Click wherever you see to listen to an MP3 file.

NEW!

A Garden Supper Tonight

by Barbara Swell

NEW!

Manners & Morals of Victorian America

by Wayne Erbsen

Manners & Morals of Victorian America is your gateway to the fashionable world of Victorian America. It draws from the wealth of late 19th and early twentieth century etiquette books. With almost 500 historic engravings and illustrations, the book details virtually every aspect of Victorian life, including the proper conduct for courtship and wooing, duties of husbands and wives, how to deal with a rejected suitor and even carriage and motoring manners. 7"x10", 180 pages. ISBN: 9781883206543.

If you'd like to preview Manners & Morals of Victorian America, Click HERE to open a pdf file of a portion of the book.

"I think your new book is absolutely great!! - really entertaining stuff about where we came from. I love the etchings and photographs." Z Ruben

                                      NEW!

     Bluegrass Mandolin for the Complete Ignoramus!

                      (Book & CD Set) by Wayne Erbsen

Wayne's friendly and FUN approach to learning to play has taught tens of thousands of total beginners to play bluegrass music. Join the club! In this, his 26^th book, Wayne cuts through the clutter and confusion of learning to play with his SIMPLE approach to playing the melody. He then leads the beginner down the path of being able to IMPROVISE by adding several simple rhythms. With Wayne’s help, you’ll soon be jamming up a storm. Guaranteed! Includes instructional CD, plus complete lyrics to all 28 songs. 9"x 12", 80 pages. This book is guaranteed to help you learn to play bluegrass mandolin. (How many books come with a personal guarantee by the author?)

Click HERE to open a pdf file for several random pages from the book. Click HERE to listen to an MP3 of track 28 of the CD. Click HERE to listen to an MP3 of track 29 of the CD.

You WILL learn to play and improvise on: Amazing Grace, Angel Band, Banks of the Ohio, Bury Me Beneath the Willow, Cripple Creek, Cryin Holy Unto the Lord, Dig a Hole in the Meadow, Don't This Road Look Rough and Rocky?, Down the Road, East Virginia, Handsome Molly, In the Pines, I’ve Been All Around This World, I’ve Just Seen the Rock of Ages, John Hardy, Keep on the Sunny Side of Life, Knoxville Girl, Little Maggie, Midnight on the Stormy Deep, My Home’s Across the Blue Ridge Mountains, Nine Pound Hammer, Paul and Silas, Shady Grove, Soldier’s Joy, Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms, Wildwood Flower, Will the Circle Be Unbroken?

You’ll Also Learn... How to Tune, How to Hold the Mandolin, The Best Way to Hold the Pick, How to Read Tablature, Harmony Chord Positions, Simple Rhythm Chord Positions, How to Play Harmony, Playing in the Dreaded Key of F, How to Jam, Playing Different Rhythms, How to Play Simply but RIGHT, Vintage Photos, Friendly Advice.

Wayne Erbsen first started playing the mandolin in 1963 when he bought one in Mexico City for a few pesos. Since then, he has won scores of blue ribbons at fiddlers conventions in North Carolina and Virginia and along the way, has written twenty-six instruction and song books, and recorded eighteen solo CDs. He is most proud of the fact that he has literally taught tens of thousands of beginners to play mandolin, fiddle, banjo and guitar through his books as well as teaching at his Log Cabin Music Center. (See http://www.nativegroundmusic.com/). He lives, plays, and works in Asheville, North Carolina.

WAYNE ERBSEN CAN EVEN TEACH A FROG TO PLAY THE MANDOLIN!

