1969 ~ 2005  

Greg Hooven's recorded legacy is preserved on just a few CDs that we have found so far. He recorded two CDs as the fiddler with The New Ballards Branch Bogtrotters. One was titled 'Tribute to the Past'. The other was titled 'The Galax Way'. He also the fiddler on Kirk Sutphin's CD titled 'Old Roots, New Branches'. He also contributed several songs on two different Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. The first CD was titled 'The Harry Smith Connection: A Live Tribute to the Anthology of American Folk Music'. The other was titled  'Classic Old-Time Fiddle'.  He also recorded A Tribute to Fred Cockerham for Heritage Records. Lastly, in a rare recorded moment, Greg plays both fiddle and banjo on Mike Seeger's DVD titled 'Old-Time Banjo Styles'. Thanks to the kindness and generosity of Happy Traum, Founder of Homespun Tapes, we have been able to put several video clips from that DVD on this website.  You can buy that DVD by calling Homespun Tapes at 1 800 33 TAPES. A more detailed description of these recordings is provided below. If you know of any other recorded material, please send a note to greghoovenarchives@yahoo.com with the information. Thank you.

Karin Morra Magno 

 The New Ballards' Branch Bogtrotters: Tribute To The Past. Released in 2000 on Heritage Records with Greg Hooven, Peco Watson, Dennis Hall, Dale Morris, Dallas Hall, and Bobby Patterson. Songs include Paddy on the Turnpike, Ducks on the Millpond, Holly Ding, Roscoe, Nancy Blevins, The Great Physician, Old Jimmie Sutton, Nellie Bly, Galax Waltz, Cold Icy Floor, Dance All Night, Ebeneezer, Rockingham Cindy, and Sally Ann. This CD may be purchased from the Heritage Shoppe, 101 Coulson Church Road, Woodlawn, VA 24381 (near Galax). Their phone number is 1 (276) 236-9249. Their website address is:  http://www.heritageshoppe.net/pages/hrecords.html . Highlights of this project include Greg's singing and fiddle playing on The Great Physician, a song he first heard  the great Albert Hash play. Another highlight is The Galax Waltz, a song Greg composed while in Washington state. Greg dedicated his part of this project to Ruby Webber for all of her special help and encouragement.

 The New Ballard's Branch Bogtrotters: The Galax Way. Released in 1995, recorded and digitally mixed at The Heritage Studio by Bobby Patterson. Released on Heritage Records with music by Bogtrotter's Greg Hooven, Peco Watson, Dennis Hall, Mike Brown, Dallas Hall, and Dale Morris. This 28 Track CD includes Western Country, Bravest Cowboy,Train On The Island, Darling Corey, Logan County Blues, Polly Put The Kettle On, Cannonball Blues, Those Creul Slavery Days, Johnny's Gone To War, John Brown's Dream, Cherokee Rose, Cider Mill, Sugar Hill, Buffalo Gals, Whiskey Before Breakfast, Red Rocking Chair, Fortune, 'Davey,Davey', Texas Gales, Greenback Dollar, Black Eyed Susie, Old Jimmie Sutton, God Gave Noah The Rainbow Sign, Keep On The Sunny Side, Ida Redd, Old Gospel Ship, Chicken Reel, and Sally Ann. This CD may be purchased from the Heritage Shoppe, 101 Coulson Church Road, Woodlawn, VA 24381 (near Galax).  Their website address is: http://www.heritageshoppe.net/pages/hrecords.html . Their phone number is 1 (276) 236-9249. The cover photography is by Gary Stamper. Art direction and design is by Fred Carlson. Greg dedicated this project to his father, Donald, who Greg said "taught him three precious chords at an early age". He also dedicated it to the old-timers around Galax whom Greg learned from that had passed on.

