A sprawling set of rare singles in a variety of genres – and a set that's maybe one of the most essential in the "state" series from the Be! Records label! Previous entries have included Michigan, Texas, and other states with a well-known recorded legacy – but this time around, the package focuses on cuts from a range of scenes in Virginia and West Virginia – really rare music on a variety of very small labels – done in modes that run the gamut from rockabilly to garage, to country and a bit of pop as well! As with other volumes, the package is as magnificent as the music – as the set comes with a huge 12" square hardcover book – 120 pages of information, session details, label scans, and more – in support of a wealth of music from tiny labels that include Dominion, Cozy, Fernwood, Mart, Nu-Kat, Tip Top, and other long-gone record companies from the glory days of the indie 7" single. The set features 145 tracks in all – music from Johnny Gravely, Big Al Walker, The Reactors, Butch Lester, Paul Young & The Versatones, George Curtus, Johnny Boni, Bob Varney, Dusty Owens, Hasil Atkins, Keith Anderson, Dorse Lewis, Jeanette & Hubert, Buddy Watson, and countless others! (Rock, Folk/Country) CD

Includes tracks by Carl Perkins, Wanda Jackson, Jimmy Patton, Roy Orbison, Ricky Nelson, Gene Vincent, and more. 64 tracks total! (Rock, Folk/Country) CD

A wonderful compilation of Lee Hazlewood songs performed by others in the 60s – magnificent pulp pop, girl groups, starlets, rockers and more covering prime era Lee tunes – songs about lovers, fools, rebels and heartbroken examples of all of the above! There's little we can add to the lore of Lee – but these songs are atypically diverse and the set as a hole does a terrific job of showing just have far the Hazlewood touch could reach! Features Lee duets with Nancy Sinatra & Suzi Jane Hokum, and covers by Duane Eddy, The Hondas, The Darlenes, Al Casey, Sanford Clark, Ann Margaret, The Wildcats, Dino, Desi & Billy, The Sharps, Peggy March and many more1 25 tracks in all: "Lady Bird' by Nancy & Lee, "Sweet Ride" by Dusty Springfield, "You Turned My Head" by Ann Margaret, "Don't Look Now, But I've Got The Blues" by BB King, "(I'm Afraid) You'll Hurt Me" by The Darlenes, "The City Never Sleeps At Night" by The Shacklefords, "Guitar On My Mind" by Duane & Miriam Eddy, "Das Ist Zauberei (And I Loved You Then)" by Peggy March, "Twelve Feet High" by The Hondas and many more. (Rock, Folk/Country) CD

An amazing tribute to the Bakersfield scene – one that finally gives the California city the same sort of attention that we usually see in sets dedicated to Nashville! Bakersfield is well-known as the home of Merle Haggard and Buck Owens, but the city's got a long legacy of influencing country music for decades – a good deal of which is presented here, in a package that brings together loads of rare Cali country singles that we never would have heard otherwise, along with well-chosen cuts from some of its stars, and a fair bit of rare and unissued material too! At the center of the set is a huge hardcover book by Scott Bomar – hardcover, 12" square, and with 224 full color pages of notes and images on the genius of Bakersfield, and what made it such a unique country music spot. The 10 CDs feature nearly 300 songs in all – one disc of which is all rare live and unissued material – and in addition to work by Buck and Merle, the set features tracks by Wayne Morris, Jerry Cornelius, Vancie & Rita, Georgia Lynn, Kenny Hays, Tommy Lewis, Rollie Webber, Johnny Barnette, Bonnie Owens, Bobby Durham, George Latta, Owen Charles, Larry Daniels, Gene Moles, Al Brumley, Bill Handy, Leo Stephens, Faye Hardin, Tom Tall, Cliff Crofford, Kenny Vernon, Rose Lee Maphis, Oscar Whittington, Foyle Holley, Dick Curless, Red Simpson, Gary Paxton, Jim Ward, and many many more! CD

