Biography

CONTACT INFORMATION:
EH REPRESENTATION - AB WALKER (347) 337-3403
ehmusicmgmt@gmail.com

Click here to go to The Ebony Hillbillies Music Page


EH QUOTES:

“What a wonderful connection to all our humanity!”
-The New York Times

"They recreate the music you would have heard if you could time travel to a country dance in Mississippi around 1903."
-Mick Gold, BBC/UK

"Joyous, athletic, ancient, modern, and eternal, the Ebony Hillbillies don’t just tell an important story about our country and keep an essential part of our musical heritage alive, but they entertain, magically, majestically, gracefully, and energetically. A pile of passionate, high-end musicians who apply their skill to filling this old tradition with beautiful new life, it’s likely you won’t see a more engaging, entertaining, and purely joyful band all year."
-Tim Sommer, SHO


THE EBONY HILLBILLIES - BAREFOOT AND FLYING
“Not all black artists are willing to walk away from their history…..With this latest cd, they seek to revive interest into the true origins of American country music and bluegrass. Their music deals with realities about slavery and antebellum life which contributed to the demise of Black String Band Music as a popular medium. Primarily a “good time folk dance band,” the Ebony Hillbillies also provide some unexpected and viable insights into the profound contribution of black artists to so many aspects of American Music." - Richard Alderson


THE EBONY HILLBILLIES
From the street corners of Manhattan to the hallowed stages of Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center to TV appearances on the BBC and ABC’s “Good Morning America,” The Ebony Hillbillies are a true phenomenon, reviving the lost art form and American legacy of string band music for a whole new generation.
Continuing to bring a fresh urgency to the genre for a 21st Century world in need of some deep musical education, The Ebony Hillbillies started out on the streets of Manhattan, but their vibe and influence has extended over the years to acclaimed live performances at legendary venues like Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center; appearances on the BBC, Good Morning America, NBC, CBS, etc., international music workshops and festivals, visual artist collaborations at museums (including The Whitney with phenom Kara Walker and The Smithsonian Museum), Foot stomping and Hand- clapping Dance parties and more. In the digital era, they have sold thousands of hard copies of their CDs – Sabrina’s Holiday, I Thought You Knew, Barefoot & Flying and Slappin’ A Rabbit – Live! – at their shows and online. www.theEbonyHillbillies.com


THE EBONY HILLBILLIES
BAREFOOT AND FLYING
2011 EH MUSIC

01. I GOT A LITTLE HOME TO GO TO 3:22
02. SHADY GROVE 4:22
03. PATEROLLER 2:50
04. EVERLASTING LOVE 2:22
05. I’D RATHER BE 2:33
06. LEATHER BRITCHES 2:00
07. GREEN GREEN ROCKY ROAD 3:34
08. BIG FAT DADDY [feat. Gloria Thomas Gassaway] 4:043:55
09. OLD SAGE FRIEND 2:42
10. BUCKETS OF RAIN [feat. Garland Jeffreys] 3:07
11. SOMETIMES 1:51
12. ASHOKAN FAREWELL 4:04


CREDITS:
HENRIQUE PRINCE - Violin, Vocals.
NORRIS BENNETT - Banjo, Mountain Dulcimer, Vocals.
GLORIA THOMAS GASSAWAY - Vocals, Bones
WILLIAM “SALTY BILL” SALTER - Acoustic Bass
NEWMAN TAYLOR BAKER - Washboard Percussion
REGGIE (A.R.) FERGUSON - Washboard, Percussion
HUBBIE JENKINS - Guitar, Bones
WARREN SMITH - Drums Percussion
YVETTE ROVIRA & ERIN BOYD - Background Vocals
GARLAND JEFFREYS - Guest Vocals on BUCKETS OF RAIN

Recorded Entirely At ROB MOUNSEY MUSIC
Mixed & Mastered By RICHARD ALDERSON AT PENTHOUSE
Produced By RICHARD ALDERSON
Additional Production & Editing By ROB MOUNSEY
BIG FAT DADDY REMIX EDIT By AW

SPECIAL THANKS:
ROB MOUSEY, GARLAND JEFFREYS, HUBBIE JENKINS, REGGIE (A.R.) FERGUSON, WARREN SMITH, YVETTE ROVIRA, ERIN BOYD, BILL STEBER, WESTON WELLS, BRUCE BARTLETT, DENNIS COLLINS, JERRON PAXTON, ERIC BAKER, VIRGIL ALDERSON, BARNEY ROSTAING, SANDY BACHOM, JUANITA FLEMING, ALGIA MAE HINTON, BARRY HARRIS

