Traditional Fiddle Music Of Kentucky Vol. 1 - Up The Ohio & Licking Rivers CD

Recorded between 1972 and 1995 (though mostly in the 1970s), this set and its companion volume (Traditional Fiddle Music of Kentucky, Vol. 2: Along the Kentucky River) document folk fiddle styles in northeastern Kentucky, usually recorded by fiddlers born around the beginning of the twentieth century. The fiddle tunes reflect and illustrate the variety of influences that found their way into Appalachian music, from Scots-Irish ballads to blues, waltzes, and hornpipes. To those without a deep or scholarly interest in the form, much of it will tend to run together and sound similar. For those who do want delve deep into the style, it's a valuable document including 39 tracks, 70 minutes of music, and voluminous liner notes about the fiddlers and the origins of the songs. ~ Richie Unterberger