The shadow of Hank Williams still looms large in country music well into the 21st Century – but it had an especially strong force in the years after his too-early death – as you'll hear here in a great selection of covers, tributes, and other songs that continue the short-but-strong legacy of revolution that Hank brought to country music! Some of the cuts here are pop numbers, and show the way that Williams' original tunes found many different audiences in the 50s – yet most are pure country, and are way more than straight remakes of originals by the legend. As always with Bear Family, the package is great – filled with images and detailed notes on all the tracks and artists – served up on 33 tracks that include "Kaw-Liga" by Rusty & Doug Kershaw, "Calling You" by Hank Williams Jr, "I'm A Long Gone Daddy" by Bobby Helms, "Move It On Over" by Richard Hayes, "I Saw The Light" by Rose Maddox, "Honky Tonkin" by Audrey Williams, "I Just Don't Like This Kind Of Livin" by Johnny Horton, "Mind Your Own Business" by Ted Daigle, "Lost Highway" by Skeets McDonald, "Cold Cold Heart" by Louis Armstrong, "Lovesick Blues" by Rex Griffin, "Baby We're Really In Love" by Don Gibson, and "Half As Much" by Tennessee Ernie Ford. CD

Memphis music legend Charlie Feathers may not have hit the heights back in the day – but in the late 50s he cut some of the heaviest tracks on his scene, then kept going as kind of a "secret hero" of rock and roll for the decades to come! Feathers is one of those cats that only the coolest of the cool really dug at the time – and one who's gotten great attention from the hipper music writers in more recent generations – so much so that his legacy is likely a lot better known now than it was in the 60s! We can't think of a better artist to pick for one of the "Rocks" titles in this great Bear Family series – and like the other volumes, the well-chosen array of music is presented along with very detailed notes on the man and his contributions. The package features 31 tracks in all – mostly rarities from Feathers' earliest years – and titles include "Tongue Tied Jill", "Rain", "Too Much Alike", "Bottle To The Baby", "One Good Gal", "Wild Wild Party", "Oklahoma Hills", "Love Never Treated Me Right", "Cootzie Coo", "Wild Side Of Life", "Can't Hardly Stand It", and "Get With It". (Rock, Folk/Country) CD

A pair of wonderful albums from the great John Fahey – back to back on a single CD! First up is Rivers & Religion – a really unique album by John Fahey – issued during a short stretch of initial mainstream approval, and a brief time of recording for Warner Brothers! Some of the album's quite different than the spare, solo Fahey you might know – and mixes his legendary guitar work with more elaborate elements than usual – additional instrumentation that includes bass, banjo, clarinet, piano, trombone, and fiddle – but all used at a level that really supports John's presence, not occludes it. Other tracks return to spare acoustic steel string guitar – creating an evocative balance that's mighty nice. Titles include "Funeral Song For Mississippi John Hurt", "Texas & Pacific Blues", "Dixie Pig Bar B Q Blues", "Lord Have Mercy Song", and "Deep River". After The Ball is a set with a disco ball on the cover, but a record that fits right in with the best early 20th century aesthetic in the work of John Fahey – particularly his way of reiimagining older musical traditions! There's a bit of added instrumentation on the record – two tracks that have some slight trad jazz flourishes – but overall, the album's mostly a solo effort with loads of wonderful guitar work from John – still as creative and as complicated as in his best recordings for Takoma! Other added instrumentation sometimes expands the sound with mandolin or banjo, but again in very sensitive ways – and titles include "Bucktown Stomp", "Om Shanthi Norris", "Beverly", and "Horses". CD

One of the great American folk and country figures of the past half century, and one who doesn't get the mainstream reverence he deserves – Tom Paley, a founding member of The New Lost City Ramblers – and he's rambling quite beautifully on these 2011 recordings with his Old Time Moonshine Revue! There's an experienced, elegiac quality here on Tom's voice and on the songs, but it's lively and timeless! He's in his mid 80s and in truly classic form here! Includes "Roll On, Roll On", "Little Birdie", "Beelzebubbles", "Johnson City Blues", "The Fiddling Soldier", "A Horse Named Bill", "Whiskey Seller", "Little Rabbit", "Green Grow The Lilacs", "Poor Bill" CD

A massive folkloric project – one that really shows how much the form has evolved since the early days of recording! This huge book-length collection looks at the rich legacy of Appalachian music as it moved north towards the Mason-Dixon line – from roots in Virginia and Tennessee, to northern spots in Maryland and Pennsylvania as those older communities languished. The first half of the collection focuses on important 60s recordings of Ola Belle Reed and the New River Boys – done by folklorist Henry Glassie, and very well recorded – and the second half looks at the long legacy of music that's continued in that area, sometimes after the sounds have faded from the source of their original roots. CD one features all recordings of Ola and her contemporaries – while CD two features recent material with a surprisingly vibrant feel – and artists include TJ Lundy, Ryan Paisley, Hugh Campbell, Zane Campell, Dave Reed, and John Miller – as well as the Debusk-Weaver Family. The book itself is worth the price of admission – hardcover, full of photos and writings – and over 250 pages long! CD

