Bottom Line:
Sugar Hill Records, A Retrospective is an amazing collection of some of the best Bluegrass music you will find anywhere. The set includes 81 songs spanning the years 1978 - 2003 with a multitude of contributing artists. If you like Bluegrass music, this is an absolute must have for your collection!
Sugar Hill Records is Born
Barry Poss founded Sugar Hill Records in 1978 in order to release music he loved to a market he hoped would embrace what he called contemporary music steeped in strong traditional roots. He used his keen musical instincts to begin building a roster of artists that would give Sugar Hill a strong identity. He chose very well, because his label has become synonymous with the Bluegrass sound. He wanted artists who not only played great music but had lyrics that said something. Some of the early acts that joined him were Berline-Crary-Hickman, The Bluegrass Cardinals, the Country Gentlemen, Hot Rize, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, the Nashville Bluegrass Band, Peter Rowan, The Seldom Scene, Ricky Skaggs, Doc Watson and the Whites all of whom are very impressive and well known names. Sugar Hill became an Independent Record Label that held its own early on with the big boys on the charts when Ricky Skaggs charted on Billboard Single's with "I'll Take The Blame" in 1980. The label started in a small apartment with Mr. Poss playing many roles to make it seem that the operation was much bigger than it was. Over the years he upsized into a couple of different buildings and acquired a small staff to oversee the operations.
The Sugar Hill Artists and their Journey
A Retrospective is 81 songs on four CD's. It also includes a DVD of artist interviews, videos and a photo gallery. As if that isn't enough, there is a book included with a small artist bio on a song by song basis and the story of how Sugar Hill Records came to be. This is a very well thought out package and includes some amazing material that will take you on a beautiful trip down memory lane. Disc 1 has 21 songs and covers the years 1978 to 1986 and has artists like Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart, Boone Creek, Doc Watson and Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. One of my favorite songs on this one was "Hey Porter" with Marty Stuart and Johnny Cash. Disc 2 covers 1982 through 1996 with 20 songs. Some artists on this one are The Nashville Bluegrass Band, Carl Jackson, Tim & Mollie O'Brien and The Seldom Scene Featuring Emmylou Harris just to name a few. One of my favorite songs on this disc was "Unwed Fathers" by Tim & Mollie O'Brien. Disc 3 has 20 songs covering the years 1993 to 1998. Some of the many artists you will hear on this disc are The Lonesome River Band, Del McCoury, Chris Thile, and Psychograss. One of my favorite songs on this disc is "Sally Goodin" by Byron Berline, featuring Bill Monroe & Earl Scruggs.
The Journey Continues
On Disc 4 there are 20 songs and you will find artists like Dolly Parton, Rodney Crowell, Jerry Douglas The Gourds and Nickel Creek. This disc starts delving into the more contemporary side of the genre. While the traditional sound is still there, the younger crowd is trying to bring a newer sound in as well to appeal to another generation of fans. On this album, my favorite song is "I Walk the Line (Revisited)" by Rodney Crowell with special appearance by Johnny Cash. When you are done listening to the music, you can pop the DVD in and listen to some of the artists talk about their time with Sugar Hill and what the label has done for their careers. There is a photo gallery of publicity shots of all the artists as well as the staff and buildings of Sugar Hill Records. It was very informative and I enjoyed watching it. The book was also very nice with the way they did a bio for the artists on each song on each disc. And the history of Barry Poss and what prompted him to start it all was also a very interesting read. Bottom line is that this is an excellent collection of music all the way around and you can't go wrong by adding it to your personal music library.
Song List:
Disc 1 (1978-1986)
- Could You Love Me One More Time - Ricky Skaggs
- Mis'ry River - Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
- Long Time Gone - John Starling
- Moonshiner - Peter Rowan
- Hey Porter - Marty Stuart
- Little Rock Getaway - Mike Auldridge
- One More Love Song = New Grass Revival
- Church Street Blues - Tony Rice
- One Way Track - Boone Creek
- Why You Been Gone So Long - Chris Hillman
- Keep Your Lamp Trimmed & Burning = Hot Rize
- You Touched Me & Made Me Live Again - Jimmy Murphy
- Come and Sit by the River - The Country Gentlemen
- Ranger's Command - The Hillment
- Greenville Trestle High - Doc Watson
- More Pretty Girls Than One - Buck White
- High on a Hilltop - The Osborne Brothers
- Forked Deer - Berline-Crary-Hickman
- Bury Me Beneath the Willw - Ricky Skaggs & Tony Rice
- Don't This Road Look Rough & Rocky - Jonathan Edwards & The Seldom Scene
- On the Sea of Life - Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
