The New South, credited to J.D. Crowe & the New South, was released by Rounder Records in 1975 as Rounder 0044. Crowe, a banjo player who had worked with Jimmy Martin in the 1950s, had led the band under the name New South since 1971. For this record the line-up was Crowe on banjo, Tony Rice on guitar and lead vocals, Ricky Skaggs on mandolin, fiddle and viola, Jerry Douglas on Dobro and Bobby Slone on bass. It was recorded in January 1975 at Track Recorders in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Rice sings lead on most of the songs, with Skaggs on tenor and Crowe on baritone on several; on “Cryin’ Holy,” Skaggs takes the lead verses and Rice the choruses. The repertoire came from several directions. Gordon Lightfoot wrote “Ten Degrees” and “You Are What I Am,” Ian Tyson wrote “Summer Wages,” Utah Phillips wrote “Rock Salt and Nails,” and “Old Home Place” is credited to Dean Webb and Mitch Jayne. Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew are credited with “I’m Walkin’,” and Earl Scruggs with the instrumental “Nashville Blues,” while “Sally Goodin” and “Cryin’ Holy” are traditional. From about 1975 the New South began adding jazz and rock influences, and country and folk material, to its bluegrass repertoire.
Tracklist
- 1 Old Home Place Source Recording 2:48
- 2 Some Old Day Source Recording 2:31
- 3 Rock Salt and Nails Source Recording 3:05
- 4 Sally Goodin Source Recording 3:19
- 5 Ten Degrees Source Recording 2:28
- 6 Nashville Blues alt version 1:58
- 7 You Are What I Am 2:24
- 8 Summer Wages Source Recording 4:29
- 9 I'm Walkin' 2:12
- 10 Home Sweet Home Revisited 3:24
- 11 Cryin’ Holy Source Recording 2:18
- 12 Devil in Disguise alt version