"This book is an excellent addition to the beginning mandolin books that are currently available. If you are thinking about learning mandolin, this is the book to buy." Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine

"You’re right there! Terrific stuff." Ron Bacon

"If you've never picked up a mandolin before, this book will give you all the instruction you need to go from 'complete ignoramus' to 'not too shabby.'"Marie Gantz, recent ignoramus

A Beautiful Life,  Ain’t Gonna Lay My Armor Down, Amazing Grace, An Old Fashioned Meeting, Angel Band, Are You Washed in the Blood?, Beautiful, Church in the Wildwood, Crying Holy Unto My Lord, Deep Settled Peace, Diamonds in the Rough, Don’t You Hear Jerusalem Moan?, Drifting Too Far From the Shore, From Jerusalem to Jericho, Give Me The Roses Now, The Good Old Way, Grave on a Green Hillside, Hand in Hand With Jesus, Heaven Above, Hold Fast to the Right, Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand, Home in That Rock, I Am a Pilgrim, I Am Bound For the Promised Land, If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again, I’ll Be No Stranger There, I’m S-A-V-E-D, In the Sweet By And By, I’ve Just Seen the Rock of Ages,  Keep on the Sunny Side of Life, The Lone Pilgrim, Methodist Pie, Old-Time Religion, Our Meeting is Over, Palms of Victory, Pass Me Not, Paul and Silas, Pilgrim of Sorrow, Poor Wayfaring Stranger, Precious Memories, Shake Hands With Mother Again, Shall We Gather at the River?, Standing in the Need of Prayer, Swing Low Sweet Chariot, Take Up Thy Cross, Twilight is Falling, The Unclouded Day, Walk in Jerusalem Just Like John, Warfare, We Are Going Down the Valley, We Shall Meet Someday, Who Will Sing For Me?, Will the Circle Be Unbroken?, Wondrous Love, Working on a Building.

This handsome and hefty 172 page book has over 100 of your favorite bluegrass gospel songs with lyrics, music (melody line), guitar chords, 100+ vintage photos, song histories, the roots of bluegrass gospel music, painless gospel music theory, how to choose the right key, how to operate a capo, using the guitar in gospel music, harmony 101, tips on how to sing lead, baritone, tenor and bass. 9" x 12." Large, easy-to-read font. See song list, below. Available with CD (Old-Time Gospel Favorites) which features thirteen gospel songs that are in the book.

Click HERE  or HERE for a sample page of The Bluegrass Gospel Songbook as a pdf file.

The CD includes: Methodist Pie, Give Me The Roses, Poor Wayfaring Stranger, Angel Band, Where the Soul Never Dies, A Beautiful Life, Just Over in Gloryland, Leaning on the Everlasting Arms, Walk in Jerusalem Just Like John, As I Went Down to the Valley to Pray, Don't You Hear Jerusalem Moan?, I Will Arise, Where We'll Never Grow Old.

"This is an amazing book. It's going to be well-received, well-used and well- loved. Such fabulous history, background to the songs, etc. A treat to read." Cathy Fink.

"I am very pleased with your new Bluegrass Gospel Songbook. It was worth waiting for."  D McDougal

