Muddy Angelina

By the Muddy Angelina

By the Muddy Angelina Audio Tracks

1. Crockett's Farewell/Trammel's Trace
2. The Yellow Rose of Texas
3. McKee's Gap
4. Goin' To The West
5. Shawnee Bottoms
6. Bed of Primroses
7. Gone to Texas
8. Little Silver Locket
9. The Grand Neches Belle(Special Steamboat Sequence: Hear the actual steam whistle of the Neches Belle)
10. The Jefferson Hornpipe
11. Speckled Top Shoes
12. Indian Ate a Woodchuck/McGovern's Bear
13. The Farmer's Curst Wife/Darby's Horn
14. Ghost of the Old Canebrakes
15. The Fate of Jim Buchannon
16. The Nacogdoches Waltz
17. The Galveston Storm
18. By the Muddy Angelina
19. Dr. Obadiah Bluefield's Medicine Show Reel
20. I'm An Old Backwoodsman
21. The Bevilport Waltz/Dancin' on a Steamboat/Indian Creek

There was a time when bears, panthers, wolves, and wild rakestraw hogs haunted the ancient timberlands and canebrakes of East Texas. Steamboats once navigated among the red clay banks and towering cypress of the Sabine, Neches, Trinity, and Angelina rivers.

It was a time before the modern trends of the radio and phonograph put a commercialistic slant on music, causing our awareness to shift away from ancient fiddle melodies, old-world ballads, buck-dancing, banjo tunes, and minstrel songs.

Today, the heritage of Eastern Texas before that era of the radio and phonograph is represented by photographs, literature, and many wonderful museum exhibits, but still something very important is missing. It is the power, spirit, and emotion that can only be delivered in the form of music.

By the Muddy Angelina is a hard-bound book & CD package which combines oldtime flavored music played on vintage instruments with stories, photos, and a few "lost sounds" in an endeavor to capture the spirit of a lost culture in the East Texas pineywoods.

Reviews

"By the Muddy Angelina is a marvelous journey into the history and traditions of East Texas, capturing the spirit of the hearty settlers who gave the region its distinctive cultural spirit." (Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine, June 2002)

"...anyone interested in the oldtime music will find joy in this little book, because, first, it features an engaging essay on Steve's interest in the music, and then discussions of various songs, all written or arranged by Steve, that narrate the history of East Texas." (Dr. Archie P. McDonald, Executive Director and Editor, East Texas Historical Association)

"With earthy lyrics and toe-tapping rhythms, By the Muddy Angelina is a collection of songs, folk history, and personal interviews compiled in a CD/book package that explores the music and spirit of East Texas pioneers.....Through history, folklore, and photography, the accompanying book brings more than 20 old songs to life as we begin to understand the dedication and sacrifice of these early pioneers. Author Steve Hartz's inspiration for this book was drawn from early storytellers, balladeers, and fiddlers as he sought to walk in their world and tell a few of their stories through music." (Melissa Flynn, Cowboys and Indians Magazine, June 2003 Issue)

"Since so many of the traditional words and music, passed down orally, have been lost or nearly lost, Hartz has been inspired to write music in the noncommercial, old-time style. He has a perfect touch."(Sarah Greene, The Gilmer Mirror, November 20, 2002)

"Steve Hartz's blend of stories and music, coupled with skillfully produced illustration make this a truly unique presentation, something so different as to stand alone as a genre. It succeeds in capturing a lost culture."(Hudson Old, East Texas Journal, May 2003)

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