 Old Roots and New Branches: Released in 1994 on County Records , Floyd, VA with Kirk Sutphin backed by Greg Hooven, Paul Brown, Lisa Sutphin, and Wayne Henderson. Songs on this CD include New Five Cent Piece, John Brown's Dream, Old Time Backstep Cindy, Black Eyed Susan, Roach's Pickup, Virginia Reel, Baptist Shout, Big Eyed Rabbit, Reno Factory, Mississippi Sawyer, Walking In My Sleep, Piney Woods Girl, Sweet Little Julie, Flop-Eared Mule, Down The Road, Hangman's Reel, Wild Bill Jones, Poor Johnnie Has Gone To War. Tracks 1 - 10 were recorded on January 3-4, 1994 at Radio Station WFDD in Winston-Salem, NC with Paul Brown as the Engineer. Tracks 11 - 18 were recorded on December 10, 1991 at the Mountain Palace Motel in Galax, VA with  Steve Fisher as the Engineer. This project was produced by Joe Wilson with a special thanks to the National Council For The Traditional Arts. The photography was by McIntyre Photography, Inc. This CD may be purchased from the following: County Sales, PO Box 91, Floyd, VA 24091. Their phone number is 1(540) 745-2001. Their email is sales@countysales.com.

Classic Old-Time Fiddle: From Smithsonian Folksways Recordings and recorded live at the Barns of Wolf Trap in October, 1997. Featuring Greg Hooven with the Greg Hooven String Band singing and playing on Track 106 (Won't Come Until Morning) and on Track 128 ( Darling Cora). Greg shared the stage that night with The New Lost City Ramblers, Roger McGuinn (of The BYRDS fame), John Sebastian, Ella Jenkins, and many other legends and lovers of traditional music. This CD may be purchased from the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings found at : http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=3166. There are 30 second snippets of these songs at that link.

 The Harry Smith Connection: From Smithsonian Folkways Recordings and recorded live at the Barns of Wolf Trap in October, 1997. This compilation appears to be an abbreviated vesion of the Classic Old-Time Fiddle recording featured above. Greg Hooven along the Greg Hooven String Band are singing and playing on Track 104 (A Lazy Farmer Boy) and Track 116 (Darling Corey (spelled Cora on the other Smithsonian CD). Depending on inventory, this CD may be purchased from  Smithsonian Folkways Recordings:http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=2427. There are 30 second snippets of these songs at that link.

 Old-Time Banjo Styles: Another production of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. This was recorded in 1994. Greg Hooven shares the stage in this workshop video with Doc Watson, Etta Baker, Joe and Odell Thompson, and, of course, Mike Seeger himself. Also performing on this DVD are Greg's fellow members of Back Step: Kirk Sutphin, Nick McMillian, Chester McMillian, and Marvin Cockram. On this DVD Greg plays both banjo and fiddle. Eighteen songs and instrumentals are taught on this CD including Molly Dear, Snowdrop, French Waltz, Reuben's Train, Tom Dooley, John Brown's Dream, Back Step Cindy, Old Corn Liquor, Marching Jaybird, Soldier's Joy, Needle Case, Baptist Shout, and White House Blues. Greg Hooven and Back Step open the DVD session with Train on the Island. Later Greg solos Back Step Cindy on the banjo. Another highlight is Greg, Mike Seeger, and Kirk Sutphin playing Old Joe Clark.  Greg and Back Step close this DVD with Breaking Up Christmas. This DVD is available direct from Homespun Tapes. Click the hot link or call  1-800-33-TAPES or 1-800-338-2737. Happy Traum, the founder of Homespun Tapes has kindly and generously allowed us to post video clips from that DVD to this website. Please support Homespun Tapes with your patronage. Thank Happy if you can. 

 A Tribute to Fred Cockerham: This was recorded at the Clog Palace at Captain White's in 1989 on Heritage Records. Greg Hooven shares the stage with Ray Chatfield, Riley Baugus, Barbara Poole, and Verlin Clifton. The songs on this recording include Back Step Cindy, Breaking Up Christmas, Chilly Winds, Cider Mill, Cotton-Eyed Joe, Fall On My Knees, Fire On The Mountain, John Henry, Logan County Blues, Natural Bridge Blues, Sweet Sunny South, Walking in My Sleep, and Wild Bill Jones. Depending on inventory, this recording may be purchased from the following music shop in the Galax, Va. area: http://www.heritageshoppe.net/pages/hrecords.html. It may be avaiilable only on cassette.

