Bascom Lamar Lunsford - Smoky Mountain Ballads

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Review by David Delgado

Album Review: Smoky Mountain Ballads by Bascom Lamar Lunsford If you’re into raw, heartfelt folk tunes that feel like they’ve been pulled straight from the soil of Appalachia, Smoky Mountain Ballads is a treasure chest waiting to be cracked open. Released way back in 1953, this album feels like sitting on a porch at sunset with someone who’s got stories older than the hills themselves. Bascom Lamar Lunsford wasn’t just some guy strumming a banjo—he was a storyteller, an Appalachian troubadour if you will, and this record captures his soulful essence perfectly. The whole vibe here is stripped-down Appalachian Music, no frills attached. Just Lunsford’s voice, his instruments, and tales that stretch back generations. It’s the kind of music that makes you want to kick off your shoes and slow down for a bit. Two tracks that really stuck with me? Let’s talk about “Mole In the Ground” and “The Death of Queen Jane.” “Mole In the Ground” hits different because it’s got this playful yet eerie undertone. You can almost picture kids running around barefoot while their grandparents nod along to the rhythm. The lyrics are simple but stick in your head like gum on a hot day—something about digging holes and critters hiding out. It’s not trying too hard, and maybe that’s why it works so well. Feels authentic, like catching wind of woodsmoke drifting through the trees. Then there’s “The Death of Queen Jane.” This one punches you right in the feels. It tells the tragic story of childbirth gone wrong, which sounds heavy—and yeah, it is—but Lunsford delivers it with such tenderness that you can’t help but lean in closer. His voice cracks in all the right places, like he’s lived every word himself. By the end, you might find yourself staring off into space wondering how people carried heartbreak like that back then without losing their minds. Oh, and shoutout to Ben Shahn for the illustration on the cover—it’s simple but kinda haunting, matching the mood of the music perfectly. And those liner notes? Straight from Lunsford himself, giving context to these ancient songs as if he’s sharing secrets passed down through whispers over decades. What strikes me most about Smoky Mountain Ballads is how timeless it feels. Even though it came out nearly seventy years ago, the themes still resonate—love, loss, work, death. Life boiled down to its essentials. Listening to this album reminds me that we’re all connected by these universal threads, whether we live in the mountains or the middle of a bustling city. And hey, isn’t it funny how something so old-school can make you feel more alive than half the stuff blasting out of speakers today? Guess sometimes the best way forward is to look back. Now excuse me while I go figure out how to build my own front porch.

Download Bascom Lamar Lunsford - Smoky Mountain Ballads
Artist: Bascom Lamar Lunsford
Album: Smoky Mountain Ballads
Rating: 4.25

Table of Contents

Download

Filename: bascom-lamar-lunsford-smoky-mountain-ballads.zip
  • MP3 size: 69.3 mb
  • FLAC size: 291.6 mb

Tracks

TrackDurationPreview
Banks of the Ohio
On the Banks of the Ohio
The Death of Queen Jane
Mr. Garfield
Little Margaret
Mole In the Ground
Swannanoa Tunnel
Jennie Jenkins
Springfield Mountain

Video

Mr. Garfield - Bascom Lamar Lunsford
Bascom Lamar Lunsford - Swannanoa Tunnel
Banks of the Ohio
I Wish I Was A Mole In The Ground (Basom Lamar Lunsford)

Images

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Catalog Numbers

  • FA 2040
  • FP 40

Labels

  • Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
  • Folkways Records

Listen online

  • online anhören
  • écouter en ligne
  • ouvir online
  • online luisteren
  • lyssna på nätet
  • kuunnella verkossa
  • lytte på nettet
  • escuchar en línea
  • ascolta in linea

Formats

  • CD
  • Album
  • Vinyl
  • 10"

Credits

RoleCredit
IllustrationBen Shahn
Lead VocalsBascom Lamar Lunsford
InstrumentsBascom Lamar Lunsford
Liner NotesBascom Lamar Lunsford

Notes

  • First pressing released with "FP 40" catalog number.
  • Includes 8-page booklet.

Barcodes

  • Barcode: 093070204027
  • Label Code: LC 9628
  • Matrix / Runout (SIDE A): FP 40 A 3T 30517
  • Matrix / Runout (SIDE B): FP 40 B 3T 30517

About Bascom Lamar Lunsford

American was a folklorist, and performer of traditional (folk and country) music from western North Carolina. He was often known by the nickname "Minstrel of the Appalachians." Born: March 21, 1882 in Mars Hill, Madison County, North Carolina Died: September 4, 1973 At an early age, his father, a teacher, gave him a fiddle, and his mother sang religious songs and traditional ballads. Lunsford also learned banjo and began to perform at weddings and square dances. He began to travel and collect material at the start of the 20th century, often meeting singers on isolated farms. Lunsford has been quoted as saying he spent "nights in more homes from Harpers Ferry to Iron Mountain than God". Lunsford gave lectures and performances while dressed in a starched white shirt and black bow tie. This formal dress was part of his campaign against the stereotyping of hillbillies. In 1922 Frank C. Brown, a song collector, recorded 32 items on wax cylinders from Bascom. In 1928, Lunsford recorded "Jesse James" and "I Wish I Was a Mole In the Ground" for the Brunswick record label. "Mole" was used in 1952 on . Smith's anthology also includes Lunsford's performance of the gospel song "Dry Bones

