ALBUMS

Waiting for the
Break of Day

The Old Souls String Band

Creelsboro and the Cumberland:
A Living History

Documentary Soundtrack by Elijah Bedel

The Old Souls
String Band

The Old Souls String Band

Live and Learn

Elijah Bedel

MUSIC VIDEOS

Hook and Line

This tune is an East Kentucky dance classic which may be one of the oldest banjo tunes in existence, stretching all the way back to the banjo’s African roots. There are many variants of this piece from all over Kentucky and Appalachia and several sources have influenced my interpretation, among them are Brother Hill, Roscoe Holcomb, Clifton Hicks, John Haywood, and Kevin Howard. 

Grigsby’s Hornpipe

This fiddle tune is a unique old piece from the legendary fiddler Eck Robertson who was born in the Ozarks and moved to the Texas Panhandle, going to become one of the earliest and most well-known fiddlers to ever record. I first heard it from the playing of the contemporary fiddler Bruce Molsky. This video was recorded near my childhood home on the Edge of Appalachia Nature Preserve in Adams County, Ohio.

Jubilee

This old East Kentucky tune comes from ballad singer Jean Ritchie. It’s had many versions recorded over the years and my interpretation is inspired by the playing of Jean Ritchie, Clifton Hicks, and Little Nora Brown.

Twin Sisters

This is an old Appalachian modal fiddle and banjo tune from the playing of Sidna and Fulton Myers of Five Forks, Virginia.

Stackolee

My rendition of the iconic version of ‘Stackolee’ by the legendary Delta Blues guitarist Mississippi John Hurt.

Paddy’s Lamentation/Glory in the Meetinghouse

This medley of two traditional pieces was created in celebration of Saint Patrick’s Day and Irish heritage in the United States. The first is an old Irish song from the Civil War era when many Irish immigrants from famine-ravaged Ireland were conscripted into the Union Army. The second is an old East Kentucky fiddle tune which may have found its way into the region by way of Ulster Scots/Scots Irish settlers.