Joe Thompson, Odell Thompson, and friends: Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms (1983)

Joe Thompson (fiddle), Odell Thompson (banjo), and unidentified guitarist and singers at Odell's home in Mebane, North Carolina, August 1983. Posted in memory of Joe Thompson, who died February 20, 2012. Please contact us or post a comment if you can identify the singers. For more information about the American Patchwork filmwork, Alan Lomax, and his collections, visit culturalequity.org. [03.30.01]

[@mandomtn1962]

Outstanding

[@summereyes]

this makes me so happy

[@mandomtn1962]

Badass

[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

The unidentified singers look like Marvin and Turner Foddrell.

[@livintheblues202]

unfortunately not the foddrell brothers

[@jumperontheline]

So lovely - thank you !!!
RIP Joe : )

[@1244taylor]

great job guys.. love it

[@dylansaves]

RIP Joe, and thanks for it all.

[@Knowledgeseeker567]

I found a jewel

[@KatherineAnnabella]

WOW. Amazing.

[@skiibachs]

very very classic

[@wmmusiclibrary5931]

LOVE IT! Diane

[@perkdawg_]

Excellent voice, anyone know who that is on the guitar?

[@ThePmitchel]

I believe that the two men to the right are the Foddrell Brothers.

[@Maxziro3876]

Hola 👋

[@budgetcomputerrepair3513]

From a girl that grew up thinking white guys created Bluegrass, thanks Joe! RIP.

[@Ronaldo-rt7hl]

what genre would this be

[@ang1692]

Old time music north carolina Piedmont region

[@ProfesserLuigi]

Gonna be real, it's weird to see black people sing this. It makes a lot of sense, though.

[@sherrard5492]

Prof. Luigi, it will make more sense if you read this article about black string band music. www.google.com/amp/s/www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/05/20/rhiannon-giddens-and-what-folk-music-means/amp
For myself, I can say I didn’t know anything about black musicians like Joe Thompson until I stumbled on the Carolina Chocolate Drops at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, and then a missing piece of the string band puzzle began falling into place for me.

[@d.l.loonabide9981]

Not weird at all.

[@ProfesserLuigi]

@@d.l.loonabide9981 Ever been to an old time or bluegrass jam? It's like 90% white dudes and ladies. It aint bad to see black people singing it, it's really refreshing, honestly. But definitely unusual.

[@eternallife9786]

@@ProfesserLuigi not necessarily yeah maybe if you're going to some fest in Kentucky where everyone's obsessed with Bill Monroe and flat and Scruggs and they're strictly doing a bluegrass thing but as far as old timey music goes this is not that shocking

[@eternallife9786]

@@ProfesserLuigi I'd say the Carolina chocolate drops open that aspect up to the mainstream but those with Southern heritage knows this is nothing new