Norman Blake (American musician)
Encyclopedia
Norman Blake is an instrumentalist, vocalist, and songwriter
. In a career spanning more than 50 years Blake has played in a number of folk
and Country
groups. He is considered one of the leading figures in the Bluegrass
revival of the 1970s and is still active today, playing concert dates and making albums with his wife Nancy Blake.
where he was raised.
Although known as one of the most prominent acoustic guitar flatpickers
, Norman Blake is a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist. Other instruments he plays include the mandolin
, 6-string banjo, fiddle
, dobro, banjo
and viola
. He is known for his loose right hand guitar technique, which arose out of his mandolin technique. Also well known is his devotion to 12 fret guitars, including Martin 00s, 000s, D18s, D28s, and, most recently, Gibsons, like his 1929 12 fret Nick Lucas special.
Blake is best known for his work with John Hartford
, Tony Rice
, and his wife, Nancy Blake. He has played backup for Johnny Cash
, June Carter, Bob Dylan
, Steve Earle
, Kris Kristofferson
, Ralph Stanley
, and Joan Baez
. Blake also played on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
album, Will the Circle Be Unbroken
. From 1969 to 1971 he was a regular on ABC's The Johnny Cash Show
, supplementing Cash's band the Tennessee Three.
Blake is listed in the credits of the Bob Dylan
album Nashville Skyline
and the Johnny Cash
album Orange Blossom Special
. He was featured on the Steve Earle comeback album Train A' Comin and on the multi-platinum
O Brother Where Art Thou?
soundtrack
, which ignited new interest in bluegrass music and won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year
in 2002. Blake participated in the "Down from the Mountain" tour which resulted. Blake also played on the 2007 album Raising Sand
by Robert Plant
and Alison Krauss
, which won five Grammy Award
s.
Most of the music that Norman Blake plays could be described as neo-traditionalist Americana folk and roots music (folk, bluegrass, country, blues), and many of the songs he plays are traditional
, but he plays this acoustic type of music with a style, speed, and quality that has evolved and progressed in the modern age. Though probably best known for his fluid renditions of classic fiddle tunes transcribed for the guitar (Fiddler's Dram / Whiskey Before Breakfast), Blake has also written songs that have become bluegrass standards, such as "Ginseng Sullivan" from Back Home in Sulphur Springs, "Slow Train through Georgia", and "Church Street Blues".
Blake has produced 32 albums and has recorded on the Rounder
, Flying Fish
, Country, Takoma
, Shanachie
, Western Jubilee, Red House
, Dualtone, and Plectrafone labels.
(Rounder, 1972) The Fields of November
(Flying Fish, 1974) Old and New
(Flying Fish, 1975) Norman Blake/Tut Taylor/Sam Bush/Butch Robins/Vassar Clements/David Holland/Jethro Burns
(Flying Fish, 1976) Live at McCabe's
(Takoma, 1976) Norman Blake and Red Rector
(Country, 1976) Whiskey Before Breakfast
(Rounder, 1976) Blackberry Blossom
(Flying Fish, 1977) Directions
(Takoma, 1978) Rising Fawn String Ensemble
(Rounder, 1979) Full Moon on the Farm
(Rounder, 1981) Original Underground Music from the Mysterious South
(Rounder, 1983) Nashville Blues
(Rounder, 1984) Lighthouse on the Shore
(Rounder, 1985) The Norman & Nancy Blake Compact Disc
(Rounder, 1986) Natasha's Waltz
(Rounder, 1987) Slow Train through Georgia
(Rounder, 1987) Blake & Rice
(Rounder, 1987) Blind Dog
(Rounder, 1988) Norman Blake and Tony Rice 2
(Rounder, 1990) The Fields of November/Old and New (Flying Fish, 1992) Just Gimme Somethin' I'm Used To
(Shanachie, 1992) While Passing Along This Way
(Shanachie, 1994) The Hobo's Last Ride
(Shanachie, 1996) Chattanooga Sugar Babe
(Shanachie, 1998) Be Ready Boys: Appalachia to Abilene
(Shanachie, 1999) Far Away, Down on a Georgia Farm
(Shanachie, 1999) Flower From the Fields of Alabama
(Shanachie, 2001) Old Ties
(Rounder, 2002) Meeting on Southern Soil
(Red House, 2002) The Morning Glory Ramblers
(Dualtone, 2004) Back Home in Sulphur Springs
[Norman & Nancy Blake] (Dualtone, 2006) Shacktown Road
(Dualtone Music Group, 2007) Look A-Yonder Comin (State Archives of Florida, 2008) (A bluegrass compilation featuring Norman and Nancy Blake)
Rising Fawn Gathering
(Plectrafone, 2009)
Sleepy Eyed Joe (2009)
Green Light On The Southern (Plectrafone, 2010)
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
. In a career spanning more than 50 years Blake has played in a number of folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
and Country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
groups. He is considered one of the leading figures in the Bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
revival of the 1970s and is still active today, playing concert dates and making albums with his wife Nancy Blake.
