An exceptional compilation of Appalachian music.
On September 26th, 2024, Hurricane Helene made landfall at peak intensity in the Big Bend region of Florida near Perry. Helene was a category four hurricane, bringing winds over 140 mph and causing widespread destruction and fatalities across the Southeastern United States. It was the deadliest Atlantic Hurricane since Maria in 2017 and the most fatal to strike the mainland United States since Katrina in 2005.
Helene continued its path north, causing mass destruction in Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina. High winds and flooding killed more than 230 people, with the economic impact of the storm and damage to buildings and infrastructure estimated in the billions. Satellite photographs of the storm making landfall are frightening, showing a cloud obliterating the Big Bend and most of Florida.
Out of this disaster has come this exceptional compilation. Organised by Brad Fielder of the Brad Fielder Junk Band, twenty-two artists gave their songs for free. Musicians from Missouri, Texas, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Florida, Arkansas, and the Netherlands offered recordings.
From Norman, Oklahoma, guitar guru Mike Hosty sings a standout one-man band track written specifically about Helene. Hosty sings, “Helene, why you got to be so mean”, before going on with the chilling line, “ Somebody said she came looking for Fred, who came in 21”—a clever reference to Tropical Storm Fred, which hit the Big Bend in 2021.
Fellow Oklahoma resident Ryan Lawson sings a sad lament called ‘Rain’, which is borrowed and rerecorded from his 2010 album, “This Old Knife.” It is simply outstanding. The collection includes traditional Appalachian music, such as the mesmerising murder ballad “Banks of the Ohio” sung here by Olds Sleeper and a Tiffany Pollack and Co. version of “Shady Grove.”
The collection includes twenty-six tracks, each one a gem by artists who have used their craft to produce something of extraordinary note during a time of crisis. Some are raw demo-type affairs, others more polished, but as a collection, it all works. The album cover shows a frightening view from behind the Doc Watson statue in downtown Boone during a storm—as powerful as the music. All proceeds go to the United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County’s Hurricane Helene Relief Fund.
Thank you for the coverage and helping spread the word!
It was a pleasure, Brad, a beautiful collection of songs.