Every single song the great Jimmie Rodgers ever recorded! Jimmie Rodgers might be THE forefather of traditional country music, and one of the great hard times poets of the century. Bear Family has gone all out to include his entire recorded history, and if justice served this set would be celebrated in the same manner as Harry Smith's Antholology Of American Folk Music. The recorded history here is every bit as important, if not more so, to the maturation of American music – but even more importantly, it's filled with breathlessly great songs! Everything's here – "The Soldier's Sweetheart", "Sleep, Baby, Sleep", "Ben Dewberry's Final Run", "Mother Was A Lady", "Blue Yodel", "Treasure's Untold", "Mississippi Moon", "You And My Old Guitar", "I'm Lonely And Blue", "My California Sunshine Girl", "Mississippi River Blues", "Nobody Knows But Me", "She Was Happy 'Til She Met You", "For The Sake Of Day's Gone By", "Jimmie's Mean Mama Blues", "In The Jailhouse Now", "T.B. Blues", "Let Me Be Your Sidekick", and tons more. Tuberculosis took Jimmie away while he was still in his 30s, but he left an incredible legacy – unprecedented music that fused old time gospel, blues, and mountain folk into a new American art form. Nearly 150 tracks, including many alternate versions, and a great booklet crammed with biographical information and photos. CD

Hard to believe this excellent series is hitting its ninth volume – and this time around, Ryley Walker is at the helm – making excellent musical choices that really keep things fresh! As with previous volumes, the focus is on the most creative talents of the acoustic underground – usually heard here in a solo setting, but sometimes with light additional instrumentation – pushing forward that tradition of music that Tompkins Square has been so essential in capturing in recent years – almost as if the label has become the Takoma Records of the 21st Century! Walker makes some great choices here, and focuses on some overlooked and up-and-coming talents, including a few from our hometown of Chicago. Tracks include "Wooden Waltz" by Eli Winter, "Leicester Hwy" by Shane Parish, "Boat Ride" by Kendra Amalie, "World Of Objects (guitar edit)" by Fire Toolz, "Knots Where Never Was" by Lucas Brode, "Seedlings" by Dave Miller, "Variations On Themes For Blind Dogs" by Pete Fosco, and "I Used To Sing" by Matthew Rolin. CD

You might not know Les Cousins, but back in the city it was a very important club on the London scene – a crossroads of blues, folk, and other styles – with an influence that was every bit important in England as the Greenwich Village clubs were in the US! This massive 3CD set does a great job of documenting the sounds that passed through its stage – not via live recordings, but over a well-chosen array of cuts that demonstrate just how hip British work of the time could be – folk-plus material, of the sort you'd hear on the best albums on Island Records or Transatlantic, all very much of the generation of Nick Drake and Fairport Convention! The 3CD set does a really great job of showing the wide range of acts from this moment – including many we haven't had on other reissues in recent years – in a great box that features 72 tracks, and very detailed notes on the material. Includes work from The Levee Brothers, Roy Harper, Dr Strangely Strange, Strawbs, Owen Hand, Dave Evans, Anne Briggs, Tom Yates, Duffy Power, Ron Geesin, Jackson C Frank, Martin Carthy, Dando Shaft, Shelagh McDonald, Al Jones, Sweeney's Men, Sam Mitchell, Tir Na Nog, Beverly, Michael Chapman, and many others. (Rock, Folk/Country) CD

Mindblowing work from an artist we totally totally love – a really unique British singer and guitarist, and one who can effortlessly channel together so many different strands of music, and make them all come together like nobody else at all! Davy Graham draws here from Indian music, American blues, and even some up and coming styles in the folk underground – but the sound here is completely his own, and has a vibe that's as unique, and groundbreaking as some of the better-known British acoustic talents of his generation! Tremendous work throughout – on titles that include "Sunshine Raga", "Both Sides Now", "Electric Chair", "Blue Raga", "Beautiful City", "Tristano", "Bad Boy Blues", and "Bruton Town". CD