U Press releases Johnson CD

February 5th, 2002

Boy-pop group Push Kings, Ghetto-tech fusion group V/A, sarod virtuoso Tejendra Narayan Majumdar and West Virginia fiddling legend John Johnson. All are among the musicians cited as”Best Records of 2001”by the East Bay Express, an alternative arts newspaper serving the Oakland-Berkeley area of California.
p. Johnson (1916-1996) is remembered as one of the strongest fiddlers in the music-rich history of West Virginia, says Daniel Williams, editor of the West Virginia University Press, who released”Strange Creek Fiddling, 1947.”The CD, he notes, presents music recorded over half a century ago by a WVU folklore professor who sought out the young musician Johnson.

The original aluminum discs have been preserved in the West Virginia and Regional History Collection of the WVU Libraries. The CD features 24 tunes from Johnson, and an accompanying booklet gives a glimpse of his life story,”which is almost as marvelous as his music,”Williams adds.

Duck Baker, music critic for the East Bay Express, writes:”West Virginia University Press only puts out one CD or so every year, but the three it’s issued so far are all spectacularThese 1947 field recordings are breathtaking. A revelation for old-time fans.”

Baker, a world-touring master of the guitar, also selected the two previous WVU Press releases for his East Bay Express”Best of the Year”lists.

Williams, who produced the CD for the WVU Press, is grateful for the recognition.

“We work hard on these projects, re-engineering the scratchy old aluminum disks, producing a beautiful booklet of Johnson’s life and music, getting his relatives and old music buddies involved. It’s very gratifying to be noticed, especially in a musically diverse setting like the San Francisco Bay area. I think this highlights that good music is good music, whatever the form.”

As for the future of the WVU recording series, Williams lists ballad singing, African-American songs and festival recordings among the possible projects.