Reno’s Old Time Music Collection – 80 Bluegrass Gospel Classics

Description

Bluegrass and gospel music are indivisible. While it’s true that bluegrass musicians might not always live the life they sing about, they can nevertheless evoke that old time religion with unmatched fervor. The first generation of bluegrass stars drew heavily on hymns, many of which dated back to the gospel revivals of the late 1800s or early 1900s. Some reached back even further into classic English and American hymnody. But gradually, bluegrass musicians took it upon themselves to create a new, authentically original canon of sacred songs that took full advantage of the harmonies and instrumental structure of bluegrass music. Above all, bluegrassers loved to bring forth memories of the preachin’ and singin’ they’d heard in their childhood. Yearning for the old home was always a part of bluegrass, and gospel music was indissolvably linked with that.

These hymns on this gospel collection simply cannot be surpassed. They’ve survived the test of the ages, and their message still resonates with us as strongly as it did with our ancestors. Every generation has a role to play in handing down these songs, and this collection is part of that ongoing process. Just as we look at old church pews and wonder about those who once sat there, so we listen to these songs and reconnect with our own forebears who sang them too.

The sacred recordings run the gamut from old holiness shouts and black gospel songs to contemporary bluegrass hymns. Many of the hymns are still played and enjoyed on Sundays mornings and Wednesday night prayer meetings…and now they can be enjoyed any time of the week. The oldest of these songs have been handed down from generation to generation. They’ve endured, and they’re rendered here in performances that will endure. This is a vital part of the music that America gave to the world.

On this 80 song Bluegrass Gospel Collection, we hear the traditional side of bluegrass played by some of its finest legends and pioneers in bluegrass such as Reno & Smiley, Reno & Harrell, Mac Wiseman, Hylo Brown, John Lair, Chubby Wise, Earl Taylor, Shenandoah Valley Quartet and more.

“RENO’S OLD TIME MUSIC COLLECTION – 80 BLUEGRASS GOSPEL CLASSICS” contains original recordings of 80 classics through the years performed by many Bluegrass legends and pioneers…It’s some of the best bluegrass gospel classics available and a good place to start for a new Bluegrass fan and has all the important songs for the most seasoned Bluegrass Lover, too.