Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

Calling any compilation "essential" is always a subjective claim but any self-respecting roots music fan should have at least one Roy Acuff record in their collection and this double CD from Primo Records might as well be it. Acuff was undoubtedly a pioneer of modern country music in that he co-founded Acuff-Rose Music which in turn harnessed the talents of musical luminaries such as Hank Williams, Roy Orbison and the Everly Brothers. With such an achievement, it would be easy to forget his success as a songwriter, singer and performer and this 40-song sample of his work dating from 1937 to 1959 gives a fascinating insight into the man's output. Naturally, more famous Acuff titles like "The Great Speckled Bird", "The Wabash Cannonball" and the sublime "The Wreck On The Highway" are all here but there are plenty of less familiar numbers to allow the casual listener to discover something fresh. In terms of subject matter, Acuff tends to swing between good ole country break up songs and gospel-themed material with the likes of "The Prodigal Son", "I'll Reap My Harvest In Heaven" and "When I Lay My Burden Down" representing the latter to good effect. Stylistically, Acuff's trademark sound of guitar, mandolin, dobro and fiddle remains the same for much of this chronologically-presented compilation but little additions such as accordion and harmonica on the likes of "Pins And Needles (In My Heart)" and "(Our Own) Jole Blon" respectively show that the country great's music slowly evolved to encompass elements of zydeco, blues and other musical influences. The liner notes feature a short but informative biography by Peter Hill which in part makes up for the lack of personnel information about each track - something that any self-respecting historical release should really contain.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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