Ola Belle Reed: Rising Sun Melodies CD

Important New Recording from Smithsonian Folkways!

Ola Belle Reed was a trailblazing force for women in bluegrass music, an Appalachian woman of hard-earned talent and generous ways who delivered honest music sung from the heart. Her songs "I've Endured," "High on the Mountain," "My Epitaph," and many others forge real-life experiences into music steeled with determination, family tradition, and commanding presence. Classic tracks from the Smithsonian Folkways and Smithsonian Folklife Festival archives remind us why the light of Ola Belle's music shines brightly to this day.
8 previously unreleased tracks, 40-page booklet with photos, 61 minutes.

    * Tracks 1-11 are selections from two Ola Belle Reed albums recorded for Folkways Records: My Epitaph (FW02493) and All In One Evening (FW02329)
    * Tracks 12-19 are previously unreleased live performances from Smithsonian Folklife Festivals in 1972 and 1976.

Tracks
1. I've Endured - 2:49    
2. Ola Belle's Blues - 2:18    
3. Springtime of Life - 4:19    
4. Bonaparte's Retreat - 2:46    
5. Foggy Mountain Top - 2:29    
6. Fortunes - 4:12    
7. High on the Mountain - 3:02    
8. Sweet Evalina - 2:43    
9. Sing Me a Song - 4:28    
10. Tear Down the Fences - 3:34    
11. My Epitaph  - 3:13    
12. Look Down That Lonesome Road - 2:40    
13. Undone in Sorrow - 3:16    
14. I Believe in the Old Time Way - 2:56    
15. Nine Pound Hammer - 3:21    
16. I am the Man, Thomas - 3:26    
17. I've Endured - 2:35    
18. Ranger's Command - 2:56    
19. I Saw the Light - 4:57