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Old Time North Carolina Mountain Music

David, Bill and Billie Ray Johnson
Old Time North Carolina Mountain Music

Born in North Carolina in 1911, Bill Johnson started playing the banjo at the age of eight. With his son Billie Ray on guitar and grandson David on fiddle, he leads three generations of talented mountain musicians in this collection of murder ballads and folk songs.

All the instrumental songs are what Johnson calls “old tunes.” They have been handed down through the generations and can still be heard on front porches and at dances in the Western North Carolina Mountains. Vocal tunes, including “Knoxville Girl” and “Poor Ellen Smith,” are also featured.

Track Listing

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101
Knoxville Girl David, Bill and Billie Ray Johnson 04:48
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102
Rueben David, Bill and Billie Ray Johnson 02:57
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103
The Wreck of the Old 97 David, Bill and Billie Ray Johnson 02:40
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104
Roll on Buddy (Nine Pound Hammer) David, Bill and Billie Ray Johnson 02:27
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105
Poor Ellen Smith David, Bill and Billie Ray Johnson 02:20
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106
Possum Blowed His Horn David, Bill and Billie Ray Johnson 02:54
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107
Banks of the Ohio David, Bill and Billie Ray Johnson 02:44
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201
Jimmy Sutton David, Bill and Billie Ray Johnson 02:03
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202
Down in the Willow Garden (Rose Connolly) David, Bill and Billie Ray Johnson 02:33
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203
Cumberland Gap David, Bill and Billie Ray Johnson 02:30
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204
Going Down the Road Feeling Bad David, Bill and Billie Ray Johnson 02:29
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205
Sugar Babe David, Bill and Billie Ray Johnson 02:05
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206
Pretty Polly David, Bill and Billie Ray Johnson 02:48
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207
Sourwood Mountain David, Bill and Billie Ray Johnson 01:58