Fraley: Wild Rose of the Mountain

J.P. and Annadeene Fraley are a couple who record kick-ass Kentucky fiddle tunes.

But wait — there’s more. Rounder’s handsomely packaged Wild Rose of the Mountain is a reissue of the seminal 1974 LP which almost single handedly changed the face of contemporary Kentucky fiddle tunes with cuts like “Going Back to Kentucky,” “The Red-haired Irishman,” and “Swing Nine Yards of Calico,” with an additional number of songs recently recorded with Fraley’s daughter Danielle tacked on to boot. The booklet features extensive liner notes detailing the Fraley family history along with a track-by-track listing of what was going through J.P.’s mind while he knowingly set to acetate these classy Kentucky fiddle tunes.

The music contained within is joyous, somber, and fun, and not unlike some of the tunes featured on the mammoth Smithsonian Anthology of American Folk Music box set. Although categorized as a regional musical genre, Kentucky fiddle tunes are nonetheless universally appealing. If you’re itching to listen to something rural, dump that Chicksaw Mud Puppies record, and take a hayride trip with J.P. and Annadeene (accompanying as always, until her death at least, her husband on acoustic guitar) Fraley, and over the course of the 32 hits on Wild Rose of the Mountain, you should become fairly convinced that they rule the Appalachian music scene with an iron fist.