Biography
When Norman was one year old, his family moved to Sulphur Springs, GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
where he was raised.
Although known as one of the most prominent acoustic guitar flatpickers
Flatpicking
Flatpicking is a technique for playing a guitar using a guitar pick held between two or three fingers to strike the strings...
, Norman Blake is a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist. Other instruments he plays include the mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, 6-string banjo, fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
, dobro, banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
and viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
. He is known for his loose right hand guitar technique, which arose out of his mandolin technique. Also well known is his devotion to 12 fret guitars, including Martin 00s, 000s, D18s, D28s, and, most recently, Gibsons, like his 1929 12 fret Nick Lucas special.
Blake is best known for his work with John Hartford
John Hartford
John Cowan Hartford was an American folk, country and bluegrass composer and musician known for his mastery of the fiddle and banjo, as well as for his witty lyrics, unique vocal style, and extensive knowledge of Mississippi River lore...
, Tony Rice
Tony Rice
Tony Rice is an American acoustic guitarist and bluegrass musician. He is considered one of the most influential acoustic guitar players in bluegrass, progressive bluegrass, newgrass and acoustic jazz.Rice spans the range of acoustic music, from traditional bluegrass to jazz-influenced New...
, and his wife, Nancy Blake. He has played backup for Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, June Carter, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Steve Earle
Steve Earle
Stephen Fain "Steve" Earle is an American singer-songwriter known for his rock and Texas Country as well as his political views. He is also a producer, author, a political activist, and an actor, and has written and directed a play....
, Kris Kristofferson
Kris Kristofferson
Kristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American musician, actor, and writer. He is known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...
, Ralph Stanley
Ralph Stanley
Ralph Stanley , also known as Dr. Ralph Stanley, is an American bluegrass artist, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing.-Biography:...
, and Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
. Blake also played on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American country-folk-rock band that has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California in 1966. The group's membership has had at least a dozen changes over the years, including a period from 1976 to 1981 when the band performed and recorded...
album, Will the Circle Be Unbroken
Will the Circle Be Unbroken
Will the Circle Be Unbroken is a 1972 album officially by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, but with collaboration from many famous Bluegrass and country-western players, including Roy Acuff, Mother Maybelle Carter, Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Merle Travis, Bashful Brother Oswald, Norman Blake, Jimmy...
. From 1969 to 1971 he was a regular on ABC's The Johnny Cash Show
The Johnny Cash Show (TV series)
The Johnny Cash Show was an American television music variety show hosted by Johnny Cash. The Screen Gems 58-episode series ran from June 7, 1969 to March 31, 1971 on ABC; it was taped at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. The show reached No...
, supplementing Cash's band the Tennessee Three.
Blake is listed in the credits of the Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
album Nashville Skyline
Nashville Skyline
Nashville Skyline is singer-songwriter Bob Dylan's ninth studio album, released by Columbia Records in April 1969.The album marked a dramatic departure for Dylan, previously known for his groundbreaking, poetic folk music and rock and roll...
and the Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
album Orange Blossom Special
Orange Blossom Special (album)
Due to the acclaim that the cover of the song "Orange Blossom Special" received from the audiences that attended live concerts of Cash, a single of the song was released previous to the album, in February of 1965 reaching number three in the Billboard singles. During the mid 1960s, the authorship...
