Woody Guthrie: This Land is Your Land

Woody Guthrie was the most important figure in the history of American folk music. Guthrie was more than a singer and musician. He was a real-life incarnation of John Steinbeck’s character of Tom Joad from The Grapes of Wrath and a committed left-wing political activist.

Guthrie was born in Okemah, Oklahoma, in 1912. When he was 14, he began playing the guitar and harmonica and learned the English and Scottish folk songs from the parents of his friends. Despite being a bright student, Guthrie dropped out of high school and started busking on the streets. When he was eighteen, his father called for him to come to Texas to attend school, but Guthrie spent his time busking and reading in the library. By 1930, Guthrie joined thousands of other “Okies” (Oklahomans) who were migrating to California to search for work and escape the “Dust Bowl” drought that plagued Oklahoma.

In California, Guthrie worked odd jobs, and by the end of the thirties, he had managed to land a job playing folk and “hillbilly” music on the radio. At this time, he would write the songs about his experiences during the Dust Bowl era migration to California that would later become his legendary collection of Dust Bowl ballads. In 1936, he began to perform at Communist Party events in California, and although he never joined the party, he would later be tagged as a communist.

By the 1940s, Guthrie was in New York City, and his “Oklahoma cowboy” nickname and reputation endeared him to the leftist folk music community in the city. He would record his album, “Dust Bowl Ballads” (1940), for Victor Records in Camden, New Jersey, shortly after his arrival. The album has long been hailed as a superb document of an episode of American history told by a man who lived it. Guthrie would also record for Alan Lomax of the Library of Congress, singing and speaking about his adventures during the Dust Bowl period of ten years before.

Guthrie would land another radio job in New York, this time as the host of the “Pipe Smoking Time” show, which was sponsored by a tobacco company. He also appeared on CBS radio on the program “Back Where I Came From.” He managed to get a spot on the show for his friend, the legendary Black folk singer, Huddie “Leadbelly” Ledbetter. By 1941, Guthrie was off to Washington State to write and perform songs about the construction of Grand Coulee Dam in the employ of the American Department of the Interior. Guthrie wrote 26 songs for a film that was to be produced about the project, but the film never came to fruition. The songs, “Pastures of Plenty” and “Grand Coulee Dam,” would become well known nonetheless.

In 1944, Guthrie met Moses Asch of Folkways Records, for whom Guthrie would record hundreds of songs, including the first recording of perhaps his best-known tune, “This Land is Your Land.” 

Folkways would later release these songs in various collections: "Long Ways to Travel," "Struggle," and others.

By the mid-1950s, Guthrie’s health was deteriorating with the onset of Huntington’s disease. He was eventually bedridden in Bellevue Hospital and, in 1960, was visited by a very young and awestruck admirer, Bob Dylan.

Technical Catalog Spotlight: Dust Bowl Ballads (1940)

An early concept album capturing the hardships of Great Depression migration through sparse production and direct storytelling.

• Released: July 1940
• Label: Victor Records
• Producer: Alan Lomax, R.P. Wetherald
• Core Personnel: Woody Guthrie (Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Harmonica)
• Key Tracks: Tom Joad, Dust Bowl Refuge, I Ain't Got No Home In This World Anymore

Technical Catalog Spotlight: Struggle (1946)

A powerful collection from his sessions with Moses Asch focusing on organized labor and the working class.

• Released: 1946
• Label: Asch Records / Folkways Records
• Producer: Moses Asch
• Core Personnel: Woody Guthrie (Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Harmonica), Cisco Houston (Backing Vocals, Guitar)
• Key Tracks: Buffalo Skinners, Pretty Boy Floyd, Ludlow Massacre

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Delmore Brothers: Freight Train Blues

 

The Delmore Brothers were one of the most important and influential acts from the early days of country music. The duo consisted of the brothers, Alton and Rabon Delmore, a pair of guitarists/vocalists who helped to pioneer the country music genre with their melding of gospel music, folk, and the blues. The brothers were born into poverty in Elkmont, Alabama.

