American Gothic: Bluegrass Songs of Death and Sorrow

Even as it urges us to look in the other direction, the famous Carter Family song admits, “There’s a dark and a troubled side of life…” Just ask Poor Ellen Smith, Young Charlotte, Barbara Allen or any of the other ill-fated heroines of the tragic and sometimes gory ballads herein. If you sometimes can’t bring yourself to look away, here are the stunning Appalachian murder ballads, transcendent spirituals and maudlin story-songs that explore the shadowy realm of the bluegrass songbook. With the legendary talents of Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt, Mac Wiseman, The Osborne Brothers, Jim & Jesse, Grandpa Jones, Don Reno and more, American Gothic: Bluegrass Songs of Death and Sorrow is a stunning collection–sometimes harrowing, often uplifting, at times surprisingly fun and always extremely moving.