The Mountain was released on E-Squared (1064-2) on 23 February 1999 as a joint billing for Steve Earle and the Del McCoury Band. All fourteen songs are by Earle. The record was made at Room & Board in Nashville and produced by Ronnie McCoury and The Twangtrust, with Ray Kennedy credited as recording engineer.
The core band is Earle on guitar and lead vocals, Del McCoury on guitar, Ronnie McCoury on mandolin, Rob McCoury on banjo, Jason Carter on fiddle and Mike Bub on bass. Del McCoury sings tenor on “Carrie Brown,” “Leroy’s Dustbowl Blues” and “Long, Lonesome Highway Blues”; Ronnie McCoury sings tenor on “The Graveyard Shift” and harmony on “Harlan Man” and the title song. Earle plays mandolin himself on “Harlan Man” and “Paddy on the Beat.”
Guests include Iris DeMent, who sings on “I’m Still in Love with You,” Stuart Duncan on fiddle, Jerry Douglas and Gene Wooten on dobro, and Sam Bush on mandolin. The closing track, “Pilgrim,” adds a chorus of Emmylou Harris, Sam Bush, Kathy Chiavola, Tim O’Brien, Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings. The album was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album, which went to Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder’s Ancient Tones.
Tracklist
- 1 Texas Eagle 3:28
- 2 Yours Forever Blue 2:30
- 3 Carrie Brown 4:18
- 4 I'm Still In Love With You 4:05
- 5 The Graveyard Shift Source Recording 2:36
- 6 Harlan Man 3:20
- 7 The Mountain alt version 4:04
- 8 Outlaw's Honeymoon 2:02
- 9 Connemara Breakdown 2:18
- 10 Leroy's Dustbowl Blues 3:04
- 11 Dixieland 2:56
- 12 Paddy On The Beat 2:00
- 13 Long, Lonesome Highway Blues 2:59
- 14 Pilgrim 5:28
