a m e r i c a n r o o t s m u s i c • t r a d i t i o n a l c o u n t r y • b l u e s • f o l k • a m e r i c a n a m u s i c • a m e r i c a n r o o t s
m u s i c • t r a d i t i o n a l c o u n t r y • b l u e s • f o l k • a m e r i c a n a m u s i c • a m e r i c a n r o o t s m u s i c • t r a d i t i o n
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Ola Belle Reed Field Recorders Collective Recordings from the collection of the Brandywine Friends of Old Time Music as well as 1973 recordings by Ray Alden, curator of the Field Recorders' Collective series. |
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Track Listing: Sing Out! The Folk Song Magazine In the after-life of her repertoire, Ola Belle Reed has been embraced by a multitude of young, mutli-genre artists, eager to grasp and grow the legacy of her music. She was a national treasure, whose performances were as much autobiography as they were concerts.
Reed was one of the first women to take a leading role in traditional music, both in
performance and in songwriting. She relied heavily on her own life's experience for material.
Forthright on stage and off, she was quick to apologize for imperfect English yet able to convey
a message better than most. Among her best known songs, and included here, are "High On a Mountain," "Sing Me a Song" and "I've Endured."
Selections were taken from the Brandywine Mountain Music Convention (year not given) as well
as from 1973 recordings by old-time music maven Ray Alden, curator of the invaluable Field
Recorders' Collective series. Via digital technology, with exceptional clarity and immediacy,
Reed is in the room with us, singing, talking and sharing her homespun philosophy. She is joined
by husband, Bud and son, David among others.
Like an in-your-face self-help book, her songs tell it like it is. Listen to the passion of a
broken heart in "Only the Leading Role Will Do" or the lighthearted "Chewing
Chawing Gum."
Reed belts out gutsy hillbilly blues on such cuts as "Wings Like an Eagle" and
Hank Williams' "My Sweet Love Ain't Around." She injects unparalleled gusto into the
Gospel "I'll Fly Away."
Ola Belle renders her inimitable banjo, an equally critical component of her original
repertoire, on such numbers as "Reuben's Train," "He's Gone" and "Wild
Bill Jones."
This is a terrific, meaty recording by a pivotal personality. As David Reed said in a
recent interview, "She was the real deal." Indeed.
Ordering Information: Field Recorders' Collective, LLC Related links: |
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"Since migrating from Cambridge,
Mass to Nashville some three decades ago, Mark Brine has carved out a strong
reputation as an uncompromising traditionalist on the country music scene which
has made him one of the elder statesmen of Americana."
-- Shaun Dale, Cosmik Debris Magazine
"I could listen to him sing all night long … he does a good job that boy does." -- Roy Acuff, Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree "A fine young man who I think has a great future." -- Hank Snow, Grand Ole Opry "Brine could easily have been added to the cast of 'O Brother, Where Art Thou' without raising an eyebrow. He belongs to that group of artists whose individuality and quirkiness consign them to the periphery of what's commercially viable. But God bless him for not just being another cog in the musical wheel." -- James McSweeney, Flyin Shoes |
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"Brine writes wonderful story songs about
ordinary people and ordinary places. To tell these stories, Mark has a voice that is
as comfortable as a favourite coat."
-- Pete Smith, Country Music Round Up "I think what makes Mark Brine such a gifted songwriter/storyteller is the fact that he seems to be such an obvious fan of many genres of music. He's someone who is like a sponge when it comes to reintegrating influences into his own work." -- Gail Worley, Ink 19 "His career has pursued the path of a truly independent artist - someone who follows his soul and does things his own way … his ability to write and produce has made his name synonymous with quality." -- Doug Floyd, AltCountryTab.com ©2004 Mark Brine Music. All rights reserved. |