Grassroots to Bluegrass: A Very Special Collection by Mac Wiseman, released on CMH in 1990, draws on the long career of a singer whose smooth baritone and gift for melodic directness gave him a distinctive place in the music's history. Wiseman had recorded with Flatt and Scruggs and with Bill Monroe early in his career before establishing himself as a solo artist capable of crossing between bluegrass, folk, and mainstream country. This compilation format suits an artist whose work accumulated over decades rather than concentrating itself in a single landmark album, and it allows listeners to track the consistency of Wiseman's musical personality — warm, polished, and unpretentious — across different contexts and years.
Tracklist
- 1 Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down alt version 2:13
- 2 Reuben alt version 2:53
- 3 Little Rosewood Casket 4:19
- 4 Poor Ellen Smith alt version 2:16
- 5 Kentucky 3:33
- 6 Salty Dog Blues 2:22
- 7 Dust On The Bible 2:46
- 8 Mighty Dark to Travel alt version 2:38
- 9 Old Camp Meeting Time 2:37
- 10 Streamline Cannonball alt version 2:27
- 11 Red Rocking Chair alt version 2:54
- 12 Doin’ My Time alt version 4:07
- 13 I'm Just Here To Get My Baby Out Of Jail 2:58
- 14 Wait For The Light To Shine 3:05
- 15 (Beneath That) Lonely Mound Of Clay 2:36
- 16 Short Life of Trouble alt version 2:21
- 17 Crying Heart Blues 2:30
- 18 Don’t Give Your Heart to a Rambler alt version 2:55
- 19 I’m Using My Bible For a Roadmap alt version 2:32
- 20 How Mountain Girls Can Love alt version 2:04
- 21 Sailor On The Deep Blue Sea 2:39
- 22 Light At The River 2:26
