John Hartford wrote “Gentle on My Mind” in 1967 and lived off the royalties for the rest of his life — but it freed him to make the music he wanted: old-time, steam-river, banjo-and-fiddle pieces that helped define what would become newgrass. “Steam Powered Aeroplane” and “Steamboat Whistle Blues” carry his river fixation. “In Tall Buildings” and “The Julia Belle Swain” are his sharper observations. He could be funny (“Get No Better”) or gentle (“Long Hot Summer Days”). Thirteen songs spanning sixty years of Hartford’s writing.

Each song’s page on Picker’s Guide has chord charts, lyrics, recordings, and song history.