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The Cumberland
Trio (self-titled)
Written by Cindy Hill - CDReviews.com
Seminal
folk debut finally sees the light of day.
[6.8.06]
It was
the time of legends, the American equivalent of England’s
Summer Before the War: Spring, 1963. Four young fraternity brothers
– calling themselves the Cumberland Trio, but whether because
only three of them sang, or because three were from Delta Tau
Delta and one from some other house, they aren’t saying
– in white dress trousers, button-down shirts and collegiate
sweaters brought down the house at a University of Tennessee campus
band showcase and landed a contract with RCA, where their 1964
Nashville recordings were produced by the legendary Chet Atkins.
After decades lost as grist in the music industry mill, the group
has re-released those extraordinary original recordings together
with several self-produced tracks from the same era on this self-titled
CD.
From the
start, the Cumberland Trio had the musical equivalent of what
happens when you look in someone’s eyes and realize they
are ‘the one’ – harmonies and instrumental energy
that blend so naturally you’d swear the four of them must
have shared one womb and been singing together before birth. Fitting
for the times – and often missing from today’s folk
– was a sense of political courage, and an unwavering presumption
that music belongs to the people who work the fields, sail the
ships, and dig the mines. Their clean-faced youthfulness did not
blind them to the fact that the audience at their break-out concert
was segregated, a point they faced head-on in the first original
tune they recorded in Nashville, “Wish I Were a Babe,”
(“They called me Christian, called me black or Jew / If
they called for me, they can call for you.”) In the hands
and voices of the Cumberland Trio, “Hallandale Jail,”
“Song for a Drifter,” and the classic “John
Henry” spoke for those whose place in the American dream
was denied; “Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya” became a universal
declaration about the pain of war; and “To Be Redeemed”
transformed from a church piece to a wickedly toe-tapping country
dance tune.
Anyone
old enough to remember will be instantly reminded of groups like
The Kingston Trio and the New Christy Minstrels. However, The
Cumberland Trio goes far beyond that simple strumming folk-style,
blending bluegrass and early rock strains into unique arrangements
that range from kick-butt clawhammer banjo instrumentals to the
early-Elvis sound of the CD’s final track, “Send You
Back to Georgia.” Not all those big-folk group recordings
of the early 60's stand the test of time. The powerfully buoyant
personality of The Cumberland Trio has not only survived the decades,
but been reborn, emerging like a breath of fresh air into today’s
folk-pop music scene that has drifted far from its populist roots.
We are ready to be reminded: sometimes music really can change
the world, lift us up, and make things right. Welcome back, guys,
and not a moment too soon.
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