One has the tendency to relate certain types of music to certain record labels. Prestige, for instance, is known for its jazz roster. It comes as a surprise, then, to the post-millennium listener when the label reissues roots music recorded during the 1960s. But it shouldn't. Once upon a time, Prestige worked side-by-side with Vanguard and Folkways to bring LP buyers the best in folk-based music.
The Charles River Valley Boys were born in the green pastures of Yale and Harvard in 1959 and blossomed into a crack outfit of down-home pickers.
Bluegrass and Old Timey Music originates from two albums recorded by the group in 1962 and 1964, the first known by the same title, the second by The Charles River Valley Boys With Tex Logan. With traditional material, high-lonesome vocals, and fancy picking, a listener would never guess that Bob Siggins, John Cooke, Fritz Richmond, and Joe Val were anything but the real deal. The band's version of "White Dove" is every bit as raw as
the Stanley Brothers' take, while "Uncle Pen" pays sincere respect to the father of bluegrass,
Bill Monroe. The amazing thing about these recordings is how authentic they sound. Many accused young musicians involved in the folk revival of mimicking the old styles but failing to grasp traditional music at a deeper level. Again and again, the Charles River Valley Boys offer felt versions of classic bluegrass repertoire ("Angel Band," "Away Out on the Mountain").
Bluegrass and Old Timey Music offers a great intro to
the Charles River Boys and shows how good revival bluegrass could be. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.