Old Time Music, recorded by Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys in 1967, predates Ralph's emergence as a solo star following his brother Carter's death and documents the duo-era band's deep immersion in the pre-bluegrass string band tradition. The Stanley Brothers had always maintained a closer connection to old-time mountain music than most of their bluegrass peers, and this album makes that affinity explicit. Ralph's banjo playing, in its claw-hammer-influenced frailing approach, is rooted in a pre-Scruggs tradition that gives the music an earthier, rougher quality. 'East Virginia Blues' anchors the album in the deepest available layers of Appalachian tradition.
Tracklist
- 1 Knoxville Girl alt version 3:47
- 2 The Death of John Henry 2:14
- 3 Poor Ellen Smith alt version 1:43
- 4 East Virginia Blues Source Recording 2:35
- 5 Long Journey Home alt version 2:55
- 6 Going 'Round This World 1:55
- 7 Chicken Reel 2:20
- 8 Mississippi Sawyer alt version 2:04
- 9 Bonnie and Clyde's Hop 2:23
- 10 Billy in the Low Ground alt version 2:43
- 11 Cackling Hen 2:08
- 12 Going Down Town 2:25
- 13 John Henry alt version
