The King and the Father (2005)

About this title: The King and the Father features a dozen of Bill Monroe's early-'50s Decca recordings on which Jimmy Martin provided lead or duet vocals. Although these performances were originally billed only to Monroe, the anthology cleverly gives joint credit to Monroe, the "Father of Bluegrass," and Martin, the "King of Bluegrass," to emphasize Martin's contribution and to target his audience. Many bluegrass devotees regard Martin as the finest bluegrass vocalist of all time, and at the very least, his high lonesome tenor is a model for the genre. He harmonizes sublimely with Monroe, and the two join ... read more

Tracks:

1. Uncle Pen [Monroe]
2. On and On [Monroe]
3. The Little Girl and the Dreadful Snake [Price]
4. Sitting Alone in the Moonlight [Monroe]
5. I'm on My Way Back to the Old Home [Monroe]
6. Walking in Jerusalem (Just Like John)
7. In the Pines [Bryant/Davis/McMich]
8. I Hope You Have Learned [Butler/Carrigan]
9. River of Death [Monroe]
10. Memories of Mother and Dad [Price]
11. Letter from My Darling [Monroe]
12. I'll Meet You in Church on Sunday Morning

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.