The Johnson Mountain Boys (Rounder Records 0135, 1981) is the self-titled debut album from the Washington, D.C.-area traditional bluegrass ensemble, recorded at Bias Recording Company in Springfield, Virginia, in August 1980. Dudley Connell plays guitar and sings; Ed D'Zmura plays mandolin and sings; Eddie Stubbs plays fiddle and sings; Richard Underwood plays banjo and sings lead; and Larry Robbins holds the string bass. Released at a time when hard-core traditional bluegrass was commercially marginal, the album announced the Johnson Mountain Boys' commitment to the stripped ensemble approach of the 1950s — Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, and the Stanleys — at precisely the moment when progressive styles were moving in the opposite direction. The debut was praised by traditionalists for its disciplined fidelity to the older sound.
Tracklist
- 1 Darling do you know who loves you 2:30
- 2 Lonesome day, lonesome night 2:58
- 3 John Henry, the steel drivin' man 1:49
- 4 Iron curtain 2:39
- 5 Dreaming of mother and dad 2:25
- 6 I can tell you the time 2:23
- 7 Carolina Mountain Home alt version 2:23
- 8 Now just suppose 3:25
- 9 Sad prisoner's song 2:19
- 10 When I can forget 3:21
- 11 Montgomery County breakdown 1:53
- 12 Lord show me the way 4:13