BIG MEDICINE, consisting of Kenny Jackson, Jim Collier, Joe Newberry, and Bobb Head, plays string band music of the rural South: old-time melodies and mountain harmonies, ancient ballads and archaic fiddle tunes, heart songs, hollers, hymns, and a touch of early bluegrass—a music with remarkable power, nuance, and timeless appeal, a balm for the modern maladies of the soul.
We all learned the roots of our music by ear and by heart at the wellspring, from old folks who grew up playing old-time music, from relatives and friends, from field recordings made in the depths of the Great Depression, and old commercial “hillbilly†records—including early exponents of that kind of Southern string band music which came to be called bluegrass. Some of these people made records and even become widely broadcast on the radio; but we’ve learned even more from great singers and musicians that few have ever heard of, ordinary yet extraordinary people who rarely played the music for money, but just for the love of it.
If we never set foot on a stage, we’d still be playing music - at home, at gatherings of friends and family, at festivals and fiddlers conventions. It has been passed along and passed around that way for a long time by people who have shaped its rugged beauty, strength and grace. It is music that can move the heart, lift the spirits, make you cry, or tickle your feet, and we feel honored to share it.
OUR FAVORITE REVIEW...EVER!
Posted on the Nwbluegrass Yahoogroup:
I stumbled across this web site, www.bigmedmusic.com, and bit the bait. We rushed over to CDBaby and ordered a copy. What a fantastic find! I've heard since that they got a good review from that picky Old-Time Herald magazine, which I haven't read. Big Medicine, out of North Carolina, plays old-time like a bluegrass band, or maybe its bluegrass like an old-time band. They can't be pigeon-holed. The album has 20 cuts of the finest traditional hillbilly music you'll ever hear. Between four members they play guitar, fiddle, mandolin, banjo and bass. The singing is not the polished and buttery smooth saccharine we've come to expect from contemporary bluegrass. It has grit and believability, and is sometimes moving. The band constantly trades around the instruments, yet maintains a solid sound. Their music is definitely in the traditional old-time vein, but they bring each piece to life as though it is their own original creation. And they do rock! I judge a CD by the number of times it raises the hair on the back of my neck. Hair-raisers on this one include the Carter Family's "Bear Creek Blues", which has some wonderful guitar playing. My oh my.. And their "Wild Bill Jones" is the hottest, and fastest, I've heard yet. I've been buckdancing to it in my underwear every morning this week! They sing a gospel song from Wade Mainer called "Sit Down" that will have you standing up and shoutin' along. They sing "Pretty Little Miss Out In The Garden" in a very Stanley Brothers-esque way. The fiddle tunes will make your fat jiggle, I said so. The ratio of instrumentals to songs is just right. With three men and one woman they get a nice variety on the vocals, with lots of harmony singing. In fact the whole dang collection is great, lots of variety and nice surprises. As the liner notes state, "It is music that can move the heart, lift the spirits, make you cry, or tickle your feet." I give Big Medicine 5-1/2 stars out of 5 stars. (Bill Martin)
