The Red Allen Tradition

On this 1983 recording, singer/guitarist Red Allen (1930–1993) performs with longtime collaborators fiddler Vassar Clements, dobro player Josh Graves, and mandolin player Marty Stuart. The result is an intriguing mix of traditional and progressive bluegrass music.

Opening with bluegrass versions of the Monkees’ hit “Last Train to Clarksville” and closing with the Bob Dylan composition “Nashville Skyline Rag,” Allen provides traditional covers of The Seldom Scene’s John Duffey’s “Victim of the Tomb,” Carter Stanley’s “It’s Never Too Late” and “Lonesome Without You,” and Flatt and Scruggs’ “Down the Road.”