The Delmore Brothers made their first recordings for Columbia Records in 1931 and produced “I’ve Got the Kansas City Blues” and “Alabama Lullaby.” The duo continued to record until 1952, when Rabon Delmore died of cancer.

During their run, the Delmore Brothers recorded some of the all-time classics of country music, including “Blow Yo Whistle, Freight Train,” “When It’s Time for the Whippoorwill to Sing,” “Freight Train Boogie,” and “Blues Stay Away from Me.” The latter tune would be covered by later rockabilly performers Gene Vincent and Johnny Burnette, while “Freight Train Boogie” has been called the first rock and roll recording by some pundits.

Essential Delmore Brothers albums include the compilation, "Classic Cuts."

Essential Retrospective Albums

Freight Train Boogie (1993)

Focusing on their high-voltage post-war King Records sessions, this compilation highlights their transition into western boogie with slapping bass, boogie-woogie piano, and electric guitar.

• Released: September 1993
• Label: King Records
• Producer: Syd Nathan
• Core Personnel: Alton Delmore (Vocals, Acoustic Guitar), Rabon Delmore (Vocals, Tenor Guitar), Wayne Raney (Harmonica), Jid Thompson (Fiddle)
• Key Tracks: Freight Train Boogie, Blues Stay Away from Me, Hillbilly Boogie

Classic Cuts (2007)

This retrospective captures their pre-war acoustic mastery, showcasing their pristine vocal blending and rapid-fire guitar counterplay from their Grand Ole Opry era.

• Released: March 2007
• Label: JSP Records
• Producer: John R.T. Davies
• Core Personnel: Alton Delmore (Vocals, Guitar), Rabon Delmore (Vocals, Tenor Guitar)
• Key Tracks: Brown's Ferry Blues, Alabama Lullaby, I've Got the Kansas City Blues

 

                               

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Jerry Lee Lewis: The Killer

An explosive, untamed force at the dawn of the rock and roll era, Jerry Lee Lewis fundamentally redefined the role of the piano in popular music. Infusing his performances with an unhinged, dangerous energy that combined the emotional fire of southern gospel with hard-driving rhythm and blues, he became one of the most polarizing and electrifying showmen of the 20th century. His spectacular technical agility, characterized by glissandos fired off with his boots and a relentless boogie-woogie left hand, forged a template for rock rebellion that influenced generations of performers from Elton John to Bruce Springsteen.

Lewis’s musical journey started in his hometown of Ferriday, Louisiana, where he was born on September 29, 1935. Lewis was a cousin of television evangelist Jimmy Swaggart and country singer Mickey Gilley. Lewis studied the piano from the age of ten, and his mother enrolled him in a Bible college in Texas.

According to a famous story, Lewis was thrown out of the school on his first day for performing a raucous version of “My God Is Real.” It is stories such as this one and Lewis’s fervent performances that earned him the moniker “The Killer.”

At 21, Lewis auditioned for Sun Records, and Sam Phillips signed him as soon as he heard the tape of the audition. His first single, “Crazy Arms,” was a minor hit. Phillips believed that Lewis could become another Elvis Presley. Accordingly, Phillips poured out money for the promotion of Lewis’s follow-up, “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On.”

Technical Catalog Spotlight: Original Golden Hits (1969)

This essential document compiles the definitive, high-velocity tracks that built the foundation of early rockabilly and rock and roll piano styling. The analog production perfectly preserves the explosive room echo of Sun Studio, letting Lewis's blistering vocal deliveries and relentless acoustic piano rhythms cut through the mix with raw intensity.

• Released: 1969
• Label: Sun Records / Share Records
• Producer: Sam Phillips
• Core Personnel: Jerry Lee Lewis (Vocals, Piano), Roland Janes (Guitar), J.W. Brown (Bass), Jimmy Van Eaton (Drums)
• Key Tracks: Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On, Great Balls of Fire, Breathless

The record was banned on many radio stations across America, but it became a huge hit on the country, R&B, and pop charts. His next single, “Great Balls of Fire,” became his trademark song, and another release, “Breathless,” made for three huge Lewis hits in a row. In the meantime, Lewis was also gaining a reputation as a live performer unequalled in intensity.

