Their Music - CD - LPs - Tablature Books
In
1995, Rounder issued a CD (Rounder 11571 Fuzzy Mountain String Band)
containing tunes from both of the original albums Fuzzy Mountain String
Band (Rounder 0010) and Summer Oaks & Porch (Rounder
0035). The CD included all 20 tunes from the first LP (listed through
"Bonaparte's Retreat" below) and 13 tunes chosen from the 18 tunes on the
second LP. Rounder writes of the CD: "Originating in 1967 and recording
in 1971 and 1972, the Fuzzy Mountain String Band was one of the seminal
'young fogey' bands of old time music's revival. Their rich repertoire
of southern Appalachian tunes is reissued here for the first time."
For your copy, visit Rounder Records or Amazon
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THE ORIGINAL LPs
The
Fuizzy Mountain String Band (Rounder 0010)
The Fuzzy Mountain String Band (Malcolm Owen and Bill Hicks, fiddles, Eric Olson and Blanton Owen, banjoes, Bobbie Thompson, guitar, Vickie Owen, dulcimer) is part of a larger group of friends who live or used to live in and around Durham/Chapel Hill, N.C., and who share a love of traditional dance music. This larger group has been playing together--learning together--since about 1965. The tunes we play on this record are all traditional dance tunes from the upland South--western North Carolina, southwest Virginia, and east-central West Virginia--and although we don’t always imitate the instrumentation, we do play as close as we can to the old-time style, as exemplified in the various musicians from whom we learned the tunes. Although we are all relatively young, in our late 20’s and early 30’s, and are all from an urban, if southern, background (Durham has a population of approximately 100,00), we have, in most cases, learned our tunes from the traditional fiddlers in person, through many visits to their homes and to the countless fiddlers conventions which are held from Easter to Thanksgiving throughout this part of the country.
The cover photograph, by Bruce Schlein, was taken at Malcolm’s house near Chapel Hill, in November, 1970. Left to right: Malcolm, Bill, Bobbie, Vickie, Blanton, and Eric. Recording was done at Bobbie’s house, near Durham, in November and December 1971. Bill did the engineering and editing.
This record is humbly and gratefully dedicated to Gaither Carlton, Frank George, Burl Hammons, Tommy Jarrell, Taylor Kimble, Lee Triplett, and Oscar Wright, and also to Alan Jabbour and Tommy Thompson, who in one way or another got all of us started. Special thanks to Richard Blaustein, Tom Carter, Dave Crowder, “Claire June,” Dick Zaffron, and everybody else.
The Fuzzy Mountain String Band also appears on the Union Grove LPs for 1968, 1969, and 1970, and on the 1970 Galax LP.
Summer
Oaks and Porch (Rounder 0035)
Credits. Front cover,"Summer
Oaks and Porch," intaglio print, second stage, 1971, by Barbara Sydenham
Thompson (1938-72). Back photo by
Russell Rigsbee, taken at Barbara Thompson's former home, near Durham,
N.C., August 13, 1972. Engineering by George Graham, in the studios
of radio station WDBS, Durham, N.C., August 13-14, 1972.
We would like to express our sincer appreciate to, and affection for, the many fine musicians from whom we have learned this music and a great deal more.
Final note. This record is
for Bobbie, because she didn't have the chance to make it.
TABLATURE
BOOKS
String Band Classics, Volume
I contains transcriptions for banjo, mandolin, guitar, or fiddle (separate
editions for each) for every song on the Fuzzy Mountain String Band
CD. Contact Mel
Bay Publications. A copy of the CD is included in the book.
(Webgal's note: These wonderful music books are now out of print.
Join the bidding competition on eBay when available!)
Union Grove Fiddlers Convention 1970 by Bill Hicks
1970s Fuzzy Mountain Pics
1995 Fuzzy Mountain Pics
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June
24, 1999
updated
May 22, 2010