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music recor· Reviewed by GavinJames Campbell, MusicEditor Kentucky Old-Time Banjo Rounder, 1999 CD 0394, $15.00 Morgan Sexton Shady Grove June Appal, 1992 cd oo66d, $i 5.00 From the lacy opening to the toe-tapping conclusion , Kentucky Old-Time Banjo gives a spirited overview of white banjo styles in the Bluegrass State. The compilers, John Harrod and Mark Wilson, aim to demonstrate die range of material by including men and women banjoists—"classical" and clawhammer players—both weU known and relatively obscure. The accompanying booklet provides a good deal of information about the players and their music, as weU as suggestions on where to hear more. Because their tanned hides inevitably ended up on his banjo, "it became dangerous for a torn cat to be around me," explains Vernon Judd. Judging from the number of accompUshed banjoists on this cd, Kentucky was frightfuUy short ofcats. Morgan Sexton, a native ofKentucky's southeastern hiUs, was a 1991 winner of the prestigious National Heritage FeUowship. His Shady Grove acts as a superb complement to the Rounder coUection by providing an in-depth examination of this master banjoist. Whereas Harrod and Wilson had to cajole banjoists to vocaUze , Sexton is an avid singer, and he uses his banjo to accompany everything from old EngUsh baUads to the classic North Carolina murder baUad "Omie Wise." In aU but two cuts, when his nephew Lee provides fiddle accompaniment, Sexton sings and plays by himself. The booklet accompanying the disc includes lyrics, Sexton's banjo tunings, and a fine set of notes and photos documenting Sexton's Ufe and music. 92 southern cultures, Fall1999 : GavinJames CampbeU ...

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