April 19, 2008

Anytime we travel, our trips always include a trip to the "record store". If we are in Gatlinburg, we always go to the Rhythm Section. The Rhythm Section is the tiniest little store crammed full of audio cassettes, CDs, DVDs, and even some vinyl. The walls are covered from ceiling to floor with music. We have recently discovered another store for finding music gems: The Disc Exchange. We wandered in after youngest dear son's doctor's appointment and didn't want to leave. I never made it out of the Folk Section. I ended up buying two CDs.

The first one is Songbird, by Eva Cassidy. Here is a youtube clip of her singing People Get Ready. You can also hear it streamed here. Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page.

I also bought an Elizabeth (Libba) Cotton CD called Shake Sugaree. I first heard her sing on Austin City Limits. Being left-handed and not allowed to restring her brother's guitar, she learned to play by holding the guitar upside down. This means that she was also picking the strings backwards. She picks the bass strings with her fingers and the treble strings with her thumb. She has a very unique style.

This is what is written on the back of the CD which was produced by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings:

Elizabeth "Libba" Cotten (1895-1987) wrote her well-known song "Freight Train" at about age 11 and sang it nearly 80 years. Through her songwriting, her quietly commanding personality, and her unique left-handed guitar and banjo styles, she has inspired and influenced generations of younger artists. Cotten was declared a national Heritage Fellow by the National Endowment for the Arts in 1984, and was recognized by the Smithsonian Institution as a "living treasure". She received a Grammy Award in 1985 when she was 90. You can click here to hear Freight Train.