Lewis had secretly married his 13-year-old cousin, Myra Gale Brown, the daughter of his bass player and uncle, J.W. Brown. While on a trip to England, the British press found out about the marriage and ripped him to shreds, causing Lewis to retreat to the U.S. His career went into rapid decline as a result.
Smash Records signed Lewis, and he began recording country music in his own style. Due to the label’s bargaining with country music disc jockeys, Lewis became a star again.

After overcoming a series of personal problems with drugs and alcohol and a divorce from Myra Gale, Lewis became one of the first inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. In 1989, Lewis was the subject of the film “Great Balls of Fire,” which told his life story. Lewis re-recorded all of his old hits for the film and has continued to record and play live since.

Several fine compilations of Lewis’ early hits are available, including the three-volume “Original Golden Hits” (1969) and “Original Sun Golden Hits" (1983).

Technical Catalog Spotlight: Original Sun Golden Hits (1983)

A historic archival retrospective that captures the absolute height of Lewis's foundational tenure at Memphis's most famous recording outpost. The collection showcases his remarkable stylistic versatility, seamlessly jumping from traditional country-and-western music to the dangerous, rhythm-and-blues-inflected arrangements that terrified mainstream mid-century authorities.

• Released: 1983
• Label: Rhino Records / Sun Records
• Producer: Sam Phillips
• Core Personnel: Jerry Lee Lewis (Vocals, Piano), Roland Janes (Guitar), J.W. Brown (Bass), Russ Smith (Drums)
• Key Tracks: High School Confidential, Crazy Arms, Lewis Boogie

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Charlie Poole You Ain't Talking To Me

A pioneering force in the pre-war American music landscape, Charlie Poole revolutionized the role of the banjo and laid the foundational groundwork for modern country and bluegrass music. Known for his distinctive three-finger picking style—developed after breaking his hand in a childhood baseball accident—and a crisp, hard-driving ensemble rhythm, Poole stripped away the slow cadence of traditional Appalachian folk to introduce a fast, syncopated string band drive. His brash, hard-living persona and raw, working-class lyrical focus made him one of the very first commercial stars of old-time country recording history, leaving an indelible stylistic legacy that profoundly influenced generations of American roots instrumentalists.

Charlie Poole was one of a handful of individuals recording country music in the days before the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers made the music popular in the late Twenties. Poole and his band, “The North Carolina Ramblers,” were one of the most popular and prolific of the “hillbilly” bands to record in the mid-Twenties. Traditional country was rich and colourful, and Poole was one of the best from its early days.

Poole was born in Eden, North Carolina, in 1892. He was a banjo player, and he and his band, the North Carolina Ramblers, made their first recording, “Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down,” in 1925. Poole wrote songs that reflected the harsh realities of life for the southern poor and his own struggles with alcoholism, a disease that would eventually kill him.

Technical Catalog Spotlight: Old Time Songs Recorded From 1925-1930 (1962)

This monumental archival collection serves as the definitive structural audio blueprint for early commercial country string bands, preserving the historic shellac masters that launched Poole into national prominence. The monaural acoustic production perfectly highlights the telepathic timing between Poole's intricate banjo syncopations and the fluid, weeping fiddle accompaniment that set a new industry standard.

• Released: 1962
• Label: County Records
• Producer: Dave Freeman
• Core Personnel: Charlie Poole (Vocals, Banjo), Posey Rorer (Fiddle), Norman Woodlieff (Guitar), Roy Harvey (Guitar)
• Key Tracks: Don't Let Your Deal Go Down, White House Blues, Can I Sleep in Your Barn Tonight Mister

Songs such as "You Ain't Talking To Me," “Can I Sleep in your Barn Tonight, Mister,” “Take a Drink on Me,” and “All Go Hungry Hash House” paint vivid pictures of that life. Poole even dabbled in the political arena with his classic, “White House Blues.”

Several compilations exist with these songs, including "You Ain't Talkin' to Me." and "Old Time Songs Recorded From 1925-1930."

