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Of the founding fathers and mothers of country music and bluegrass, Charlie Poole has remained a shadowy figure -- until now.Ý Born in rural North Carolina in 1892, Poole packed several lifetimes of hard and fast living into his 39 years.Ý Textile mill worker, semi-pro ballplayer, and hell raiser supreme (he died in 1931 of alcoholism), Poole won his place among the giants of American roots music with his pathfinding work on the banjo and for heading the innovative North Carolina Ramblers.
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The North Carolina Ramblers, a banjo-guitar-fiddle trio with Poole's plain-spoken tenor voice in the lead, in great part created the musical templates for two giants:Ý the bluegrass of Bill Monroe and, by extension, the lyrical aspects of the modern country music of Hank Williams.Ý You Ain't Talking To Me: Charlie Poole and the Roots of Country Music is easily the most comprehensive survey of Poole's recordings ever assembled.
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The three-disc set chronicles the stompin' sides made for Columbia by Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers between 1925 and 1931, including such important songs as "Don't Let Your Deal Go Down" (the first country mega-hit), "Can I Sleep In Your Barn Tonight, Mister?," "Old and Only In the Way" (the title of which, slightly altered, was used by Jerry Garcia as the name of his '70s bluegrass band with David Grisman, Old and In the Way), and "White House Blues" (adapted by John Mellencamp, who in 2004 updated the politically-charged lyrics and changed the title to "To Washington").Ý In addition, the package also includes performances by the early roots music players and singers who either influenced Charlie Poole (such as Fred Van Eps, Arthur Collins, and Billy Murray) or were influenced by him (the Floyd Country Ramblers, Uncle Dave Macon, the Red Fox Chasers).
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With extensive, scholarly liner notes by Grammy-nominated musician, radio host, and writer Henry ìHankî Sapoznik, and many rare photographs, "You Ain't Talking To Me: Charlie Poole and the Roots of Country" is an invaluable collection that at last brings to a seminal American musician some ofÝ he recognition he's long been due.
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Go to <a href="http://www.legacyrecordings.com/">Legacy Recordings</a> for more information on Charlie Poole.
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