CMH RECORDS (Country. Music. Heritage.) maintains a rich history of classic country and bluegrass albums and is honoring several of these legacy releases by remastering them and making them available in new formats for the first time ever. Out February 21 for the first time ever on CD and digital, the 1981 classic title The Clayton McMichen Story features a star-studded cast of musicians–country and bluegrass legends Merle Travis, Mac Wiseman and Joe Maphis, alongside Jackson D. Kane and Fiddlin’ Red Herron–paying tribute to one of the unsung greats of American roots music, Clayton McMichen. Ahead of the release, “I’m Looking Over A Four-Leaf Clover,” a track highlight off the expansive 26-track collection, is now available for streaming.
Born in Cobb County, Georgia in the year 1900, Clayton McMichen was a true forefather of country, bluegrass and popular music. Grandson of a banjoist and son of a fiddler, McMichen took to the fiddle at a young age and began a life devoted to music. He was a virtuoso and pioneer, performing in a variety of styles early in his career, from traditional fiddle tunes to pop songs of the day as well as jazz and dance numbers and country ballads.
This album, recorded in 1981 after McMichen’s death, presents a selection of songs that were integral to McMichen’s musical life performed by an ensemble of country and bluegrass greats. Blues numbers like “House of the Rising Sun” sit alongside jazz standards like “Sweet Georgia Brown” and traditional fiddle tunes like “In the Pines,” representing McMichen’s decidedly eclectic repertoire. Special tribute is also paid through the selection of “Sweet Bunch of Daisies” and “Peach Pickin’ Time in Georgia,” two songs that served as major hits for the fiddler, as well as “Arkansas Traveler,” the song that won him second place at the 1922 Atlanta fiddlers convention for what was his first documented performance.
The ensemble here includes musicians who are bluegrass legends in their own right, with Merle Travis, Mac Wiseman and Joe Maphis performing alongside Jackson D. Kane and Fiddlin’ Red Herron playing the part of McMichen. Merle Travis is of special note here as the country icon got his start playing in McMichen’s band in 1937. In his original liner notes for the album, Travis reflects on the immense musical and personal influence McMichen had on him, painting a picture of him as a mentor in every sense.
Clayton McMichen passed in 1970, over a decade before the release of this album. This collection stands as a small part of his musical legacy, showing his influence and undeniable presence in the history of American roots music.
Founded in 1975 by Martin Haerle, CMH Records has released albums from artists whose monumental influence on American roots music is unparalleled. The ‘70s and ‘80s represent the foundational recordings in CMH Records’ bluegrass, old time and traditional country history, with material being put out by Merle Travis, The Osborne Brothers, Mac Wiseman, Joe Maphis, Jim & Jesse McReynolds, Grandpa Jones, Lester Flatt and Eddie Adcock. Throughout the ‘90s and into the new millennium, CMH Records continued to cut records with artists such as Wanda Jackson (aka “The Queen of Rockabilly”), Raul Malo, Larry Cordle, Pine Mountain Railroad, Jimmy Gaudreau, and many others. Producing songs rich in American heritage by artists with their own distinct style created a strong backbone and history for the label.
The label remains a proud family business, now run by Martin’s son David. Described by the Los Angeles Times as a “stubborn, curious Silver Lake music company,” the label has been a strong proponent for honest music and has found success with its classic catalogue and its ongoing “Pickin’ On” series, which features bluegrass interpretations of contemporary artists, including recent hit albums dedicated to the music of Nirvana and Modest Mouse. The Times piece added that CMH “meets unsung needs in the music industry” and cited its “creative diversification.”
Track List for The Clayton McMichen Story:
Give The Fiddler A Dram
In The Pines
Fire On The Mountain
Fifty Years Ago Waltz
Hell Broke Loose In Georgia
Trouble In Mind
McMichen’s Reel
Peach Pickin’ Time In Georgia
Limehouse Blues
The Convict And The Rose
Carroll County Blues
House Of The Rising Sun
I’m Looking Over A Four-Leaf Clover
Dreamy Georgiana Moon
Waiting For The Robert E. Lee
Ida Red
Rock Jenny Rock
Arkansas Traveler
Bile ‘Em Cabbage Down
Medley: In the Blue Hills of Virginia/Back to Old Smoky Mountain
Sweet Georgia Brown
They Cut Down The Old Pine Tree
Darktown Strutters’ Ball
Goodnight Waltz
Farewell Blues
Sweet Bunch Of Daisies
