The New South

Description

Practically no other album in history is known to its audience by its label number. Neither Kind of Blue, nor Pet Sounds, nor Glenn Gould's Goldberg Variations, none. Except for this one. Rondeur 44. Probably the most significant bluegrass album of all time. Note that we did not say modern bluegrass, even though it was originally released in 1975. This is because, unlike John Hartford's Aereo Plain (which contributed to the original packaging notes, reproduced here), The New South did not reinvent bluegrass. It perfected it. The supreme bandleader and banjo player J.D. Crowe made his debut as a teenager in Jimmy Martin's Sunny Mountain Boys, before returning to Kentucky and forming The Kentucky Mountain Boys. This group evolved over the years into The New South, featuring probably the most formidable lineup any American band of any genre has ever known. Bassist Bob Sloane (from the Kentucky Colonels) was the first to join them, followed by one legend after another: fiddler and mandolinist Ricky Skaggs, dobro player Jerry Douglas, and guitarist/singer Tony Rice. Together, they were pure magic: technically brilliant yet emotional, inventive yet disciplined, each a virtuoso but always part of the whole. And, oh, those harmonies! The New South is the cornerstone of any bluegrass collection. Of course, such a talented group was not meant to last long. Within a year, each member went their own way, pioneering progressive bluegrass with each successive project. But the only album they recorded together, Rounder 44, is THE ONE. Our Real Gone reissue of The New South includes two sets of added liner notes, one from guitarist Skip Heller and the other from mandolinist Jarrod Walker, as well as the bonus tracks "Why Don't You Tell Me So" and "Cryin' Holy" featuring Emmylou Harris.