Sound Biscuit Records has a new single for South Carolina’s New River Bluegrass, a septet focused on original bluegrass music.
Ode to Glassy Mountain was written by reso-guitarist with the band, Barry Long, an eerie tale about a mysterious place in the mountains near the state line between North and South Carolina.
Long shared a few words about the legend and the song.
“Ode to Glassy Mountain was chosen because it represents the life lived in Glassy Mountain Township, SC, starting in the 1870s with the term ‘Dark Corner.’ The song reflects a lifestyle that lasted for more than a century.
When I was a teenager, I spent summers as a Boy Scout at Camp Old Indian, located at the foot of Glassy Mountain near Poinsett Bridge. Around the campfire, we’d hear stories and folktales designed to stir fear of the mysterious Dark Corner—though little did we know, most of them were true. While hiking Glassy Mountain, our scoutmaster would often stop and say, ‘Can’t go that way, boys—that’s a bootlegger trail.’ And if you asked someone who lived in the Dark Corner where it was located, they’d simply reply, Not here—it’s farther down the road.’
I loved researching and writing about a place I can still see from my breakfast room window. It’s truly a time in my hometown that will never be forgotten.”
Also playing on the track are bandmates Andy Smith on guitar and lead vocal, Mike Mullins and Gary Rogers on mandolin, Mike Johnson on guitar, Chuck Price on fiddle, and Dwayne Brown on bass. Long, Mullins, and Johnson sing harmony vocals.
Give it a listen.
Ode to Glassy Mountain is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers via AirPlay Direct.
