"hell, there ain't no notes to it...you just play it"

     Early recorded country music of the 1920's and 1930's, particulary of the southeastern states, is what is commonly referred to as "old time music". The stringband tradition composed often of banjos, fiddles, and guitars flourished for a brief time as the recording industry cashed in on the many country musicians eager to strut their stuff in the recording studio. The industry went on to make millions as the vast majority of these recording artists received very little return for their efforts.

     These recordings formed the true backbone of country music today, and in fact inspired the emergence of the Bill Monroe's bluegrass of the 1940's, as well as Texas swing, and early country blues. Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead in their earlier years always had a sprinkling of old time music such as the following selections. I have linked to samples of some of the earliest recorded versions:

(Little) Sadie
Johnson Boys
Keno The Rent Man
Man Of Constant Sorrow
Pig In A Pen
Rabbit Chase
Run Mountain
Sally Goodin
Shady Grove
Take Me Back To The Sweet Sunny South
Uncle Joe
Working on the Building

TUNE  SAMPLES	ARTIST	STATE	LYRICS	VOL
A Fiddler's Convention in Georgia	SKILLET LICKERS	Georgia		Volume 3
Acorn Stomp	EAST TEXAS SERENADERS	Texas		Volume 1
Ain't She Sweet	FIDDLIN' BOB LARKAN	Arkansas		Volume 3
Ain't That Skippin' And Flyin'	ALLEN BROTHERS	Tennessee		Volume 1
Alabama Breakdown	HERSCHEL BROWN & HIS HAPPY FIVE	Georgia		Volume 3
Alabama Gals	CLAYTON MCMICHEN & RILEY PUCKETT	Georgia		Volume 3
Alabama Girl, Ain't You Comin' Out To-Night	EARL JOHNSON	Georgia		Volume 3
Alabama Jubilee	SKILLET LICKERS	Georgia		Volume 3
Alabama Jubilee	BILL HELMS AND HIS UPSON COUNTY BAND	Georgia		Volume 2
Aldeline Waltz	EAST TEXAS SERENADERS	Texas		Volume 2
All Gone Now	GEORGIA YELLOW HAMMERS	Georgia		Volume 1
All I've Gots Done Gone	FIDDLIN' DOC ROBERTS	Kentucky		Volume 1
All Night Long	EARL JOHNSON	Georgia		Volume 3
All Old Bachelors Are Hard To Please	GEORGIA YELLOW HAMMERS	Georgia		Volume 1
And The Cat Came Back The Very Next Day	FIDDLIN' DOC ROBERTS	Kentucky		Volume 1
Are You Washed In The Blood	ERNEST STONEMAN & HIS DIXIE MOUNTAINEERS	Virginia		Volume 1
Arizona Stomp	EAST TEXAS SERENADERS	Texas		Volume 2
Arkansas Sheik	CLAYTON MCMICHEN & RILEY PUCKETT	Georgia		Volume 1
Arkansas Wagoner	REAVES WHITE COUNTY RAMBLERS	Arkansas		Volume 3
Augusta Rag	MELVIN DUPREE	Georgia		Volume 1
Aunt Dinah's Quilting Party	FLOYD COUNTY RAMBLERS	Virginia		Volume 1
Avalon Quickstep	NARMOUR & SMITH	Mississippi		Volume 1

ORPINGALIK, The Netsillk Eskimo
"Songs are thoughts sung out with the breath when people are moved by great forces and speech no longer suffices".