. He was featured on the Steve Earle comeback album Train A' Comin and on the multi-platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
O Brother Where Art Thou?
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (soundtrack)
O Brother, Where Art Thou? is the soundtrack of music from the 2000 American film of the same name, written, directed and produced by the Coen Brothers and starring George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, and John Goodman....
soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
, which ignited new interest in bluegrass music and won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year
Grammy Award for Album of the Year
The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is the most prestigious award category at the Grammys. It has been awarded since 1959 and though it was originally presented to the artist alone, the award is now presented to the artist, the producer, the engineer and/or mixer and the mastering engineer...
in 2002. Blake participated in the "Down from the Mountain" tour which resulted. Blake also played on the 2007 album Raising Sand
Raising Sand
Raising Sand is a collaboration album by rock singer Robert Plant and bluegrass-country singer Alison Krauss. It was released on October 23, 2007 by Rounder Records...
by Robert Plant
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
and Alison Krauss
Alison Krauss
Alison Maria Krauss is an American bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler. She entered the music industry at an early age, winning local contests by the age of ten and recording for the first time at fourteen. She signed with Rounder Records in 1985 and released her first solo album in...
, which won five Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s.
Most of the music that Norman Blake plays could be described as neo-traditionalist Americana folk and roots music (folk, bluegrass, country, blues), and many of the songs he plays are traditional
Traditional music
Traditional music is the term increasingly used for folk music that is not contemporary folk music. More on this is at the terminology section of the World music article...
, but he plays this acoustic type of music with a style, speed, and quality that has evolved and progressed in the modern age. Though probably best known for his fluid renditions of classic fiddle tunes transcribed for the guitar (Fiddler's Dram / Whiskey Before Breakfast), Blake has also written songs that have become bluegrass standards, such as "Ginseng Sullivan" from Back Home in Sulphur Springs, "Slow Train through Georgia", and "Church Street Blues".
Blake has produced 32 albums and has recorded on the Rounder
Rounder Records
Rounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
, Flying Fish
Flying Fish Records
Flying Fish Records was a Chicago-based eclectic blues and country record label. It was founded in 1974 by Bruce Kaplan, former president of the University of Chicago's Folklore Society....
, Country, Takoma
Takoma Records
Takoma Records was a small but influential record label founded by John Fahey in the late 1950s.. It was named after Fahey's hometown, the Washington, D.C. suburb of Takoma Park, Maryland.-History:...
, Shanachie
Shanachie Records
Shanachie Records was founded in 1976 by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins. According to Harvey Pekar , it is one of the largest independent record labels in the world, and is currently distributed by E1 Music. Starting as a label that specialized in fiddle music, they began releasing work by Celtic...
, Western Jubilee, Red House
Red House Records
Red House Records is an American independent record label specializing in folk music and is based in St. Paul, Minnesota.The label was originally created in 1981 by Greg Brown as a method to distribute his own music, and is named for a farmhouse in Iowa where he was living...
, Dualtone, and Plectrafone labels.
Discography
Back Home in Sulphur Springs
Back Home in Sulphur Springs is the debut album of American guitarist Norman Blake, released in 1972.Blake and his wife Nancy recorded an album of the same title in 2006.- Track listing :# "Little Joe" – 2:49...
(Rounder, 1972) The Fields of November
The Fields of November
The Fields of November is an album of American guitarist Norman Blake, released in 1974. It was reissued in 1992 by Flying Fish along with Old and New as a double CD.Blake later married Nancy Short, who plays cello on this release...
(Flying Fish, 1974) Old and New
Old and New (Norman Blake album)
Old and New is an album of American guitarist Norman Blake, released in 1975. It was reissued in 1992 by Flying Fish along with The Fields of November as a double CD.-Side one:# "Widow's Creek"# "Bristol in the Bottle"# "Billy Gray"...
