Luke Smathers Stringband - Mountain Swing (JA-024)

Description: North Carolina fiddler Luke Smathers played with brothers Harold and George in the 1930s as part of the popular Smathers Family Band, who occassionally played on WWNC in Asheville, NC. The band broke up during WWII, but they got back together in the late 1960s and began to perform and record again. The band's music is stored in the Library of Congress and the N.C. Museum of History. In 1993, Luke and his brother, Harold, were honored with the N.C. Folk Heritage Award. Into his last years, Luke served as a member of the Folk Heritage Committee, overseeing local festivals such as the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival held every August.

Recordings for the 1977 release JA024, Mountain Swing, were engineered by Eddiew Swann in Candler, N.C. Musicians included Luke Smathers on fiddle; Harold Smathers on guitar and vocals; J.T. Smathers on bass; Bea Smathers on bass; Charles Gidney on lead guitar; and David Holt on banjo and vocals.

This audio collection consists of original ¼-inch production masters and ¼-inch preservation masters.