Luke Smathers String Band - IN FULL SWING (JA-032)

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 release JA0032, In Full Swing, were recorded and engineered by Jack Wright and Dudley Wilson at June Appal in Whitesburg, Kentucky. Musicians included Luke Smathers on fiddle, Harold Smathers on guitar and vocals, J.T. Smathers on bass, Charles Gidney on lead guitar and vocals, and David Holt on banjo brushes and vocals.

This audio collection consists of ¼-inch production masters, and vinyl production masters.