Music of Coal


Music of Coal: Mining Songs from the Appalachian Coalfields is a 70-page book and two CD compilation of old and new music from southern Appalachian coalfields. The project was produced by Jack Wright and is a benefit for the Lonesome Pine Office on Youth in Wise County, Virginia.
The songs included cover a range of topics related to coal culture such as mining accidents and black lung disease. Some of the artists are natives of the U.S. coal mining region while others have less direct ties. Both vintage recordings and contemporary music have been combined with detailed liner notes giving context to both the songs and the artists. Musicologist Archie Green adds a "Sanctus" note to Wright's "Introduction."
In the preliminary round of nominations for the 50th Grammy Awards the boxed set was under consideration for a number of awards, including, Best Recording Package, Best Liner Notes and Best Historical Album. The compilation did not, however, make it the final round of nominees.

Track listing

Volume one

  1. "Down in a Coal Mine " - 1:25
  2. * The Edison Concert Band
  3. "Mining Camp Blues" - 2:59
  4. * Trixie Smith
  5. "Sprinkle Coal Dust on My Grave" - 2:46
  6. * Orville Jenks
  7. "Coal Miner's Blues" - 3:04
  8. * The Carter Family
  9. "Hard Times in Coleman’s Mine" - 2:36
  10. * Aunt Molly Jackson
  11. "He’s Only a Miner Killed in the Ground" - 2:35
  12. * Ted Chestnut
  13. "Coal Black Mining Blues" - 1:13
  14. * Nimrod Workman
  15. "‘31 Depression Blues" - 2:52
  16. * Ed Sturgill
  17. "Prayer of a Miner's Child" - 1:51
  18. * Dock Boggs
  19. "That Twenty-Five Cents You Paid" - 2:25
  20. * Sarah Ogan Gunning
  21. "The L & N Don’t Stop Here Anymore" - 3:10
  22. * Jean Ritchie
  23. "Dark as a Dungeon" - 1:55
  24. * Merle Travis
  25. "Come All You Coal Miners" - 2:21
  26. * The Reel World String Band
  27. "My Sweetheart’s the Mule in the Mines" - 0:22
  28. * Mike Kline
  29. "Thirty Inch Coal" - 2:36
  30. * Hobo Jack Adkins
  31. "Black Waters" - 3:38
  32. * Jim Ringer
  33. "Roof Boltin’ Daddy" - 2:26
  34. * Gene Carpenter
  35. "Dream of a Miner’s Child" - 2:46
  36. * Carter Stanley
  37. "Coal Miner's Boogie" - 2:57
  38. * George Davis
  39. "The Yablonski Murder" - 3:00
  40. * Hazel Dickens
  41. "What Are We Gonna Do?" - 3:01
  42. * Dorothy Myles
  43. "Explosion at Derby Mine" - 4:02
  44. * Charlie Maggard
  45. "Blind Fiddler" - 3:05
  46. * Jim “Bud” Stanley
  47. "Loadin’ Coal" - 2:29
  48. * John Hutchison
  49. "Coal Town Saturday Night" - 3:06
  50. * Randall Hylton
  51. "It’s Been a Long Time" - 3:15
  52. * Sonny Houston & Roger Hall
  53. "Fountain Filled with Blood" - 3:56
  54. * Elder James Caudill & Choir

    Volume two

  55. "West Virginia Mine Disaster" - 2:48
  56. * Molly Slemp
  57. "Union Man" - 3:36
  58. * Blue Highway
  59. "Blue Diamond Mines" - 4:26
  60. * Robin & Linda Williams
  61. "Set Yourself Free" - :50
  62. * Billy Gene Mullins
  63. "Redneck War" - 5:22
  64. * Ron Short
  65. "Sixteen Tons" - 2:32
  66. * Ned Beatty
  67. "There Will Be No Black Lung in Heaven" - 2:05
  68. * Rev. Joe Freeman
  69. "Deep Mine Blues" - 3:45
  70. * Nick Stump
  71. "I’m a Coal Mining Man" - 2:22
  72. * Tom T. Hall
  73. "Dirty Black Coal" - 4:27
  74. * Kenneth Davis
  75. "Black Lung" - 3:21
  76. * AJ Roach
  77. "Coal Dust Kisses" - 4:06
  78. * Suzanne Mumpower-Johnson
  79. "Coal Tattoo" - 4:06
  80. * Dale Jett
  81. "A Strip Miner’s Life" - 3:00
  82. * Don Stanley & Middle Creek
  83. "Daddy’s Dinner Bucket" - 3:26
  84. * Ralph Stanley II
  85. "In Those Mines" - 3:43
  86. * Valerie Smith
  87. "Miner’s Prayer" - 3:14
  88. * Ralph Stanley & Dwight Yoakam
  89. "Dyin’ To Make A Livin’" - 3:47
  90. * W.V. Hill
  91. "You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive" - 6:06
  92. * Darrell Scott
  93. "They Can’t Put It Back" - 2:31
  94. * Jack Wright
  95. "Which Side Are You On?" - 5:04
  96. * Natalie Merchant