Bay Area 60s folk scene recordings uncovered by Folkways

The Village Out West: Lost Tapes of Alan Oakes 2CD set features rare recordings of Fred McDowell, Rev. Gary Davis and others.  

Here's the scoop...

The Village Out West compilation – out September 24 via Smithsonian Folkways – celebrates the under-appreciated bastion of the Folk Revival that emerged in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1960s, a counterpoint to the seminal New York City scene that has dominated the historical narrative. Compiled from a vast array of recordings by autodidact recording engineer Alan Oakes, the two-CD 51-track set features legendary names like Rev. Gary Davis, Mississippi Fred McDowell, New Lost City Ramblers, Hank Bradley, Larry Hanks, and Doc Watson, as well as unsung heroes of the local California communities that turned the region into fertile ground for American music. This music triumphantly transcends the passage of the decades with its luminous and passionate presence, making the case for California as a crucial hotbed for some of the most impressive and diverse folk music of the 20th century. 

Listen to a four-song sampler right here. Pre-order a copy of The Village Out West right here. 

Check the track list following an audio clip of Mississippi Fred McDowell's "Don't Mistreat Nobody ('Cause You Got A Few Dimes)" and Fred's 1969 performance of "Write Me A Few of Your Lines" below.

 

The Village Out West: The Lost Tapes of Alan Oakes

1. Hank Bradley and Rick Shubb - Beaumont Rag

2. Larry Hanks and Roger Perkins - Oh, Had I A Golden Thread 04:00

3. Ron Hughey, Frank Hicks, and Pete Everwine - Westphalia Waltz

4. LaWanda Ultan - Raggedy Pat

5. The Sweet’s Mill Mountain Boys with Kenny Hall - 8th of January

6. Merritt Herring - Leaning on the Everlasting Arms

7. Doc Watson - The Billboard Song

8. Mississippi Fred McDowell - Write Me a Few of Your Lines

9. Dr. Humbead’s New Tranquility String Band - Milwaukee Blues

10. Kathy & Carol - Swallow Song 01:36

11. Jerry Houck, Larry Hanks, and Tom Ninkovich - Charlie's Neat and Charlie's Sweet / Weevilly Wheat

12. Jim Ringer, Ron Tinkler, and the Sweets Mill Mountain Boys - Girl I Left in Sunny Tennessee

13. Rev. Gary Davis - Gimme That Old Time Religion

14. Gene Bluestein - Talking Union

15. Kilby Snow - All My Friends Gonna Be Strangers

16. The Sweet’s Mill Mountain Boys with Kenny Hall - Texas Quickstep

17. Caroline Paton - Long Time a-Growing

18. Jerry Houck - Mardi Gras Dance

19. Don Rollins (aka Abel Fortune) - Lady of Carlisle

20. Mark Spoelstra - White Winged Dove

21. Sandy and Caroline Paton - Sardines and Pork and Beans

22. Dad Crockett and Frank Hicks - Hoop-e-Kack

23. Merritt Herring - Down, Down, Derry Down

24. Larry Hanks and Mark Spoelstra - Walking Down That Railroad Line

25. Ed Trickett - Duna

26. Hank Bradley, Rick Shubb, and Doc Watson - Orange Blossom Special

27. The Sweet’s Mill Mountain Boys with Kenny Hall - Fire on the Mountain

28. Sandy and Jeanie Darlington - When the Curfew Blows

29. Hank Bradley and Rick Shubb featuring Doc Watson - Ragtime Annie

30. Allan MacLeod - The Hounds Are Out (The Innocent Hare)

31. The New Lost City Ramblers - Bachelor Blues

32. Roger Renwick - Jimmy Whelan

33. The Sweet’s Mill Mountain Boys with Kenny Hall - Paddy, Won't You Drink Some Cider?

34. Ron Hughey and Frank Hicks - Good Night Waltz

35. Kathy & Carol with Will Scarlett - Searchin'

36. Doc Watson - The Clouds Gwine Roll Away

37. Larry Hanks, Roger Perkins, Kathy Larisch, and Carol McComb - Northfield

38. Rev. Gary Davis - Baby, Let Me Lay It on You

39. Larry Hanks - Talking Fishing Blues

40. Jerry Houck - Sweet Sunny South

41. Mark Spoelstra - Play Run Run

42. Hank Bradley and Sandy Rothman featuring Doc Watson - Cherokee Shuffle

43. Kilby Snow - Bringing Mary Home

44. The Sweet’s Mill Mountain Boys with Kenny Hall - The Lost Trapper

45. Mississippi Fred McDowell - Don't Mistreat Nobody ('Cause You Got a Few Dimes) 

46. Hank Bradley and Rick Shubb featuring Doc Watson - Billy in the Lowground

47. Merritt Herring - The Curlew's Song

48. Will Spires - Jamie Raeburn's Farewell

49. Rev. Gary Davis - Hesitation Blues

50. Sandy and Caroline Paton - I'm a Rover and Seldom Sober

51. Hank Bradley and Rick Shubb - O, Them Golden Slippers