Mountain Song Favorites Featuring 5-String Banjo documents the Stanley Brothers in 1959, with the title's explicit promotion of the banjo reflecting the instrument's growing commercial and artistic currency in the post-Scruggs era. Ralph Stanley's three-finger style was his own development — rawer, more percussive, and more directly connected to the mountains than Scruggs's polished roll — and these recordings present it with characteristic directness. "Ridin' That Midnight Train" and "Highway of Regret" are the sort of driving, mournful pieces that defined the Stanleys' contribution to the genre: music that felt older than its recording date, rooted in an Appalachian tradition that predated bluegrass itself.
Tracklist
- 1 Ridin’ That Midnight Train Source Recording 2:02
- 2 Another Night alt version 2:45
- 3 Beneath the maple 2:35
- 4 Ralph’s Banjo Special alt version 1:59
- 5 Gonna Paint the Town alt version 1:49
- 6 Trust each other 2:20
- 7 Highway of Regret Source Recording 2:02
- 8 A little at a time 2:15
- 9 Choo Choo Comin’ Source Recording 2:32
- 10 Holiday pickin' 2:05
- 11 Carolina Mountain Home alt version 2:09
- 12 That happy night 2:10