Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers

Charlie Poole (March 22, 1892 in Spray, North Carolina – May 21, 1931) was the leader of the "North Carolina Ramblers", an American old time string band that recorded many popular songs between 1925 to 1930.

Poole grew up in rural North Carolina in 1892, he packed several lifetimes of hard and fast living into his 39 years. Textile mill worker, semi-pro ballplayer, and hell-raiser supreme (he died in 1931 of alcoholism), Poole won his place among the giants of American roots music with his pathfinding work on the banjo, and for heading the innovative North Carolina Ramblers. The original Ramblers played around the Spray and Leaksville, North Carolina since 1917 but in 1925 the recordings they made for Columbia allowed them to escape life in the textile mills.

Poole played the banjo. Guitar was played by Norman Woodlief, and later by former railroad engineer Roy Harvey from West Virginia. Fiddlers in various recording sessions were Posey Rorer, Lonnie Austin and Odell Smith.

The North Carolina Ramblers, a banjo-guitar-fiddle trio with Poole's plain-spoken tenor voice in the lead, in great part created the musical templates for two giants: the bluegrass of Bill Monroe and, by extension, the lyrical aspects of the modern country music of Hank Williams. Bill C. Malone, in his important history of country music, "Country Music, U.S.A." says, "The Rambler sound was predictable: a bluesy fiddle lead, backed up by long, flowing, melodic guitar runs and the finger-style banjo picking of Poole. Predictable as it may be, it was nonetheless outstanding. No string band in early country music equalled the Ramblers' controlled, clean, well-patterened sound." ["Country Music, U.S.A.", Bill C. Malone, University of Texas Press, 2002]

Poole was essentially a cover artist, having composed few, if any, of his recordings. Nevertheless, his dynamic renditions were popular with a broad audience in the Southeast. He is considered a primary source for Old Timey revivalists and aficionados. Songs like "Bill Morgan And His Gal", "Milwaukee Blues", and "Leavin' Home", to name but three of dozens, have been resurrected by banjo players from all over. Poole developed a unique fingerpicking style, a blend of melody, arpeggio, and rhythm (as distinct from clawhammer/frailing and Scrugg's variations).

"You Ain't Talking To Me: Charlie Poole and the Roots of Country Music" is the most comprehensive survey of Poole's recordings ever assembled. The three-disc set chronicles the stompin' sides made for Columbia by Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers between 1925 and 1931, including such important songs as "Don't Let Your Deal Go Down" (the first country mega-hit), "Can I Sleep In Your Barn Tonight, Mister?," "Old and Only In the Way" (the title of which, slightly altered, was used by Jerry Garcia as the name of his '70s bluegrass band with David Grisman, Old and In the Way), and "White House Blues" (adapted by John Mellencamp, who in 2004 updated the politically-charged lyrics and changed the title to "To Washington"). In addition, the package also includes performances by the early roots music players and singers (such as Fred Van Eps, Arthur Collins, Billy Murray, (the Floyd Country Ramblers, Uncle Dave Macon and The Red Fox Chasers).

Their version of "Hesitation Blues" influenced the Holy Modal Rounders 1964 recording. The original liner notes by Peter Stampfel (as reproduced in the CD notes) state, "Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers recorded an incredible number of songs that are personal favorites of mine. Poole is, in fact, one of the great musicians of the century. No doubt about it."

References

External links

* [http://www.charliepooleonline.com/ You Ain't Talking To Me: Charlie Poole and the Roots of Country Music]
* [http://www.jerrydallal.com/cp_copyright.htm List of Charlie Poole songs]