"A real treasure." Nadine Kerfoot, Bluegrass Music Profiles

"A really good book!" R.D. Cozby

The book includes history, lyrics, melody and chords to over 100 gospel classics: A Beautiful Life, A Picture From Life’s Other Side, Ain’t Gonna Lay My Armor Down, Amazing Grace, Angel Band, Are You Washed in the Blood?, Beautiful, Church in the Wildwood, Come And Dine, Come Thou Fount, Crying Holy Unto My Lord, Daniel Prayed, Death is Only a Dream, Deep Settled Peace, Diamonds in the Rough, Don’t You Hear Jerusalem Moan?, Drifting Too Far From the Shore, From Jerusalem to Jericho, Give Me The Roses Now, The Glory-land Way, The Good Old Way, Grave on a Green Hillside, The Hallelujah Side, Hallelujah, We Shall Rise, Hand in Hand With Jesus, He Will Set Your Fields on Fire, Heaven Above, Hold Fast to the Right, Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand, Home in That Rock, How Beautiful Must Be, I Am a Pilgrim, I Am Bound For the Promised Land, I Feel Like Traveling On, I Have Found the Way, I Heard My Mother Call My Name in Prayer, I Will Never Turn Back, I Would Not Be Denied, I’ll Be No Stranger There, I’m Going That Way, I’m Going Through, I’m S-A-V-E-D, I’ve Just Seen the Rock of Ages, If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again, In the Sweet By And By, In the Garden, Jesus, Savior Pilot Me, Just One Way to the Gate, Just Over in the Gloryland, Just a Closer Walk With Thee, Keep on the Sunny Side of Life, Kneel at the Cross, Leaning on the Everlasting Arms, Let the Church Go Rolling On, Let The Lower Lights Be Burning, Life’s Railway to Heaven, Little Moses, The Lone Pilgrim, Lord I’m Coming Home, Methodist Pie, My Old Cottage Home, Oh Those Tombs!, The Old Rugged Cross, The Old Account Was Settled, The Old Gospel Ship, Old-Time Religion, On The Sea of Life, On The Sunny Side of Life, Our Meeting is Over, Palms of Victory, Pass Me Not, Pilgrim of Sorrow, Poor Wayfaring Stranger, Power in the Blood, Precious Memories, Row Us Over the Tide, The Royal Telephone, Shake Hands With Mother Again, Shall We Gather at the River?, Standing in the Need of Prayer, Swing Low Sweet Chariot, Take Me In the Lifeboat, Take Up Thy Cross, Tell Mother I Will Meet Her, There is No Hiding Place Down There, Twilight is Falling, The Unclouded Day, Walk in Jerusalem Just Like John, Warfare, We Are Going Down the Valley, We Shall Meet Someday, We’ll Understand it Better By and By, What Would You Give in Exchange?, When the Savior Reached Down for Me, When They Ring Those Golden Bells, When I Laid My Burdens Down, When the Roll is Called Up Yonder, Where the Soul Never Dies, Where We’ll Never Grow Old, Who Will Sing For Me?, Will the Circle Be Unbroken?, Will There Be Any Stars?, Won’t You Come and Sing For Me? Wondrous Love, Working on a Building.

The Way It Was 19th Century Fiddle & Banjo by Martin Fox & Jeff Winegar		CD $14.95
"The Way it Was" by Martin Fox and Jeff Winegar features the driving, primal sound of 19th century fiddle and banjo music. In the early days before the guitar made its way into the Southern Appalachians, the fiddle and banjo was the mainstay "band" for musical gatherings of all sorts, barn raisings, corn shuckings, making moonshine, and of course, dances and "frolics." These eighteen tunes will transport you back in time. Fox and Winegar play a wide variety of rare old tunes from Eastern Kentucky, Southwest Virginia and Western North Carolina. There are breakdowns, played in the tight, cohesive and driving style, and slower, haunting pieces like "The Wounded Hoosier." ."This is a wonderful collection of old-time fiddle and banjo duets (18 of them) played by fiddler Fox and banjoist Winegar, The players have made it a point to feature tunes (and a style) of the 19th century, and the sources they cite--Emmett Lundy, William Stepp, John Salyer, and Marcus Martin are impressive indeed. The choice of tunes alone would make for an interesting record, but Fox & Winegar play these with feeling and skill, in a lovely collection that we heartily recommend!" David Freeman, County Records The Rocky Road To Dublin, Old Horse & Buggy-O, The Old Hen, She Cackled, Wild Hog In The Woods, Morgan On The Railroad, The Wounded Hoosier, The Highlanders Farewell, Moonlight, The Lost Girl, Last Gold Dollar, Green Mountain, Evening Star Waltz, The Belles Of Lexington, Shove That Pigs Foot A Little Further In The Fire, Old Time Blackberry Blossom, Bonaparte’s Retreat , Cincinnati Hornpipe, The Last Of Callahan.
Chadwell's Station Fiddling on the Frontier Christian Wig		CD $14.95
"Chadwell's Station" features the fiddle tunes played on the Eastern Frontier before 1840. It includes tunes from the Hamblen Collection - David R Hamblen born in 1809 in Cumberland Gap, VA - as well as tunes in archaic styles from Hiram Stamper and Marcus Martin, plus two from the Virginia Reels - another collection of fiddle tunes published in 1839. Many are played on period gut strung fiddles, accompanied by Whitt Mead on an early Dobson banjo with skin head and gut strings. These are the uncommon tunes played in the vernacular styles of the common folks out in the hinterlands. "If anyone has ever captured the true sound of the frontier, you have." Susan Lawlor, 18th century living history musician "A nicely done, informative and very listenable collection." David Freeman, President of County and Rebel Records "Chadwell's Station stands highly recommended to anyone who loves old-time music. Christian's fiddling is calm, tasteful, and precise, as is his banjo work, and Whitt's banjo follows Christian's lead perfectly. I have thoroughly enjoyed the CD and have added several of its tunes to my "must learn" list. Most importantly, it has broadened my understanding and appreciation of truly old old-time music." Phillip Sparks, "Nashville Old-Time Stringband Association News" "You have harvested a great crop of tunes from the rich bottom soil, and play them with heart, soul, and understanding. It's a treat to listen to you." Lisa Ornstein Indian Eat the Woodchuck, Cousin Sally Brown, Three Forks of Cumberland , Lady Hamilton , Pride of America , Cumberland Gap , Speckled Apron , Big Tennessee , Peter Francisco, Cotton Eyed Joe , Flowers of Edinburgh, Down to the Wildwood to Shoot the Buffalo, Chadwell's Station, White Cockade, Drummer Boy of Waterloo, Polly Put the Kettle, On, Young Edward , Pompey Ran Away,  Jolly Blacksmith.