COVER ART DESIGN BY ERIC BAKER




01. I GOT A LITTLE HOME TO GO TO 3:22
Songwriter/Author: Traditional - Arr. by THE EH
Publishing: THE EBONY HILLBILLIES MUSIC INC

Africans were not happy campers under slavery, and fought it. They ran off the plantations, were rebellious to the point of committing homicide, and were sometimes driven to suicide by the rigors of their existence. The threat of being sold away from loved ones and family was used as a means of controlling their disruptive behavior. If a slave got word that a spectator had been ‘round to see Massa’ and knew that he might be on the short list to be sold, he would often run off to hide in the woods. He might also attempt to join the Maroons in Florida or other escapees who sought refuge in The Great Dismal Swamp. In such places, ex-slaves lived on their own as free men and women. “I Got A Little Home To Go To” is about this kind of exodus.



02. SHADY GROVE 4:22
Songwriter/Author: Traditional - Arr. by THE EH
Publishing: THE EBONY HILLBILLIES MUSIC INC

This features Mr. Norris Bennett on a very, very old tune.



03. PATEROLLER 2:50
Songwriter/Author: Traditional - Arr. by THE EH
Publishing: THE EBONY HILLBILLIES MUSIC INC

Patroller or paddyroller is old black dialect for patroller. These paterollers were poor whites of Irish descent who were enlisted by slave owners to regulate and round up “wayward” slaves in the American mountain south. They often whipped black males who had gone off plantation to visit their families from whom which they had been forcibly separated. Patrollers were regarded as more merciless task masters than the slaveholders themselves. They went about the countryside hunting slaves “just like dogs hunting rabbits” according to eye witness accounts of the time.



04. EVERLASTING LOVE 2:22
Songwriter/Author: Traditional - Arr. by THE EH
Publishing: THE EBONY HILLBILLIES MUSIC INC

This features Henrique Prince on vocals.



05. I’D RATHER BE 2:33
Songwriter/Author: Traditional - Arr. by THE EH
Publishing: THE EBONY HILLBILLIES MUSIC INC

When Africans were first brought to North America as ‘indentured servants,’ their physical strength and native skills (of growing rice-for example) contributed substantially to the wealth and growth of this country. Two centuries of slave labor in agriculture, mining, metal refining, transportation, and domestic work created huge resentment and bias in other ethnic groups that had immigrated to the American south seeking jobs and income. Southern masters preferred the ‘cheaper and more reliable’ labor of the slave population to the new arrivals and the native-born poor. These other ethnic groups discredited anything to do with African-Americans and made sure they were banned from joining craftsman guilds or apprenticing at any skilled work. “I’d Rather Be A **** Than A Poor White Man” is an early example of Black Pride, a tune composed to boost the morale of African Americans.



06. LEATHER BRITCHES 2:00
Songwriter/Author: Traditional - Arr. by THE EH
Publishing: THE EBONY HILLBILLIES MUSIC INC

An EH instrumental favorite.



07. GREEN GREEN ROCKY ROAD 3:34
Songwriter/Author: Traditional - Arr. by THE EH
Publishing: THE EBONY HILLBILLIES MUSIC INC

We have gone back to the roots of this black children’s play song from Alabama, adding some appropriate lyrics of our own and giving it a soulful melodic arrangement.



08. BIG FAT DADDY EDIT [feat. Gloria Thomas Gassaway] 3:55
Songwriter/Author: IRENE REID/RAY SCHINNERY
Publishing: HIGH SIGN MUSIC/ AMIRI MUSIC

An EH showstopper featuring vocalist Gloria Thomas Gassaway and penned by the great vocalist Irene Reid.



09. OLD SAGE FRIEND 2:42
Songwriter/Author: Traditional - Arr. by THE EH
Publishing: THE EBONY HILLBILLIES MUSIC INC



10. BUCKETS OF RAIN [feat. Garland Jeffreys] 3:07
Songwriter/Author: BOB DYLAN
Publishing: RAMS HORN MUSIC (BMI)

Dylan’s song from Blood On The Tracks arranged in a kind of Texas blues style and sung by the great Garland Jeffreys.



11. SOMETIMES 1:51
Songwriter/Author: Traditional - Arr. by THE EH
Publishing: THE EBONY HILLBILLIES MUSIC INC

Gloria Thomas Gassaway and singers perform another children’s play song from the south in an original arrangement.



12. ASHOKAN FAREWELL 4:04
Songwriter/Author: JAY UNGAR
Publishing: SWINGING DOOR MUSIC (BMI)

Jay Ungar's modern-day classic with an ole timey EH rendition. We love it and hope you will too. Thanks for listening...