GRAHAM TOWNSEND on Arc & London

Friday, May 13, 2011

The response to the first Graham Townsend album I posted (World Champion Folk Fiddler) was so positive I have decided to present a few more. The majority of Graham's albums before the 1970s were on Rodeo Records' Banff label, but the present two albums, both from the early 1960s, are exceptions.
Like most LPs on the Arc label, "Fancy Fiddlin'" (Arc 576) has circulated widely and is not all that difficult to find. It contains Graham's first recordings of the novelty tunes "Listen to the Mockingbird" and "Dragging the Bow", as well as the Townsend compositions "Rocking Chair Jig" and "McDowell's Breakdown" (named for his frequent piano accompanist, Phyllis McDowell). By comparison, "Championship Fiddle Favorites" on the London label (GA. 1006, reissued in "stereo" as EBX 4128) is somewhat of a rarity, which is a shame as it's a wonderful album. Like the previously featured Banff LP, these albums were highly influential and inspirational to me, with tunes like "Caber Feigh", "Bows of Oak Hill" and "Lug O' The Spade" remaining an important part of my repertoire to this day. Perhaps in putting these transfers out there, another generation can absorb them as I and so many others did.

Fancy Fiddlin'
Arc 576

Tracks:

1. Blue Water Hornpipe
2. Teenagers' Waltz
3. Listen to the Mocking Bird
4. Rocking Chair Jig
5. Cuckoo's Nest
6. McDowell's Breakdown
7. Caber Feigh
8. Town & Country Schottische
9. Dragging the Bow
10. Peek A Boo Waltz
11. Carnival Hornpipe
12. Hurricane Hazel

Championship Fiddle Favorites
London GA. 1006, also issued as EBX 4128

Tracks:

1. Orange Blossom Special
2. Old Rose Waltz
3. Speed The Plough Reel
4. Bows Of Oak Hill
5. Sugar Tree Stomp
6. Lug O' The Spade
7. Billy In The Low Ground
8. Jack Pine Reel
9. High Level Hornpipe
10. Our Last Waltz
11. Pop Corn Reel
12. Faded Love

*download here*