Name Vars

  • B .L. Lunsford
  • B Lunsford
  • B, L. Lunssord
  • B. L. Lundsford
  • B. L. Lunsford
  • B. L. Lunssord
  • B. Lunsford
  • B.L. Lunsford
  • B.Lunsford
  • Bascam Lamar Lunsford
  • Bascom Lunsford
  • Bascom L. Lunsford
  • Bascom Lamar Lundsford
  • Bascom Lunsford
  • Bascom-Lunsford
  • Bascomb Lamar Lunsford
  • Bascomb Lunsford
  • Bascone Lunford
  • D.L. Lunsford
  • Lunsford
  • Lunsfrd

Interesting fact about Album

Did you know? The album *Smoky Mountain Ballads* by Bascom Lamar Lunsford, released in 1953, features a track called "Mole in the Ground." This folk classic became one of Lunsford's most famous performances. What’s fascinating is that Lunsford not only sang and played instruments but also wrote the liner notes himself, giving listeners a personal glimpse into his Appalachian roots. Oh, and the album cover? It was illustrated by Ben Shahn, a renowned artist known for his social realism style. A true mix of art and music history!

Comments

101techtips
2025-03-16
?This is a Holy Grail. Thank you for finding this one.
I’ve been searching for the lyrics and this has more lines than the Smithsonian Folkways recording has.
Can’t wait to tell the folks at Banjo Hang Out.
karensm1866
2025-03-15
Johnny Cash did a rendition of this song.
stephanienilsen
2025-03-14
People be like modern music is so violent sometimes. And then we have songs like these from like the 1800s or something
wendybirdstreasure
2025-03-13
My grandma used to love this song…
yoled
2025-03-12
Mediocre Appalachian folk song performed beautifully by an authentic artist. Thanks for hosting it on here. Ive added it to my school's audio library of Americana tunes.
yuragorec
2025-03-11
Who is the woman in the picture?
ziera2108
2025-03-11
I live about 10 minutes from South Turkey Creek...
yumyumformytumtum
2025-03-11
Classic tune!
beaufaysnathalie
2025-03-11
Best version of this song I've ever heard.
https://youtu.be/-u8MRfuVhtU
connellyshannon2017
2025-03-10
Something to be proud of.. I wouldn't be proud of it. I'd be embarrassed by it.

https://bittersoutherner.com/2020/somebody-died-babe-a-musical-coverup-of-racism-violence-and-greed?utm_source=The+Bitter+News&utm_campaign=6f99cdf1c9-2020_08_04-Somebody-Died-Babe&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8269ec3593-6f99cdf1c9-91891541&goal=0_8269ec3593-6f99cdf1c9-91891541&mc_cid=6f99cdf1c9&mc_eid=2758d9c7a7
annoyeddy
2025-03-09
https://bittersoutherner.com/2020/somebody-died-babe-a-musical-coverup-of-racism-violence-and-greed?fbclid=IwAR2lS9FoNTvUodg5XjRXpMnPBLRQmnGZ3WFkJs0QcEr2NbGAJ0pKIuiapHY
sanjah
2025-03-08
Get up so you can get down. Damn them hammers.
isisgiler23
2025-03-07
One of our great song catchers.
hunap
2025-03-07
A true legend
blogbrunalirolla
2025-03-06
Im a distant cousin of this man and damn proud to say he is family ?
onestopcomputer
2025-03-06
My late husband's great uncle. His Mom was a Lunsford.
alvarohernandez2015
2025-03-05
This made me pee and I mean, I wasn't in the bathroom. Epic hammer track.
whatsadulting
2025-03-04
828
Oh my god this is why America should be proud, I fear the truth of that has all of a sudden become clouded - hope I'm wrong to early to tell
carolinamota31
2025-03-02
I real working mans song
phuonggnguyennnn
2025-03-02
nice song thumbs up
Been to Asheville all the way from Australia last year.  Enjoyed the Shindig on the Green. The people are great.  There is still so much respect for the musical history there.
sschillingfrenk
2025-02-28
Bob Dylan sounds so much like this...
swarahomestay
2025-02-27
Whoa was that a minor chord I heard? Fie!
luuldelionare
2025-02-27
A few good versions of this song, but this remains the best. It's primitive, genuine, rough an extremely true.
normao18940
2025-02-26
I love to listen to Bascom Lamar Lunsford. So authentic. So pure. Unpretentious.
mocxzvirtual
2025-02-25
Ah, love this song! Bascom Lamar Lunsford does the best music to listen to when you're wondering why you ever left the sticks. I moved to New York once--listened to too much Bascom Lamar Lunsford, moved back.