Biography

Contact Info:

Toni Swann-Pardigno
promotions@cmhlabelgroup.com
+1-323-663-8073

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Album Description:

Born in North Carolina, 1916, vocalist, guitarist, fiddler, banjoist and songwriter Carl Story is a bluegrass legend. From a young age, Story performed and recorded regularly, playing with the legendary Bill Monroe and founding his own band The Rambling Mountaineers at only eighteen. Dubbed “The Father of Bluegrass Gospel” for his unique delivery of sacred songs in the traditional bluegrass style, Story left a lasting mark on bluegrass music that is remembered to this day.

In 1976, Story released two albums with CMH. One was The Bluegrass Gospel Collection, which surveyed the bluegrass gospel sound and repertoire that Story pioneered. Mountain Music was his second, an album that celebrated and focused on the sounds of the string bands of the 20s and 30s that came out of the mountains of Virginia and North Carolina. Born to musician parents in those very hills, Story grew up hearing the music on this record firsthand.

The album begins with “I Love Mountain Music,” a bluegrass standard which first achieved popularity about 40 years before this album’s initial release that serves as the album’s statement of purpose. This is followed by “I Heard My Mother Weeping,” a classic in the repertoire, penned by Story himself and made famous by Molly O’Day. A heartbreaking number, the song takes its inspiration from a real-life mother’s courtroom plea for the judge to shorten her son’s life sentence. From there, Mountain Music presents a survey of music both spiritual and secular, including Hank Williams’ sacred number “I Saw the Light,” the traditional “Down in Union County” and Bill Monroe’s “True Life Blues,” a then-unlikely song expressing sympathies for the pains of the housewife.

Performing standards and classics alongside Story’s original compositions, Mountain Music presents a well-rounded collection of heartfelt recordings by musicians at the top of their game. Now available digitally for the first time, you can revisit this 1976 CMH classic wherever you listen.

Track List:

1. I Like Mountain Music
2. I Heard My Mother Weeping
3. Roust-A-Bout
4. Rank Strangers
5. I Saw the Light
6. True Life Blues
7. Buckcreek (Instrumental)
8. Action Speaks Louder Than Words
9. Down In Union County
10. Another One Waiting for You At Home
11. I’ll Fly Away

Credits:

Carl Story: Guitar & Vocals
Mike McKellar – Guitar & Vocals
Larry Beasley – 5-Sting Banjo & Vocals
Mitchell Moser – Bass & Vocals

Also featured:
Red Rector – Mandolin
Arthur Smith – Fiddle
Clay Smith – Guitar
Ray Adkins - Bass