The Old Country Church, recorded for Epic in 1964, documents Jim and Jesse McReynolds and the Virginia Boys in a full gospel setting that draws on the same Southern hymn tradition that fed bluegrass from its earliest days. Jesse McReynolds's cross-picking mandolin style — one of the instrument's genuine technical innovations — is at the service of devotional material here rather than on display for its own sake, and the resulting performances have a warmth and sincerity that less restrained players might have obscured. "This World is Not My Home" and "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" receive treatments that honor their place in American sacred song without reducing them to mere nostalgia.
Tracklist
- 1 Take a Moment and Live 3:07
- 2 The Old Country Church 2:26
- 3 They Tore the Old Country Church Down 2:40
- 4 Faith Unlocks the Door 2:48
- 5 Give the World a Smile 4:14
- 6 Canaanland Is Just in Sight 2:13
- 7 Lord I’m Coming Home 2:47
- 8 Heavenly Love 2:34
- 9 This World is Not My Home 2:36
- 10 Looking for a City 3:04
- 11 Swing Low Sweet Chariot 2:47
- 12 There Is a Fountain 3:19
- 13 Swing Low, Sweet Chariot 2:23
- 14 The Old Time Religion 2:34
- 15 Sweet, Sweet Spirit 4:22