w/ The Aces. A recently discovered live in Boston show from 1966. Junior in his prime, young, unjaded, & playful being backed by the best,The Aces. Great Chicago Blues. 

-Dylan's Witmark Demos,1962-1964(old enough?). It just came out this week, I'm working my way thru it. It is a look into his early writing and so great to hear more from him in his early years.

-Lydia Mendoza 1930's recordings. Mainly she's solo just singing and playing her 12 string Guitar. Beautiful. Some Mandolin content, there are a few trax that add Mandolin (Lydia?). A few trax add the whole family. My favorites are just Lydia and the few with the Guitar and Mandolin. I knew some of her stuff from a live 70's(?) recording & a couple of her 30's trax. It inspired me to find more.

-I recently dubbed one of my old LP's of Furry Lewis to CD for the car. I hadn't listened to it in years. Very late era Furry, but I really like it. 

-One more. For my Birthday, my daughter, gave me a collection of stuff by Turk Murphy, a Trad Jazz revivalist from the 40's & 50's. Plenty of vim & vigor here.

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## Paul Kotapish

Can it be that no one has mentioned the Carter Family?

Great thread. Jeff and M.Marmot's lists cover the basics pretty dang well.

When I first got started playing old-time music in the early '70s, my old pal Ted Tom--R.I.P.--had the entire County, Smithsonian, and Folkways catalogs in his collection. We listened to virtually all of that stuff and it seemed possible then to have a handle on "everything." In recent years, so much great material has been discovered, recovered, restored, and reissued, that--as Jeff suggested--it's almost impossible to do more than just scratch the surface of the potential repertoire and performances available now.

I learned a lot of stuff from recordings by Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers, the Hammons Family, Henry Reed, and John Morgan Salyer. Those Doc Watson/Clarence Ashley and Watson Family records are pretty great, too.

Did anyone list the Poplin Family or the remarkable 6 & 7/8s Stringband?

Among the revival bands (New Lost City Ramblers and later), I was pretty inspired by Gypsy Gyppo String Band (with the remarkable Gerry Mitchell on mandolin) and the Highwoods String Band. 

These days there are so many wonderful "young" bands playing that it's hard to know where to start. Ditto on Bruce Molsky, Brad, Tom & Alice, Foghorn (band and duo), Jody Stecher & Kate Brislin, Suzy and Eric Thompson, Dirk Powell, Tim O'Brien, Norman Blake,  . . .

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## Mandolin Mick

Pretty much instrumental music with mandolin centered content. Anything from Bill Monroe to Italian dinner music, from Carl Story & his Rambling Mountaineers to Gypsy music, Jesse McReynolds to Mandolin Orchestras ...  :Mandosmiley: 

I also like Christmas music, preferably renaissance or medieval like Kemper Crabb with mandolins, recorders, lutes, classical guitars, etc. Here's a picture of Kemper ...

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## John Larry Walker

Jeff D, Thank you for listening to my father's "old-time country music." The Corbin Ramblers recorded their songs back in the 1930's, before I was born. My father passed away on July 2, 1979.  If  he were living, he  would be very proud to know that all of this info about his band is available on the internet now. And,  he would be very pleased that there are persons like you who are interested in listening to the old recordings. Best Wishes.            
                                                                    John Larry Walker

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## Charlieshafer

I spread the are. Sure, all the old guys, but of those still alive and kicking, for pure fiddle, I'd say John Specker, the closest thing to Jarrell you'll hear, and then the aforementioned Dirk Powell. He's just perfect. Newer interpretations would be the Mammals, now defunct, and Crooked Still. Tara Nevins, of Donna The Buffalo has a killer solo album, and so does Brittany Haas, of Crooked Still.

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## David M.

Wade Mainer
James Bryan
Norman Blake
Grayson and Whitter
Burnett and Rutherford (great stuff!)
William Stepp
Marcus Martin
Luther Strong
Snake Chapman
John Morgan Salyer
Bruce Greene
Brad Leftwich
Tommy Jarrell
Roscoe Holcomb
Clarence Ashley
Art Stamper
Bob Townsend
Bob Holt
Lyman Enloe
Pete McMahan
Jimmy Triplett

*Digital Library of Appalachia* has lots of these with free sound files.

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## devilsbox

David Bass, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Uncle Earl, Rayna Gellert, Carter Family, Ralph Stanley (a true living legend), And a lot of the aforementioned greats.  :Mandosmiley:

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## JeffD

> Jeff D, Thank you for listening to my father's "old-time country music." The Corbin Ramblers recorded their songs back in the 1930's, before I was born. My father passed away on July 2, 1979.  If  he were living, he  would be very proud to know that all of this info about his band is available on the internet now. And,  he would be very pleased that there are persons like you who are interested in listening to the old recordings. Best Wishes.            
>                                                                     John Larry Walker



Thank you for this post.  Its great to know you saw the link, because I often think about the old time musicians and wish they could know how much I listen to them and how they have influenced me. And wonder what they might think of my playing. (Maybe I don't want to know that.)

I listen to a lot of stuff, and I try (very hard) to never let it become just sounds in a box. They are and/or were all flesh and blood musicians, immortalized in electro-magnetic form, but having or having had daily lives and jobs and worries and joys and fears and small and large triumphs and families and children and grandchildren. I sometimes try to envision the context in which they created their music, and how much of their music we don't hear because it wasn't recorded or performed, it was practiced at home after dinner, or in a preverbial "back porch" jam. I will never get to meet most of the musicians I listen to, but I carry them with me in that place in my brain where all the music piles up, and their voices and styles and influence comes out my fingers when I play. I don't consciously emulate anyone, but, as they say, "its in there". Its all in there.

And not just their influences, but by proxy all who influenced them, in a kind of a chain going back to the way back. 

I struggle to find a meaningful context for all this music in my life. I am not a professional musician, not a performer even - just a passionate player - emersed in a world where playing music is a rare enough anachronism, and playing it for yourself and your friends only is even more rare, and playing it on something that is not a guitar is even more rare than that. 

So I am moved by your post as it reminds me that what I am doing has a kind of meaning. Certainly its not irrelevant. And by extension, perhaps I am not irrelevant.

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## Charlieshafer

Beautifully said, Jeff. You're far from irrelevant. More than a few musicians forget that without you to listen as carefully as you do, they're the ones that become irrelevant.

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## MandoSquirrel

For listening that qualifies as "Old Time", I see no prior mention of my main listens; the McCoy brothers,Joe and/or Charlie; Carl Martin Ted Bogan & Howard Armstrong, together, solo, or in varied pairings; or the Blue Sky Boys, Earl & Bill Bolick.
I also listen some to the original Carter Family & Crooked Still.
I like the Carolina Chocolate Drops, but have not yet obtained any of their recordings.
Why no mention of the Red Clay Ramblers?

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## Jay Bird

Dock Boggs
Roscoe Holcomb
Ralph Stanley
Sacred Harp
Lined-Out Hymnody
Sonny Boy Williamsons (1914-1948)
Charley Patton
Skip James
Son House

electric Chicago blues
Muddy Waters
Little Walter
Howlin' Wolf

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