Jesse Smathers, the talented guitarist and vocalist with Lonesome River Band, continues to polish his old time music credentials with a new single on Mountain Home Music. It’s his take on the Charlie Poole classic, Take A Drink on Me.
Though his bluegrass chops are outside any doubt, Smathers says that the music of Charlie Poole left an indelible mark on him from his youth in North Carolina.
“I spent my youth picking and competing at the Charlie Poole Festival, in Eden. The festival was held at Morehead Park, on the same grounds where the cotton mill Poole used to work at once stood. I heard the music of Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers ringing throughout my childhood. He along with his bandmates were some of the most prominent precursors to bluegrass stylings that came nearly twenty years later, and tales of Poole, and [bandmates] Posey Rorer and Norman Woodlief are still being told today, as you would expect with such larger than life personalities and musicians.
I often imagine this scene: I’m walking down Morgan Road in Spray (one of three small communities that made up Eden) in 1926, and hear the bounce of Piedmont mill music in the distance. As I approach, I witness the North Carolina Ramblers sitting on a stoop sharing tunes and a jug of the best white liquor that the area along the NC/VA line is so notorious for producing.
That sight is exactly what came to mind when recording Take a Drink on Me, and what comes to mind when I hear it back. This tune is a prime example of early popular dance music. Hunter Berry on fiddle masterfully captured the necessary musical essences, all while integrating his own spontaneous and playful liveliness. The same can be said of Corbin Hayslett who mixed in popping Charlie Poole banjo techniques.
Whether it’s a Coke, glass of tea, a beer, or a jar of Shooting Creek’s finest, all you rounders get ready to party and Take a Drink on Me!“
They turn in a hybrid version of the song, with clear elements of bluegrass and old time music, and Jesse’s ever-engaging voice on top.
Give it a listen.
Take A Drink on Me is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers via AirPlay Direct.