by Barbara Swell

The 1st American Cookie Lady is based on a fascinating mystery. In 1917, Anna "Cookie" Covington set out to record all her favorite cookie recipes as a gift to her daughter because no published cookie recipe books existed at that time. Strangely, her 76 page handwritten personal cooking diary was never delivered to her daughter as planned. 88 years later, the unused diary fell into the hands of food historian Barbara Swell, who recognized it as perhaps the  earliest collection of American cookie recipes, dating from the mid 1880s up through World War I. The 1st American Cookie Lady includes Anna's 221 recipes recorded  from 1917-1920 along with adaptations for the modern kitchen, vintage graphics and photos, World War I food shortage recipes, plus curiosities of cookie baking history..6 x 9, 152 pages.

"An excellent dessert cookbook filled with recipes that survive the test of time with flying colors."  Midwest Book Review

Old-Time Fiddle for the

Complete Ignoramus!

by Wayne Erbsen

You WILL learn to play: Amazing Grace, Blackest Crow, Buffalo Gals, Charley He's a Good Old Man, Cluck Old Hen, Cotton-Eyed Joe, Cripple Creek, Cumberland Mountain Deer Chase, Darling Corey, Don't Let Your Deal Go Down, East Virginia, Groundhog, House of the Rising Sun, Ida Red, In the Pines, It Ain't Gonna Grain no Mo', Joy to the World, Little Birdie, Liza Poor Gal, Lynchburg Town, Muley's Daughter, Old Joe Clark, Old Molly Hare, Polly Put the Kettle On, Rain and Snow, Red River Valley, Run Johnny Run, Rye Whiskey, Sail Away Ladies, Say Darling Say, Shortening Bread, Sugar Hill, Wagoner's Lad, Wildwood Flower, Willie Moore.

                   by Margaret Huntington Hooker

"This expert ..reproduction will make an enduringly popular addition to personal, family, and community library cookbook collections, as well as being of immense interest for students of 18th and 19th century American popular culture. Midwest Book Review

          for the Complete Ignoramus!

by Wayne Erbsen

You will learn to play:: "Cluck Old Hen," "Poor Wayfaring Stranger, "Sugar Hill," "Shady Grove," "Little Birdie," "Darlin’ Corey," "Will Bill Jones," "Rain & Snow,"  "Cotton-Eyed Joe," "Buffalo Gals," Cripple Creek," "the Cuckoo," "Cumberland Gap," "Cumberland Mountain Deer Chase," "Down in the Willow Gardens," "East Virginia," "Groundhog," "Handsome Molly," "Little Sadie," "Lynchburg Town," "Muley’s Daughter," "New River Train," "Old Blue," "Old Joe Clark," "Polly Put the Kettle On," ""Red Rocking Chair," "Shortenin' Bread," "Swannanoa Tunnel," "Sweet Sunny South," "Wild Bill Jones." 

