Boone Creek, the stellar 1977 debut from one of the era’s first bluegrass supergroups, is set for a digitally-remastered vinyl reissue from Craft Recordings and HighTone Records on June 26.
This is the group that featured future stars Ricky Skaggs, Jerry Douglas, and Terry Baucom, alongside singer/songwriter and guitarist Wes Golding, with Steve Bryant on bass. At a time when a lot of young grassers were more interested in pushing the stylistic envelope that contained bluegrass music, these five stuck with the format, leaning every so slightly against the edges to create an aggressive, more contemporary sound.
On seeing the album available again on vinyl, on CD, and for streaming and download – with four previously unreleased tracks from the album sessions – Skaggs offered these thoughts:
“It’s been over 50 years since Boone Creek made these recordings, and it’s great to hear them remastered. They sound better than ever, and I never thought the previously unreleased cuts would see the light of day. A big thanks to my bandmate, brother Jerry Douglas, for assisting in the remastering process—great job!”
Douglas says that there was more work than anticipated, with the original analog tapes having been kept by the engineer, requiring that he be tracked down, at which point they were discovered to be moldy and severely damaged. But with great care and effort, the tracks were successfully restored.
“We hope you again enjoy Boone Creek’s freshman effort along with a glimpse back into the ’70s, where the personalities and young dreams of a band gone on safari were never to be completed. This effort formed who we are individually today, unfortunately losing Terry in December of 2023. We thank everyone involved for their tenacity and forward thinking in bringing this remastered lost treasure back into the light.”
The unreleased tracks include Golding’s Hitchhiking to California, later recorded by New Quicksilver in 1986, and again in 2020 by Alan Bibey & Grasstowne, plus Misty Wind, Georgia Sunrise, and Dream Song.
Tracks from the original include:
- Dixieland
- Dark Is The Night
- Walkin’ In Jerusalem
- Gonna Settle Down
- Drifting Too Far From The Shore
- White House Blues
- Boone Creek
- The Memory of Your Smile
- Satisfy My Mind
- Sugar Daddy
- Ain’t Nobody Gonna Miss Me
Vinyl collectors will want to grab this one right away, as should anyone interested in this era of bluegrass, or the early days of these fine artists.
Pre-orders and pre-saves in the various formats are enabled now online.