(Flying Fish, 1975) Norman Blake/Tut Taylor/Sam Bush/Butch Robins/Vassar Clements/David Holland/Jethro Burns
Norman Blake/Tut Taylor/Sam Bush/Butch Robins/Vassar Clements/David Holland/Jethro Burns
Norman Blake/Tut Taylor/Sam Bush/Butch Robins/Vassar Clements/David Holland/Jethro Burns is a studio album recorded by American musicians Norman Blake, Tut Taylor, Sam Bush, Butch Robins, Vassar Clements, David Holland, and Jethro Burns. It was released in 1975.From Hank Deane's original liner...
(Flying Fish, 1976) Live at McCabe's
Live at McCabe's (Norman Blake album)
Live at McCabe's is an album of American guitarist Norman Blake and Nancy Blake, released in 1975. It was recorded at McCabe's Guitar Shop in Santa Monica, California.Live at McCabe's was reissued on CD in 1987 along with Directions by Takoma....
(Takoma, 1976) Norman Blake and Red Rector
Norman Blake and Red Rector
Norman Blake and Red Rector is an album of American guitarist Norman Blake and mandolin player Red Rector, released in 1976.-Track listing:# "Girl I Left Behind"# "Denver Belle"# "Lorena"# "The Old Spinning Wheel"# "Mississippi Sawyer"# "Red Wing"...
(Country, 1976) Whiskey Before Breakfast
Whiskey Before Breakfast
Whiskey Before Breakfast is an album of American guitarist Norman Blake, released in 1976.-Reception:Writing for Allmusic, critic Jim Smith gave the release five of five stars, writing "All told, there have been many albums in the folk idiom featuring many a guitar virtuoso, but very few achieve...
(Rounder, 1976) Blackberry Blossom
Blackberry Blossom
Blackberry Blossom is an album by American guitarist Norman Blake, released in 1977.-Reception:Writing for Allmusic, critic Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr. noted that Blake "imbeds himself in tradition, offering honest interpretations and fresh originals that are respectful of their roots...
(Flying Fish, 1977) Directions
Directions (Norman Blake album)
Directions is an album of American guitarist Norman Blake, released in 1978. It was reissued in 1987 on CD along with Live at McCabe's by Takoma.-Track listing:# "Blue Ridge Mountain Blues"# "The L & N Don't Stop Here Anymore"...
(Takoma, 1978) Rising Fawn String Ensemble
Rising Fawn String Ensemble
The Rising Fawn String Ensemble is a recording by musicians Norman Blake , his wife Nancy Blake and James Bryan .-Track listing:# "Devil Chased Me Around the Stump"# "Charlie Gaiter"# "Over the Waterfall"...
(Rounder, 1979) Full Moon on the Farm
Full Moon on the Farm
Full Moon on the Farm is an album of American guitarist Norman Blake and the Rising Fawn String Ensemble, released in 1981.-Track listing:# "Kennedy Rag"# "Nancy's Hornpipe"# "Texola Waltz"# "Gilderoy"# "Davenport March"# "OBC #3"# "Cairo Waltz"...
(Rounder, 1981) Original Underground Music from the Mysterious South
Original Underground Music from the Mysterious South
Original Underground Music from the Mysterious South is an album of American guitarist Norman Blake and the Rising Fawn String Ensemble, released in 1982.-Track listing:# "New Brick Road" – 3:25# "Dusty Rose" – 3:45# "Walnut River" – 2:12...
(Rounder, 1983) Nashville Blues
Nashville Blues (Norman Blake album)
Nashville Blues is an album of American guitarist Norman Blake, released in 1984.- Track listing :# "Columbus Stockade Blues"# "My Name Is Morgana"# "The Streamlined Cannonball" # "Pretty Bird Blues"# "In the Spring of the Year"...