Technical Catalog Spotlight: You Ain't Talkin' to Me (2005)

A meticulously restored, high-fidelity historical retrospective that brings together his groundbreaking Columbia Records catalog alongside rare session work from his closest musical circle. The digital transfers masterfully clean up the heavy surface crackle of pre-depression acoustic discs, allowing his dry, deadpan vocals and driving rhythmic pickwork to project with exceptional clarity.

• Released: May 2005
• Label: Columbia Records / Legacy Recordings
• Producer: Hank Sapoznik
• Core Personnel: Charlie Poole (Vocals, Banjo), Lonnie Austin (Fiddle), Roy Harvey (Guitar), Odell Smith (Fiddle)
• Key Tracks: You Ain't Talkin To Me, Take a Drink on Me, All Go Hungry Hash House

Poole died in 1931.

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Bill Monroe: The Father of Bluegrass Music

Infusing traditional Appalachian string band melodies with the syncopated timing of the blues and the intense emotional fervour of Southern gospel, Bill Monroe created a completely unique genre, bluegrass, that reshaped the landscape of country music. His lightning-fast virtuosity on the mandolin transformed it from a minor background instrument into a ferocious lead voice, while his pioneering high-lonesome tenor vocals established an enduring blueprint that directly influenced generations of country, folk, and early rock and roll trailblazers.

Bill Monroe is among the most important figures in the history of country music, and it was Monroe who almost single-handedly invented bluegrass music. He is known as the “Father of Bluegrass,” and the music bears the nickname of his home state, Kentucky, the “Bluegrass State.” Monroe was born in Rosine, Kentucky, in 1913.

Bill Monroe was one of the finest mandolin players in country music, and it was his mastery of that instrument that has made the mandolin a mandatory part of every bluegrass band. Monroe’s love of the blues and gospel music and his high-pitched singing became signature elements of the bluegrass genre and would later become a requirement of the genre.

Bill Monroe and his longtime backing band, the “Bluegrass Boys,” recorded songs that are now bluegrass and country music standards, such as “New Mule Skinner Blues,” “Heavy Traffic Ahead,” “Uncle Pen,” “In the Pines,” “Working on a Building,” and “I Saw the Light.”

Technical Catalog Spotlight: Knee Deep in Bluegrass (1958)

This foundational studio document stands as a spectacular masterclass in mid-century acoustic string band performance, capturing Monroe at the absolute height of his vocal and instrumental authority. The crisp, clean production beautifully isolates the driving syncopation of his mandolin chops alongside blinding fiddle breaks and a high-pitched vocal attack that set a permanent standard for the genre.

• Released: August 1958
• Label: Decca Records
• Producer: Owen Bradley
• Core Personnel: Bill Monroe (Vocals, Mandolin), Kenny Baker (Fiddle), Burkett Graves (Guitar), Don Stover (Banjo)
• Key Tracks: Cry Cry Darling, Rooster Blues, Out in the Cold World

Monroe wrote and was the first to record the classic song, “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” which would later become one of Elvis Presley’s first hits with Sun Records during the emergence of rock and roll. In recognition of his influence on early rockers, Monroe was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

Monroe died in Springfield, Kentucky, in 1996.

Monroe’s best recordings include the albums “Knee Deep in Bluegrass” (1958), “Bean Blossom” (1973), “The Essential Bill Monroe and His Bluegrass Boys 1945-1949” (1992), and “The Music of Bill Monroe from 1936 to 1994” (1994).

Technical Catalog Spotlight: The Essential Bill Monroe and His Bluegrass Boys 1945-1949 (1992)

A historically vital retrospective double-CD collection archiving the absolute peak era of the original bluegrass line-up, widely considered the most influential ensemble in country music history. The digital transfers masterfully clean up the original shellac surface noise, preserving the historic telepathic interplay between Monroe's mandolin and Earl Scruggs' revolutionary three-finger banjo style.

• Released: April 1992
• Label: Columbia Records / Legacy Recordings
• Producer: Art Satherley
• Core Personnel: Bill Monroe (Vocals, Mandolin), Lester Flatt (Guitar, Vocals), Earl Scruggs (Banjo), Chubby Wise (Fiddle)
• Key Tracks: Blue Moon of Kentucky, Mule Skinner Blues, Heavy Traffic Ahead

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