“Bright Morning Stars” is a traditional Appalachian spiritual, most likely dating to the nineteenth century. Its origins are uncertain; it carries the marks of the shape-note hymn tradition, especially the way it calls in turn on departed family — father, mother, and the rest — asking where they are now.
The song entered the documentary record when Alan and Elizabeth Lomax recorded a Kentucky singer performing it in 1937. It became a touchstone of the folk revival, valued for its modal, hovering melody and its plain, searching question about the soul’s morning.
The clawhammer banjo player and singer Abigail Washburn recorded “Bright Morning Stars” on her 2011 album City of Refuge. Her version is one of many that have kept the old spiritual current among bluegrass, old-time, and folk performers alike.