"You couldn't have made the Ignoramus any simpler." Martin Lieschner 

Clawhammer Banjo for the Complete Ignoramus! is easy to use and a superb supplement, especially for the self-taught beginner." The Bookwatch

"I was just a closet banjo player 'til I got your book and never thought I could ever play the banjo, but after only 3 weeks, I jammed on "Cripple Creek" with some friends. There's no stopping me now!" Patti Larsen

"This is the clearest instruction manual on playing clawhammer I have seen." Thanks! Rick Freeman

by Wayne Erbsen

Book with Instructional CD $19.95

The Lost Art of Pie Making

by Barbara Swell

"Barbara Swell's books are little gazettes - packed full of recipes, photos, drawings and lore." Malaprops Bookstore.

"I have really enjoyed reading The Lost Art of Pie Making. Thanks for writing this sweet old-fashioned book on my favorite dessert - PIE!"  Wally Pendleton, Richmond, Virginia

"A gem of a cookbook. The Lost Art of Pie Making will prove to be an immediately popular addition to any cookbook collection." Wisconsin Bookwatch

"I enjoyed this book so such I immediately took steps to obtain Barbara Swells other cookbooks." Faith Cormier, Greenman Review

"I love it!" C. Mack

RECIPES INCLUDE: Pie Crust: Aunt Jenny's Crust, Barb's Butter Crust, Mom Brooks' Crust, Oil Crust, Fruit Pies: Apple Raspberry, Concord Grape, Dutch Oven Apple Cherry, Fresh Blueberry, Fresh Raspberry, Fresh Rhubarb, Green Apple July Berry Pie, Raspberries in Ambush, Simple Summer Fruit, Sour Cherry Amaretto, Strawberry Rhubarb, Lemon Pie:  Lemon Custard, Lemon Meringue, Lemon Sponge, Two Crust Lemon,  Cream Pie: Banana Cream, Chocolate Cream, Coconut Cream, Orange Cream, Holiday Pie: Apple/Pear Mince, Farmer's Mince, Mock Cherry, Pumpkin, Pumpkin Chiffon, Custard: Chess, Chocolate Chess, Lemon Chess, Coconut, Key Lime, Os-Good, Pinto Bean, Rum Bittersweet, Sliced Sweet Potato, Sweet Potato, Nut Pie: Bourbon Pecan, Karo Pecan, Louisiana Peanut, Mock Pecan (Oatmeal),  Quick Pie: Apricot Skillet, Cranberry Surprise, Fruit Crisp, Honey Apple Dumplings, Miracle Cobbler.

Rural Roots of Bluegrass
~ Songs, Stories & History ~

by Wayne Erbsen

Rural Roots of Bluegrass takes a deep look under the surface of bluegrass music to uncover its true roots: ballads of early pioneers, Scots-Irish fiddle tunes, black spirituals, plantation melodies, blues, murder ballads, sentimental parlor songs from Tin Pan Alley, North Carolina banjo styles and gospel songs. This book is richly illustrated with 107 vintage photos and includes history, lyrics to 94 songs, musical notation chords, playing tips, and historical sources for each song. Includes profiles on the Monroe Brothers, Carter Family, Bradley Kincaid, Riley Puckett, Charlie Poole, Wade & J. E. Mainer, Vernon Dalhart, Carolina Tar Heels, G. B. Grayson & Henry Whitter, Fiddlin’ Arthur Smith, Ernest V. "Pop" Stoneman, Blue Sky Boys, Fiddlin’ John Carson, Coon Creek Girls, Earl Scruggs, Eck Robertson, Callahan Brothers, Samantha Bumgarner, Bill Monroe and Jimmie Rodgers. 6" x 9", 180 pages.

