A Statesman of Bluegrass Music, released in 1971, gathers Jim Eanes at a settled point in his career — the working radio personality and bluegrass elder he had become after his Mercury and Starday years and his late-1960s Rural Rhythm sessions. The 12-song program runs through Eanes's familiar repertoire of bluegrass-country crossover material, sacred numbers, and Appalachian ballads in his easy, melodic vocal style. By the early 1970s Eanes was based in southern Virginia working radio and festival circuits, and his recordings appeared steadily on small regional and bluegrass-focused labels. The album sits in that productive but commercially modest stretch of his late career.
Tracklist
- 1 Greasy Creek 2:17
- 2 Bridge of Sighs 2:17
- 3 I've Had Enough 1:54
- 4 Don’t Let Your Sweet Love Die alt version 2:45
- 5 Practice What You Preach 2:04
- 6 Cotton Eye Joe alt version 2:37
- 7 A Family Called the Blues 1:57
- 8 Sleepin' Where the Roses Grow 2:07
- 9 Good Times Are Here 1:38
- 10 What is Home Without Love 2:50
- 11 I Won't Be Around 1:52
- 12 Goodbye Booze 2:40