Collector's Special by Del McCoury and the Dixie Pals, released on Rounder in 1976, is among the earliest recordings to document McCoury as a fully formed bandleader rather than a sideman. Del had played banjo in Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys in the mid-1960s before shifting to guitar and lead vocals, and his records of the mid-1970s capture a musician still building his audience but already in possession of the high, clear tenor and impeccable timing that would eventually make him one of the genre's most respected figures. The Dixie Pals were a hard-working traditional unit, and this album rewards those willing to trace McCoury's development backward from his later celebrated work.
Tracklist
- 1 Lonesome hobo 1:53
- 2 Don't stop the music 2:20
- 3 Farmer John 2:02
- 4 How long blues 2:15
- 5 The bluest man in town 3:25
- 6 Cluck Old Hen alt version 2:35
- 7 Livin' on the mountain 1:54
- 8 I Hope You’ve Learned alt version 3:00
- 9 Don’t Let Your Sweet Love Die alt version 2:04
- 10 I Still Write Your Name in the Sand alt version 2:25
- 11 Golden Slippers alt version 2:44
- 12 Mothers prayer 3:12