Whaddaya know about Hobart Smith?

Subject: Whaddaya know about Hobart Smith?
From: Barbara Shaw
Date: 29 Jun 99 - 10:07 PM

I bought an album at the Folk Legacy booth (Thanks! Sandy and Caroline) at Old Songs with several songs by Hobart Smith, brother Preston and sister Texas Gladden on it. The album is "Brethren, We Meet Again" (Southern White Spirituals), purchased after being inspired by a shape note workshop with Peter Amidon (incredible!). The best songs on the album (in my opinion) are these funky, bluesy pieces by Hobart and the Smith Family.

There are 3 songs on the DT with his name mentioned for having recorded them. Who is/was he? Where can I find more?

Subject: RE: Whaddaya know about Hobart Smith?
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 29 Jun 99 - 10:32 PM

I'll leave it to Sandy to fill you in on Hobart.(my knowledge comes strictly from liner notes) but I'll tell you, along with Estil C. Ball, The Delmore Bros, Sam and Kirk McGee, Alfred Karnes,(thanks Sandy) Clint Howard, and Doc Watson, he's given me a lot of pleasure over the years.
rick

Subject: RE: Whaddaya know about Hobart Smith?
From: Barry Finn
Date: 29 Jun 99 - 10:43 PM

Hi Barbara, you'll also find him playing 4 string banjo & guitar on the field recordings of the Georgia Sea Island Singers. I'm leaving this short as I don't have alot to add but I'd bet an eye tooth that Sandy's got more low down here than you'll get anywhere else. Barry

Subject: RE: Whaddaya know about Hobart Smith?
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 29 Jun 99 - 11:20 PM

Here's a bit of info, Barbara. I have a "custom cassette" of the album I produced of Hobart Smith (it was our 17th release). Hobart came from Saltville, Virginia, and learned a lot of his banjo repertoire from African-American workers on the railroad near his home. His sister was Texas Gladden, source of many great songs now in the Library of Congress Archive of Folklore collection. Several of these are included on the recent CD releases from the LoC, as are a few of Hobart's cuts. Ours was Hobart's only solo recording.

Some of the recordings of Bessie Jones and the Georgia Sea Island singers that Alan Lomax included on his "Southern Journey" series include some "gourd banjo" played by Hobart, but that was a bit contrived. He had never played with them before, but Alan wanted a good banjo player and so he brought Hobart down from the Blue Ridge Mountains to play with them. Made some good music, but it was not something that had actually occurred within the tradition, so to speak. In fact, Hobart had never played a gourd banjo before, either.

There are several cuts of Texas Gladden's singing of the old ballads on the "Anglo-American Ballads," a two volume Library of Congress CD release from Rounder, also available through either Folk-Legacy or Camsco. We had them at our booth at Old Songs. Wish I'd known you were about to become fans of theirs. I would have pointed them out to you. I was so busy pushing the Stephen Wade compilation called "A Treasury of Library of Congress Field Recordings" which contains one magnificent traditional performance after another, that I may have neglected to hustle the others. Mea culpa!

Call us, if you'd like, and we can talk more about these great recordings.

Sandy

Subject: RE: Whaddaya know about Hobart Smith?
From: Barbara Shaw
Date: 30 Jun 99 - 08:09 PM

Thanks for the replies, Sandy, Rick and Barry. This is another example of why I like to get collections: I discover great new performers that I might never have heard otherwise. Will be calling you (Sandy) about the Smiths.

Subject: RE: Whaddaya know about Mrs. Texas Gladden
From: GUEST,lauri
Date: 19 Aug 01 - 10:29 PM

I am doing research on country/folk music history and I've run into a brick wall in locating info about Mrs. Texas Gladden. Can you help or put me in the direction of sources that can?

Thanks,

Lauri

Subject: RE: Whaddaya know about Hobart Smith?
From: Tedham Porterhouse
Date: 19 Aug 01 - 10:37 PM

There are full length CDs by both Hobart Smith and Texas Gladden in the Alan Lomax Collection on Rounder Records.

Hobart Smith's is called "Blue Ridge Legacy."

Texas Gladden's is called "Ballad Legacy."

Both of the CDs have extensive information about the performers in the booklets.

Subject: RE: Whaddaya know about Hobart Smith?
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 19 Aug 01 - 11:16 PM

Both are, IMO, extremely important recordings in the development of American folk music into whatever it's become. CAMSCO carries them both; they're $12.98 each (plus shipping)