"Wayne Erbsen has done a lot for bluegrass music." Jim Shumate, fiddler with Bill Monroe & Flatt and Scruggs

"Wayne did a good job! He certainly knows how to tell a story." Wade Mainer, 97 year old music legend

"Wayne Erbsen is a widely recognized authority on the history of old-time and bluegrass music."    Bluegrass Unlimited

"Rural Roots of Bluegrass is simply magnificent, one of the most interesting and surprisingly thorough (given its relatively short length) works ever written about the genre." Dave Higgs, Nashville Public Radio

Wayne Erbsen's Rural Roots of Bluegrass is a great book. It's the first to really translate this history to the fan level." Fritz Schuler, Golden Ring Music

"...such a wonderful account of the development of rural music." Michael B. Toney, Utah State University

Includes words, music and history of:  A Beautiful Life, All the Good Times Are Passed And Gone, Amazing Grace, Angel Band, Are You Tired of Me My Darling?, Banjo Pickin’ Girl, Banks of the Ohio, Blue Ridge Mountain Blues, Bury Me Beneath the Willow, Careless Love, Columbus Stockade, Cotton-Eyed Joe, Cripple Creek, Cumberland Gap, Darling Cory, Dig a Hole in the Meadow, Don’t Go Out Tonight, My Darling, Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down, Don’t This Road Look Rough and Rocky, Down in the Willow Garden , Dream of the Miner’s Child, Drifting Too Far From the Shore, East Virginia, Footmarks in the Snow, Girl I Left in Sunny Tennessee, Give Me the Roses, Going to Georgia, Handsome Molly, He Will Set Your Fields On Fire, I Wonder How the Old Folks Are At Home, I’ll be All Smiles Tonight, In the Pines, Jealous Lover, Jesse James, Jimmie Brown the Paper Boy, John Hardy, Johnson Boys , Just Over in the Glory Land, Katy Cline, Katy Dear, Knoxville Girl, , Leaning on the Everlasting Arms, Leather Britches, Life’s Railway to Heaven, Little Bessie, Little Log Cabin in the Lane, Little Maggie, Little Rosewood Casket, Little White Washed Chimney, Lonesome Road Blues, Long Journey Home, Lord, I’m Coming Home, Man of Constant Sorrow, Maple on the Hill, Mary of the Wild Moor, Midnight on the Storm Deep , My Homes Across the Blue Ridge Mountains, My Old Cottage Home, New River Train, Nine Pound Hammer, Oh Those Tombs, Old Joe Clark, Poor Ellen Smith, Precious Memories, Pretty Polly, Put My Little Shoes Away, Rabbit in the Log, Red Rocking Chair, Red Wing, Reuben’s Train, Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms, Roll On Buddy, Roving Gambler, Sally Goodin, Seeing Nelly Home, Shady Grove, Shake Hands With Mother Again, Short Life of Trouble, Sweet Sunny South, They’re at Rest Together, Unclouded Day, The, Wabash Cannonball, Wait Till The Clouds Roll By, Walk in Jerusalem Just Like John, What Would You Give In Exchange?, When the Bees Are in the Hive, When You And I Were Young, Maggie, Where the Soul Never Dies, White House Blues, Whoa Mule, Wild Bill Jones, Wildwood Flower.

Rural Roots of Bluegrass
 Wayne Erbsen & Laura Boosinger

This new recording features the crystal clear voice of Laura Boosinger alongside the banjo, fiddle, guitar and mandolin wizardry of Wayne Erbsen. Like its companion book, above, this recording draws from many of the styles that are at the very roots of bluegrass. Includes Dream of the Miner's Child, Don't This Road Look Rough and Rocky, I'll be All Smiles Tonight, Katie Dear, When You and I Were Young, Maggie, Little Rosewood Casket, Handsome Molly, Blue Ridge Mountain Blues, Banjo Pickin' Girl, Rabbit in the Log, Short Life of Trouble, Darling Cory, Sandy Bottom, Man of Constant Sorrow, Old Mother Flanagan, Bury Me Beneath the Willow. 

54 minutes, 13 vocals, 3 instrumentals. Instruments include fiddle, clawhammer & bluegrass banjo, banjo-mandolin, mandolin, guitar, bass.

