Orthophonic Joy: The 1927 Bristol Sessions Revisited is a double-CD produced by Grammy Award-winner Carl Jackson, a Bluegrass and country music artist, as a benefit for the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol, Tennessee.[1][2][3] The project was conceived by executive producer Rusty Morrell, a Bristol native who was well acquainted with the story of the historic 1927 Bristol Sessions and imagined a modern tribute to the sessions that have been dubbed the "big bang" of country music.[4] The project includes 37 tracks - 18 songs and 19 spoken word tracks that provide context. WSMdisc jockey and country music historian Eddie Stubbs narrates the project, and a who's who of country artists recorded the new versions of the old classics.[5][6] Jackson recorded the album between 2013 and 2015. It was released by SonyLegacy Recordings on May 12, 2015.
The purpose of the 1927 sessions was to record new talent for a public that was buying the new Orthophonic Victrola in record numbers. It launched the recording careers of Jimmie Rodgers and The Carter Family. Ernest Stoneman, already a popular recording artist, convinced Victor executive Ralph Peer to set up a temporary recording studio in Bristol. In a similar vein, the producers sponsored a talent contest for the Orthophonic Joy project.[7]Corbin Hayslett, a 20-year-old banjo player, won the competition with his rendition of "Darling Cora," which he ultimately recorded for the project.[8]
Track listing
Disc One
"Don't Deny Yourself The Sheer Joy Of Orthophonic Music" (Narrative: Cindy Lovell; Background score: "I'm Redeemed" performed by The Alcoa Quartet) Eddie Stubbs – 4:22
"All They Needed Now Was Talent" (Narrative: Cindy Lovell; Background score: "Bury Me Beneath the Willow" performed by The Carter Family) Eddie Stubbs – 3:29
"Bury Me Beneath The Willow'" (Traditional arrangement by Carl Jackson) Emmylou Harris – 3:18
"Tonight He Is Playing The Old, Old Tune At Police Headquarters" (Narrative: Cindy Lovell; Background score: "Black-Eyed Susie" performed by J.P. Nester & Norman Edmonds) Eddie Stubbs – 2:57
"Black-Eyed Susie" (Traditional arrangement by Carl Jackson) Marty Stuart – 2:36
"An Early Tradition of Scrapping For Rights And Royalties" (Narrative: Cindy Lovell; Background score: "When They Ring Those Golden Bells" performed by Alfred G. Karnes) Eddie Stubbs – 2:12
"I Wish I Had Some Rocks To Throw At Them" (Narrative: Cindy Lovell; Background score: "The Storms Are On The Ocean" performed by The Carter Family) Eddie Stubbs – 3:52
"The Storms Are On The Ocean" (Traditional arrangement by Carl Jackson) Ashley Monroe – 3:48
"Any Song With A Story Will Go To The People's Hearts" (Narrative: Cindy Lovell; Background score: "I Am Resolved" performed by Ernest V. Stoneman & His Dixie Mountaineers) Eddie Stubbs – 4:11
"I Am Resolved" (Traditional arrangement by Carl Jackson) The Shotgun Rubies – 3:38
"A Hoedown Social In A Mountain Cabin" (Narrative: Cindy Lovell; Background score: "Sweet Heaven When I Die" performed by The Tenneva Ramblers) Eddie Stubbs – 3:08
"Sweet Heaven When I Die" (Traditional arrangement by Carl Jackson, Steve Martin, and The Steep Canyon Rangers) Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers – 3:28
"Daddy Never Knew When He Would Come Up With An Idea For A Song" (Narrative: Cindy Lovell; Background score: "The Soldier's Sweetheart" performed by Jimmie Rodgers) Eddie Stubbs – 3:21
"The Soldier's Sweetheart" (Jimmie Rodgers) Vince Gill – 3:30
"Where The Blues Meets The Church" (Narrative: Cindy Lovell; Background score: "To The Work" performed by Alfred G. Karnes) Eddie Stubbs – 2:12
"Singers Who Had Not Visited Bristol During Their Entire Lifetime Arrived" (Narrative: Cindy Lovell; Background score: "Where We'll Never Grow Old" performed by Alfred G. Karnes) Eddie Stubbs – 2:13
"Love, Loss, And The Perils Of The Moonshine Business" (Narrative: Cindy Lovell; Background score: "Darling Cora" performed by B.F. Shelton) Eddie Stubbs – 2:28
"Ramblers Riding The Longest Train I Ever Saw" (Narrative: Cindy Lovell; Background score: "The Longest Train I Ever Saw" performed by the Tenneva Ramblers) Eddie Stubbs – 1:59
"Twenty-One Good Years At The Throttle" (Narrative: Cindy Lovell; Background score: "The Wreck Of The Virginian" performed by Blind Alfred Reed) Eddie Stubbs – 3:06
"Prized And Practical, Brutal Ballads" (Narrative: Cindy Lovell; Background score: "Pretty Polly" performed by B.F. Shelton) Eddie Stubbs – 2:07
"Pretty Polly" (Traditional arrangement by Carl Jackson) Carl Jackson – 5:49
"Tremendous Heart Punch And Appeal" (Narrative: Cindy Lovell; Background score: "The Wandering Boy" performed by The Carter Family) Eddie Stubbs 3:29
"The Wandering Boy" (Traditional arrangement by Carl Jackson) Sheryl Crow with Vince Gill – 4:22
"Gotta Catch That Train" (Narrative: Cindy Lovell; Background score: "Train On The Island" performed by J.P. Nester & Norman Edmonds) Eddie Stubbs – 1:51
"Train On The Island" (Traditional arrangement by Carl Jackson & Larry Cordle) Larry Cordle & The Virginia Luthiers – 2:21
"History Saws And Strums Along With Itself" (Narrative: Cindy Lovell; Background score: "Johnny Goodwin" performed by the Bull Mountain Moonshiners) Eddie Stubbs – 2:15
"The Birthplace Of Country Music" (Narrative: Cindy Lovell; Background score: "I'm Redeemed" performed by the Alcoa Quartet, "At The River" performed by Tennessee Mountaineers, and "Shall We Gather AT The River" (Refrain) performed by The Chuck Wagon Gang & The Orthophonic Choir) Eddie Stubbs 2:44
Personnel
Carl Jackson: Acoustic Guitar, Banjo, Gut String Guitar, Lead Vocal, Baritone Vocal,