(Rounder, 1984) Lighthouse on the Shore
Lighthouse on the Shore
Lighthouse on the Shore is an album of American guitarist Norman Blake, released in 1985.-Side one:# "Hello Stranger" – 3:07# "New Bicycle Hornpipe" – 2:32# "Marquis of Huntley" – 2:30...
(Rounder, 1985) The Norman & Nancy Blake Compact Disc
The Norman & Nancy Blake Compact Disc
The Norman & Nancy Blake Compact Disc is a compilation album of American musicians Norman Blake and Nancy Blake, released in 1986. It contains both Lighthouse on the Shore and Nancy's solo release Grand Junction on one CD.-Track listing:...
(Rounder, 1986) Natasha's Waltz
Natasha's Waltz
Natasha's Waltz is a compilation album of American guitarist Norman Blake, released in 1987. It contains songs from Blake's and his wife Nancy's years on the Rounder label...
(Rounder, 1987) Slow Train through Georgia
Slow Train through Georgia
Slow Train through Georgia is a compilation album of American guitarist Norman Blake, released in 1987. It contains songs from Blake's releases in the 1970's.-Track listing:# "Fiddler's Dram/Whiskey Before Breakfast" – 3:31...
(Rounder, 1987) Blake & Rice
Blake & Rice
Blake & Rice is an album of American guitarist Norman Blake and bluegrass guitarist Tony Rice, released in 1987. It is their first album together...
(Rounder, 1987) Blind Dog
Blind Dog (Norman Blake album)
Blind Dog is an album of American guitarist Norman Blake, released in 1988.-Reception:In his Allmusic review, critic Jason Ankeny called the album "a fine summation of bluegrass guitarist's Norman Blake's career and aesthetics, a largely instrumental collection of favorites from his own catalog as...
(Rounder, 1988) Norman Blake and Tony Rice 2
Norman Blake and Tony Rice 2
Norman Blake and Tony Rice 2 is an album of American guitarist Norman Blake and bluegrass guitarist Tony Rice, released in 1990. It is their second album together...
(Rounder, 1990) The Fields of November/Old and New (Flying Fish, 1992) Just Gimme Somethin' I'm Used To
Just Gimme Somethin' I'm Used To
Just Gimme Somethin' I'm Used To is an album of American musicians Norman Blake and Nancy Blake, released in 1992. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album.- Track listing :# "Waiting for the Boatman" – 4:16...
(Shanachie, 1992) While Passing Along This Way
While Passing Along This Way
While Passing Along This Way is an album of American musicians Norman Blake and Nancy Blake, released in 1994. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album.- Track listing :# "He's Passing This Way" – 3:12...
(Shanachie, 1994) The Hobo's Last Ride
The Hobo's Last Ride
The Hobo's Last Ride is an album of American musicians Norman Blake and Nancy Blake, released in 1996.- Track listing :# "The Democratic Donkey " – 3:30# "Tell Mother I'll Meet Her" – 3:32# "Forked Deer" – 3:21...
(Shanachie, 1996) Chattanooga Sugar Babe
Chattanooga Sugar Babe
Chattanooga Sugar Babe is an album of American musician Norman Blake, released in 1998.- Track listing :All songs by Norman Blake unless otherwise noted.# "The Rescue from Moose River Goldmine" – 3:53...
(Shanachie, 1998) Be Ready Boys: Appalachia to Abilene
Be Ready Boys: Appalachia to Abilene
Be Ready Boys: Appalachia to Abilene is an album of American musicians Norman Blake and Rich O'Brien, released in 1999.- Track listing :# "Tennessee Wagoner" – 3:22# "Old Pal of Yesterday" Be Ready Boys: Appalachia to Abilene is an album of American musicians Norman Blake and Rich O'Brien,...
(Shanachie, 1999) Far Away, Down on a Georgia Farm
Far Away, Down on a Georgia Farm
Far Away, Down on a Georgia Farm is an album of American musician Norman Blake, released in 1999.- Track listing :# "New Century Hornpipe" – 2:19# "Whiskey Deaf and Whiskey Blind" – 3:47...
