Del McCoury spent about a year, in 1963–64, as a member of Bill Monroe’s band, and Old Memories was his band’s tribute to Monroe in the year of Monroe’s hundredth birthday. It came out on McCoury Music (MCM 0016) in 2011, first as a digital release in late September and then on vinyl on 25 October. The Del McCoury Band on the record is Del on guitar and lead vocals, his sons Ronnie on mandolin and Rob on banjo, Jason Carter on fiddle and Alan Bartram on bass; it was recorded at the Sound Emporium in Nashville, with David Ferguson recording and mixing and Del McCoury producing.
There are sixteen tracks. Songs credited to Monroe include “Close By,” “Heavy Traffic Ahead,” “My Rose of Old Kentucky” and “Used to Be.” The set also includes songs by other writers: two Jimmie Rodgers numbers, “Brakeman’s Blues” and “John Henry,” Hank Williams’s “Alabama Waltz,” and “Train 45 (Heading South),” credited to Steve Ledford, Wade Mainer and Zeke Morris. “I’m Blue I’m Lonesome,” credited to Monroe and Hank Williams, has Del and Ronnie singing together. The opening track, “Watermelon on the Vine,” runs fourteen seconds, and the closing “Y’all Come” adds a group of extra voices. McCoury has described the selection as a mix of songs he never heard Monroe sing, songs Monroe sang on shows and songs he recorded.
Tracklist
- 1 Watermelon on the Vine alt version 2:15
- 2 Live and Let Live alt version 2:47
- 3 Lonesome Truck Driver's Blues 3:28
- 4 Brakeman’s Blues alt version 2:40
- 5 Close By alt version 2:33
- 6 In Despair alt version 2:20
- 7 Girl in the Blue Velvet Band 3:40
- 8 John Henry alt version 2:32
- 9 I’m Blue I’m Lonesome alt version 2:57
- 10 Used to Be alt version 2:05
- 11 Alabama Waltz 2:55
- 12 Lonesome Road Blues alt version 2:52
- 13 Heavy Traffic Ahead alt version 2:52
- 14 Reuben alt version 2:53
- 15 My Rose of Old Kentucky alt version 2:58
- 16 Y’all Come alt version 0:33
