The Glory-Beaming Banjo

Earlier this month, an old friend re-emerged from the ashes of oblivion. County Sales was once the foremost vendor of old-time and bluegrass music. The Floyd, Virginia-based store was where I purchased most of my CDs when I first latched onto this music. My copies of the Clawhammer Banjo Vols. 1-3 , the Killer Grits' Midnight on the Run, Christian Wig's Gate to Go Through and pretty much the rest of my Mark Olitsky album collection  were all ordered through the County Sales website . Unfortunately, longtime owner David Freeman closed the store in January this year upon his retirement. Freeman started the business in New York City in 1965 and then moved it to Floyd in 1974. He also launched two record labels to provide musicians a broader avenue for releasing their music. His son Mark Freeman now runs County Records (old-time) and Rebel Records (bluegrass) from Charlottesville, Virginia. For nine, sad, long months, old-time and bluegrass fans has to scrounge the depths o...

County Sales , one of my favorite places to order old-time music, is having a sale on its surplus stock. While supplies last, these extra CDs are $5 each. If you buy seven or more albums, you'll get one of five "collector" items free. How can you lose? After a quick look at the surplus list , I saw a few items that may catch the interest of Glory-Beaming Banjo readers, such as Bad Dog (with Mark Olitsky on banjo), Bob Carlin, the Chicken Chokers, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and that's just what popped out. There are a bunch of compilations on the list, which at $5 might be worth a gamble to find a gem or two. The collector items you can get, if you buy seven or more CDs, include albums by Flatt & Scruggs, Ralph Stanley, and Bill Monroe. Happy shopping ...