The Early Sessions of the Country Gentlemen is an archival 1972 release gathering recordings from the band's earliest period — the Starday, Folkways, and small Washington-label sessions of the late 1950s and early 1960s, before their major-label debut on Mercury and the Rebel run that built the classic lineup's reputation. The recordings catch the band as it was just locking into the high-trio harmony and progressive-leaning repertoire that would define it: Charlie Waller's steady guitar, John Duffey's startling tenor, Bill Emerson's banjo. As a document, the collection traces how quickly the Country Gentlemen found their sound, and how early the working ideas of progressive bluegrass were already in evidence in their playing.
Tracklist
- 1 Banjo hop 2:06
- 2 Backwoods blues 1:57
- 3 Travellin' dobro blues 1:56
- 4 John Hardy alt version 3:29
- 5 Mountaineer's fling (Banjo hop) 2:07
- 6 Bluegrass fiddle special 2:34
- 7 It's the blues 2:08
- 8 If That’s the Way You Feel alt version 2:40
- 9 Blue man 2:53
- 10 Remembrance of you 2:53
- 11 Hills & home 2:22
- 12 Trains in the narrow 2:25