Various Artists - Essential Bluegrass - 25 Classics / Various - Music & Performance - CD

Some say that the overwhelming success of the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack album led to the most recent resurgence of Bluegrass music, but that's simply not so. Bluegrass had been growing in popularity for several years as America went in search of it's roots. Generations unborn at the time bluegrass originated in the 1940s have discovered that no music is more satisfying to hear or to play. It is, in many respects, all American music rolled into one. In 1955 Uncle Jim O'Neal started Rural Rhythm with a few dollars and lot of dreams. He knew he couldn't produce all the bluegrass and oldtime country records, so as he used to say, he just "made the best of it". On this 25 song "Best Of" collection, we hear the traditional side of bluegrass played by some of it's finest legends in bluegrass such as Mac Wiseman, Reno & Smiley, Don Reno, Red Smiley, Hylo Brown, Bill Harrell, Earl Taylor, Tater Tate, Jim Greer, and more culled from the treasure trove of over 4,000 recorded masters produced over the past 60 years by Rural Rhythm Records.