Though he was a prolific recording artist, songwriter, sideman, and producer, Grammy-winner John Hartford's career can't be summed up on a single disc; it would take a multi-volume box set to accomplish that. Initial and lasting fame was granted him for penning "Gentle on My Mind," resulting in his placement as Glen Campbell's banjo-playing sidekick on the singer's weekly television program for four years. But Hartford's founding role in the creation of "newgrass" on 1971's brilliant Aereo-Plain a few years later won him notice because the album subsequently influenced three generations of musicians. Then there are his dozens of session appearances on seminal recordings by the Byrds, James Taylor, Delaney and Bonnie, Rhonda Vincent, Guthrie Thomas, Benny Martin, David Bromberg, Nanci Griffith, Johnny Cash, and David Allan Coe, to name a few, that also ensure his place in musical history. Much of his wonderfully eclectic catalog has been reissued, including an album of rare Aereo-Plain outtakes entitled Steam Powered Aereo-Takes. All said, though, there hasn't yet been a document that delved deeply into Hartford's early career for the sole purpose of revealing that, although an artist in constant evolution, his music remained rooted in the folk music, river songs, and primal bluegrass he discovered as a youth. Until now, that is.
Sanctioned by the artist's estate and compiled and annotated by noted Hartford scholar Skip Heller, Backroads, Rivers & Memories: The Rare & Unleashed John Hartford from Real Gone Music is the collection fans and musicologists have been waiting for. Of its 27 tracks, 19 are previously unissued. They consist of the first legal re-releases of the Ozark Mountain Trio's digitized-from-vinyl singles circa 1960 (including excellent, even thrilling, readings of "Green Back Dollar" and "Corrina") that reveal his Earl Scruggs disciple-ship. There are also numerous '60s demos -- including one for "Gentle on My Mind" -- radio appearances from the era (Hartford was, along with being a formidable steamboat captain, a radio DJ as well), early cover tunes, and a couple of radically different versions of songs that would end up on albums two decades later. Three radio appearances from 1964 WHOW in Clinton, Illinois (with guitarist Pat Burton and mandolinist Nate Bray) include stellar covers of Benny Martin's "Ice Cold Love" and a lonesome bluegrass read of "Greensleeves." Of the 16 unaccompanied demos included, all are compelling. That said, there are standouts, including the blues-opener "Tow Boat," the apocalyptic Celtic-tinged "Tall Tall Grass," and his Bob Dylan- and Pete Seeger-influenced tunes including "Eve of My Multiplication" and "California Earthquake." The ballads "This Eve of Parting" and "Minus the Woman" are haunting for their lonely solitude, poetic imagery, and canny melodies. The only downside is the 38-second snare-and-banjo excerpt from the first rehearsal of "Steam-Powered Aereo Plain." Combined with Heller’s exhaustive biographical and critical essay, rare photos, and fine sound, Backroads, Rivers & Memories: The Rare & Unleashed John Hartford is an essential document for any student of American roots music in general and Hartford fans in particular.
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