(Shanachie, 1999) Flower From the Fields of Alabama
Flower From the Fields of Alabama
Flower From the Fields of Alabama is an album of American musician Norman Blake, released in 2001.- Track listing :All songs Traditional unless otherwise noted.# "Salty Dog" – 4:21# "Bonaparte's Grand March" – 5:20...
(Shanachie, 2001) Old Ties
Old Ties
Old Ties is an album of American musician Norman Blake, released in 2002.- Track listing :# "Spanish Fandango" – 3:49# "Church St. Blues" – 2:54# "Sleepy Eyed Joe/Indian Creek" – 3:38...
(Rounder, 2002) Meeting on Southern Soil
Meeting on Southern Soil
Meeting on Southern Soil is an album by Norman Blake and Peter Ostroushko, released in 2002.-Reception:Writing for Allmusic, music critic Chris Nickson wrote of the album "Albums like this renew the roots of American music, bringing new blood into what is really a flowing river of history...
(Red House, 2002) The Morning Glory Ramblers
The Morning Glory Ramblers
The Morning Glory Ramblers is an album by Americana and folk musicians Norman Blake and Nancy Blake, released in 2004. It is the first for the husband and wife duo in eight years.- Track listing :All songs Traditional unless otherwise noted....
(Dualtone, 2004) Back Home in Sulphur Springs
Back Home in Sulphur Springs (Norman and Nancy Blake album)
Back Home in Sulphur Springs is an album by Americana and folk musicians Norman Blake and Nancy Blake, released in 2006. It has the same title as Norman Blake's 1972 debut album.- Track listing :All songs Traditional unless otherwise noted....
[Norman & Nancy Blake] (Dualtone, 2006) Shacktown Road
Shacktown Road
Shacktown Road is an album by Americana and folk musicians Norman Blake, Nancy Blake and Tut Taylor, released in 2007. It was the first time Blake and Taylor recorded together since they were members of John Hartford's Aero-Plain band in the 1970s....
(Dualtone Music Group, 2007)
Rising Fawn Gathering
Rising Fawn Gathering is an album by Americana and folk musicians Norman Blake, Nancy Blake, Jim and Rachel Bryan and the Celtic music group Boys of the Lough, released in 2009.- Track listing :All songs traditional unless otherwise noted....
(Plectrafone, 2009)
Soundtracks
Blake appears on the following soundtracks as either musician or arranger:- O Brother, Where Art Thou?O Brother, Where Art Thou? (soundtrack)O Brother, Where Art Thou? is the soundtrack of music from the 2000 American film of the same name, written, directed and produced by the Coen Brothers and starring George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, and John Goodman....
(2000) (Mercury 088170) - Cold MountainCold Mountain (soundtrack)Cold Mountain is the original soundtrack of the 2003 film Cold Mountain starring Jude Law, Nicole Kidman and Renée Zellweger.The album won the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music and the World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Soundtrack of the Year in 2003...
(2003) (DMZ / Columbia 86843) - Walk the LineWalk the Line (soundtrack)Walk the Line is a Grammy Award-winning soundtrack from the movie Walk the Line released November 15, 2005 by Wind-Up Records. There are nine songs performed by Joaquin Phoenix, four songs by Reese Witherspoon, one song by Waylon Payne, one song by Johnathan Rice, two songs by Tyler Hilton, and...
(2005) (Wind-Up Records)
Videos
- Norman Blake's Guitar Techniques #1 (Homespun, 1990 VHS, 2003 DVD)
- Mandolin of Norman Blake (Homespun, 1992 VHS, 2005 DVD)
- My Dear Old Southern Home (Shanachie, 1994 VHS, 2003 DVD)
- Legends of Flatpicking Guitar (Vestapol, 1995 VHS, 2001 DVD)
- The Video Collection 1980-1995 (Vestapol, 1996 VHS, 2004 DVD)
- Great Guitar Lessons - Bluegrass Flatpicking (Homespun, 2000 VHS, 2006 DVD)
- Norman Blake's Guitar Techniques #2 (Homespun, 2001, 2003 DVD)