This picure shown is not the Cover of the cassette. It is a picture from that live Fred Cockerham Tribute Event at the Clog Palace at Captain White's in Silver Spring, MD. Picture taken by Joan Cope and found on the Julie Mangin's Website (http://tackytreasures.com/places/clogpalace.html). 

Same Branch-Different Trotters was produced in 1994 by Heritage Records under the leadership of Bobby Patterson, Galax, Va. This Bogtrotter's lineup included Greg Hooven, Peco Watson, Dennis Hall, Mike Brown, Dallas Hall, and Dale Morris. Bobby Patterson himself plays rhythm guitar on one track. The songs on this recording include John Brown's Dream, Logan County Blues, Train On The Island, Johnny's Gone to War, Sally Ann, 'Davey, Davey', Polly Put The Kettle On, Cherokee Rose, Those Cruel Slavery Days, Sugar Hill, Ida Redd, and God Gave Noah a Rainbow Sign. The Dale Morris penned liner notes state that on this recording, Greg Hooven is playing the legendary Eck Dunford fiddle that was owned at that time by Dennis and Dallas Hall's parents, Oscar and Laramie Hall. Eck Dunford left that fiddle to them when he passed away. Most of these songs are also on the Bogtrotter's Tribute to the Past CD. This recording is only available on cassette tape and their are imited copies available. Depending on inventory, this recording may be purchased from the following music shop in the Galax, Va. area: http://www.heritageshoppe.net/pages/hrecords.html. 

There are additional recordings of Greg Hooven as part of Back Step recorded in 1990 titled 'Old Sport' on cassette only from Heritage Records, Galax, VA. A cassette copy of this session is available for listening at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library in Charlotte, NC. That recording has on it the following songs: Nancy Blevins, Old Sport, Pole Cat Blues, God Delivers Again, Susanna Gal, Hangman's Reel, Fiddle Head, Ain't Gonna' Work Tomorrow, and Cousin Sally Brown.

There is also a complete recording of a June 15, 1989 show of the Greg Hooven and Back Step Band (featuring Greg Hooven, Barbara Poole, Riley Baugus, Verlin Clifton, Ray Chatfield) recorded at the Neptune Plaza in front of the Library of Congress. This concert was sponsored by the American Folklife Center, assisted by the National Council for the traditional Arts. It also has pictures, interviews, signed programs, etc. It is in the Smithsonian Archives. We do not yet know the song list from that event. A summary of that show can be found at the following website address: http://www.loc.gov/folklife/guides/neptune89.html .

The file contains manuscripts inside 10 folders with the following:

1) Sound recordings 12 sound tape reels: analog, 7 1/2 ips, 2 track, stereo; 10 in.

2) Sound recordings 2 sound tape reels: analog, 15 ips, 2 track, stereo; 10 in.

3) Sound recordings 3 sound cassettes: analog.

4) Graphic materials 112 prints: B & W; 8 x 10 in. and smaller.

5) Graphic materials 108 slides: color.

6) Graphic materials 95 photographs: negatives, B & W.

7) Moving Images 1 videocassette of 1 (VHS): sound, color, 1/2 inch.

Joe Wilson, retired former Director of the National Council for Traditional Arts, reports that there is also a complete recording in the NCTA archives, circa 1990, of Greg Hooven and Backstep, playing at the National Folk Festival in Lowell, Massachusetts.    

I know that Greg shared a stage with Johnny Cash at The Carter Fold in Hilton's , VA. Although there were cassette tapes made of that performance and many others, their conversion to a digital format is reported to be hampered by the physical deteriation of these original cassette tapes. This inlcudes not only for this Johnny Cash show with Greg Hooven, but for many others recorded there over the years. Greg also shared stages with many other music legends including Doc Watson. We are still looking for confirmation and any records of those events, if available.

 If anyone knows of any other music that involved Greg whether it be recording sessions, concerts, or field recordings, please contact Karin at her email address: greghoovenarchives@yahoo.com. Thanks to everyone so far for their help on this project. I could not do this without your help.