In 1996, I attended a conference of the North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance in Washington, DC. In the basement of the conference hotel, there was a wonderful jam with Hazel Dickens, Alice Gerrard, Ginny Hawker, and Kay Justice, all singing, and Ginny’s husband, Tracy Schwarz on fiddle. There were probably about 40 people listening. On my left was Kate Long, the author of a great song called “Who Will Watch the Home Place.” On my right was Peter Siegel, who recorded Hazel and Alice’s first recordings on Folkways records. I remember that singer-songwriters would walk by the jam and obviously wonder who these women were that we were watching and listening to so raptly.

Hazel and Alice are legends in bluegrass music, women’s music, old-time music and other genres, too. Many women credit them as inspirations to take up music as a career, especially in bluegrass. These 19 recordings are from their rehearsals for those early recordings made by Peter.

Both Hazel and Alice went on later to solo recording and songwriting as well as playing in other bands. Hazel was one of the reasons that Warren Hellman started the free Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, and I interviewed both Hazel and Warren for an article about the first festival in Bluegrass Unlimited. The festival was later named Hardly Strictly. I wrote a couple of articles for Alice when she was the editor of the Old Time Herald. So, I have been lucky to get to know both of them.

This collection opens with Alice on autoharp and lead vocals and Hazel on guitar and tenor vocals singing “Bye Bye Love,” which was the first hit for the Everly Brothers in 1957. Alice picks up the guitar for the Carter Family’s “Tell Me That You Love Me.” After that, they sing the Louvin Brothers’ song, “Seven Year Blues.” Then “Cannonball Blues,” also from the Carter Family. “This Little Light of Mine” is traditional, but the primary source for this version was the Louvins. “James Alley Blues” by Richard “Rabbit” Brown was on Harry Smith’s Anthology of American Folk Music. “Little Darling Pal of Mine” comes from the Carter Family. “Are You All Alone” was written by the Louvins, but Hazel and Alice learned it from Jim and Jesse. “No One to Welcome Me Home” comes from the Blue Sky Boys. “Let Me Fall” is a traditional song. I hear clawhammer banjo on it, though the liner notes do not say that. “Will You Miss Me” is from the Carter Family as is “No Telephone in Heaven.” “I’ll Wash Your Love from My Heart” is from Jim and Jesse. “No Hard Times” is from the singing brakeman, Jimmie Rodgers. “Why Not Confess” has been recorded by many bands; this version derives from the Louvins. Alice played banjo on Ralph Stanley’s “Bound to Ride.” The title cut, “Sing Me Back Home,” is from Merle Haggard. “The First Whippoorwill” is a Bill Monroe song. The final cut, “In the Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad),” is from Dolly Parton.

These are sparse arrangements without the full bands on the commercial recordings. Indeed, they highlight the marvelous singing and harmonies of the duo. In addition, they are working out their harmonies as they go, and the listener gets a direct line into that process. The excellent liner notes describe the music scene where Hazel and Alice met and joined forces. This recording is a very welcome addition to the recordings of Hazel and Alice.

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