The folk music
of Appalachia is
known for its
authentic
storytelling and
banjo-picking
tunes. Yet, the
music of miners
is a rather
forgotten or
seldom recorded
musical style.
As a result, the
folks at
Lonesome Records
fill a large
void in the area
of mining music.
Music of Coal
is an
extremely
informative CD
set (Volume
One and
Two) encased
in a 69-page b/w
pictured and
hardbound book.
Historical
recordings from
1907 to the
present showcase
the mining
history of the
bituminous
coalfields of
Southern
Appalachia. The
lyrics and song
information for
all of the 48
songs are
included. Some
of the tracks
are recorded
live and some
feature female
vocals.
Musically, the
songs are
influenced by
gospel, folk,
rockabilly and
old time styles.
Many of the
songs focus on
some aspect of
the coal mining
conditions, such
as in “’31
Depression
Blues”, “Thirty
Inch Coal”,
“Loadin’ Coal”,
“Sixteen Tons”,
the chilling
“Blind Fiddler”,
and the catchy
“Explosion at
Derby Mine”.
Volume One
contains
classically
recorded tunes
from The Carter
Family, Mike
Kline, Charlie
Maggard, Trixie
Smith, Ted
Chestnut and
others.
Volume Two
contains songs
from
contemporary
musicians,
including Linda
Williams,
Natalie
Merchant,
Kenneth Davis,
Ralph Stanley II
and Molly Slemp.
If you haven’t
experienced the
coal mines for
yourselves, this
is a good place
to start. You
are guaranteed
to ‘dig’ it. A
very
educational,
professionally
recorded and
socially
relevant musical
set for all
generations of
people – even
beyond the
coalfields of
Southern
Appalachia.
of Coal 