"Laura Boosinger's voice is lilting and lovely...her songs are honest and true." Banjo Newsletter"

"I have thoroughly enjoyed 'Rural Roots of Bluegrass.' It's fantastic!" Tom Parker

Old-Time Farmhouse Cooking
~ Rural American Recipes, Wisdom, & Farmlore~

by Barbara Swell

Climb down off your tractor and dig into some old-fashioned, farm-fresh comfort food! We’ve got cranberry beef stew simmering on the old wood cookstove and some sweet corn just pulled off the stalks. Try a dab of this farm-churned golden butter on the orange rye bread still warm from the oven. Whether you’re a born farmer, or a country-minded city person, you’ll enjoy these creative rural American recipes from a time when the food was wholesale and life was full of fresh air and sunshine. These recipes, stores, jokes, advice, farm lore, and illustrations were collected from a wide variety of American agricultural sources from the 1880s to the 1950s. 5 ½ x 8 ½, 72 pages.

"Barbara Swell has the neatest cookbooks. They make such great gifts." Jeanette Haley, Museum of Pioneer History

Pierre Cruzatte
 A Musical Journey Along the Lewis & Clark Trail

with Daniel Slosberg

Join renowned fiddler Daniel Slosberg on a musical adventure along the Lewis & Clark Trail. Journey back 200 years to hear melodies, dance tunes and work songs of the era played on period instruments. You'll feel like you've made camp with Pierre Cruzatte himself, the main boatman and fiddler with the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Includes La bastringue, V’la bon vent, Fisher’s Hornpipe, Shenandoah, Soldier’s Joy, Jigs: Irish Washerwoman/ St. Patrick’s Day in the Morning/ Top of Cork Road, Over the Hills & Far Away, Haste to the Wedding, J’entends le Moulin, Amazing Grace, Breakin’ Up Christmas, O Come All Ye Faithful, Red River Jig, Yankee Doodle, Reels: Cuckoo’s Nest/ Flowers of Edinburgh.

45 minutes, 5 vocals, 10 instrumentals. Instruments include fiddle, bones, spoons, Jew's harp, frame drum, fiddlesticks, tambourine, deer-hoof rattles, feet, bodhran, bastringue, sounden horn.

"This is the most authentic Lewis & Clark recording ever made." David Currier

"The music is very lively and entertaining; when listening I can imagine how Cruzatte's music must have lifted the spirits of the men on the journey." Wendy Spencer, North Dakota Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center

"I just bought your Pierre Cruzatte CD, and it's great! Thanks for producing something so timely and musical :-)" Connie Herbon, Music Teacher

"Pierre Cruzatte is excellent!" Spencer Johnson, Hastings Middle School

"The rich mix of music provided the perfect audio setting for our documentary." Charles Michael Ray, Producer, South Dakota Public Broadcasting

Fiddle Tunes of the Lewis Clark Era

with The New Columbia Fiddlers

Listen to the authentic music of Howard Marshall, Vivian Williams, Phil Williams and John Williams as they help you to experience the  Lewis & Clark era. Although the Lewis & Clark journals did not mention specific tunes, the New Columbia Fiddlers have done extensive research to uncover many of the popular tunes of the period. On this CD these tunes are masterfully performed in old-time style on violins, fretless and fretted banjo, mandolin, guitar and percussion. Experience the fiddle dance music from America's formative years!

Yankee Doodle, Believe Me if All Those Endearing Young Charms, En Passant par la Lorraine/Aupres de ma Blonde/Malbrough s'en va-t-en guerre, Miss McCleod's Reel, The Country Courtship/Jefferson and Liberty, Durang's Hornpipe, Road to Boston, Rye Whiskey, New Rigged Ship, My Love is but a Lassie, College Hornpipe, Rakes of Mallow, Haste to the Wedding, Devils Dream, Old Molly Hare, Life Let Us Cherish, MacDonald's Reel/Leather Britches, Sir Roger de Coverley, Ricketts Hornpipe, Columbus Cotillion, Molly Put the Kettle On, Pop Goes the Weasel, Soldiers Joy, The White Cockade. 

All Instrumental.

The Outhouse Papers
~ Country Humor and Trivia ~

by Wayne Erbsen

"Wayne! Your Outhouse Papers has been well read by all the family." Pete Seeger

"I gotta have this book!!" Betsy Hyer, Vintage Cowboy, Hill City, S.D.

