Holcomb, Roscoe
The Old Church
In 1972, the reknowned and singular folk musician Roscoe Holcomb left his home in rural Daisy, Kentucky and embarked on
a west coast tour with Mike Seeger in 1972, which included a performance at The Old Church in Portland, Oregon-a
beautiful Carpenter Gothic church built in 1882. Decades later, two particular reels were discovered deep within a pile
of 1/4" tape in a shadowy corner of the KBOO Community Radio archives in Portland. Incredibly, those tapes contained the
sole surviving evidence of a strikingly intimate and raw performance by Roscoe Holcomb, whose cascading and haunting
banjo, guitar and voice echoed and saturated the room and hushed audience. In contrast to Roscoes rarely documented (and
at times restrained) live performances at folk festivals and television programs, Roscoe seems to have felt more
familiar and spiritually moved in the old church that night. Heard here are standout versions of Appalachian folk-blues
classics such as "Single Girl," "John Henry," "East Virginia Blues," "Swanno Mountain" and more. Once cited as Bob
Dylans favorite singer, Roscoe Holcomb appears at the peak of his powers here, showcasing his immense vocal talents on
an extended acapella version of "The Village Churchyard." The recording itself is warm and mysterious, sounding like the
room itself is alive with the spirit, while the rumbles of trucks and hints of city sounds peek through the walls from
the outside streets. 160 gram black vinyl LP in gold & black color reverse-board jacket.
Price
Genre
Format
LP - 1 disk
Release
21-01-2022
Label
Item-nr
553293
EAN
0850024931305
Availability
In stock
Tracks
Title
Artist
1
SINGLE GIRL
2
BLACK EYED SUZIE
3
EAST VIRGINIA BLUES
4
JOHN HENRY
5
SWANNO MOUNTAIN
6
ROCKY MOUNTAIN
7
THE VILLAGE CHURCHYARD