"Sheer light-hearted fun. Every throne room should have a copy - even those in our libraries! "Rebecca Brown

"The Outhouse Papers is the funniest thing! It's so cool." Pam Buckland

Mama's In The Kitchen
~ Weird & Wonderful Home Cookin' 1900-1950

by Barbara Swell

Mama's in the Kitchen simply screams NOSTALGIA. Here are the stories and recipes of our mothers and grandmothers as they cooked their way through two world wars, food shortages, and the Great Depression. This lively and witty book chronicles how household gadgets dramatically changed the lives of women forever. It takes you into the kitchens of young housewives who whipped up cherry chiffon pies and weird little sandwiches to the beat of big band swing tunes playing on the radio. Lured by glossy product advertisements, these women were seduced into thinking that a green wiggly dessert would add glamour and romance to their lives. This book takes both a serious and a humorous look at women in a changing world. 5-1/2" x 8-1/2", 72 pages.

"A little masterpiece of nostalgic cookery. Mama's in the Kitchen is a 'must' for anyone who enjoys strolling down a 'yesteryear' collection of culinary pleasantries." James A. Cox, Wisconsin Bookwatch

"Barbara Swell's books are like little gazettes-packed full of recipes, photos, drawings, and mountain lore. We've always been proud to stock her books and look forward to her upcoming publication." Anne Wray, Malaprop's Bookstore Winner of Publishers Weekly's Best Bookstore Award

Battlefield Ballads of the Civil War

by Wayne Erbsen

Brother Green, Battle of Shiloh's Hill, Waiting For the Federals, Battle of Pea Ridge, Battle of Bull Run, Bull Run. Battle of Antietam Creek, Sherman's March, Battle of Shiloh, John Brown's March, The Sunny South, On the Plains of Manassas, Battle of Prairie Grove, Hell Broke Loose in Georgia.

40 minutes; 8 vocals, 5 instrumentals played on banjo, fiddle & guitar.

"Wayne Erbsen sings these Civil War ballads as they would have been sung a century or more ago. The great strength of this album is its historical and musical authenticity." James M. McPherson, Pulitzer Prize winning historian

"If they made recordings in the 1860s, this is what they would have sounded like, and Wayne Erbsen would have been the "pop" star of the period. 'Battle of Bull Run' is the most hauntingly beautiful 2:02 minutes I can ever remember hearing." Tony Miller, Civil War News

Log Cabin Pioneers
Stories, Songs and Sayings

by Wayne Erbsen

Step inside the door of Log Cabin Pioneers as Wayne Erbsen takes you on a personal journey of finding and restoring an historic log cabin. By the magic of a crackling fire, he'll introduce you to authentic pioneers who will sing you ancient songs, spin yarns about Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone and Thomas Jefferson, and tell spell-binding tales of bear hunting with moonshine or give you advice on how to buy a mule. Join other settlers in a house raising, hew logs for a cabin, shop in an old-time general store, eat ash cake and dance your socks off at an old-fashioned barn dance. Includes remedies, superstitions, romantic advice, 143 vintage photos, words & music to 19 songs. 6" x 9", 184 pages.

"We were absolutely thrilled with the Log Cabin Pioneers Book."--Mary and Dick Elder

"I love the Log Cabin Pioneers book!" Tom & Jean Hughes

"Entertaining, diverse and informative; it is easy and pleasant reading." North Carolina Historical Review

"I loved your Log Cabin book!" Bill Clifton

"I am enjoying your Log Cabin book and CD. What a great resource! Diana Burritt, Shelbourne Community School

Log Cabin Songs

Wayne Erbsen and Laura Boosinger

Roll up the rug, clear the floor and grab your partner! Kick up your heels with spunky old-time dance tunes, historic songs and ancient ballads of America's log cabin pioneers. 10 Vocals, 6 instrumentals played on banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar, and bass. 48 minutes.

"Your music adds authenticity and richness to our educational programming on the Kentucky TV network."--
Liz Hobson, Director of Education

"Log Cabin Songs and Southern Mountain Classics are my favorite CDs I've got! Thanks! Nancy Alumbaug

"I fell in love with this tape!" Allan Wood, age 79.

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