Jason Skinner is a scholar and archivist par excellence of all things Don Reno, besides being a wonderful, Reno-style banjo picker (with his band, Decker and Skinner and The Blue Ridge Cut-ups) and instructor himself.

The other day, I came across an extraordinary video that he uploaded some time ago. I’ll let him describe the content:

“Here are some incredible recording done for Starday records with Don Reno, Red Allen, Chubby Wise, and Frank Wakefield. Supposedly recorded in November 1961 at Starday Sound Studio during a DJ convention in Nashville TN. I say 'supposedly' because I have seen a few different sources that state it was recorded in 1962 or 1963. Either way it’s some of the greatest bluegrass ever recorded!”

Track list:

1. Beautiful Blue Eyes
2. I Am Thinking Tonight Of My Blue Eyes
3. I’ve Made Up My Mind
4. Troubles Keep Hangin’ Round My Door
5. Mountain Strings
6. Will The Circle Be Unbroken

A couple of comments: Aside from Red Allen’s uncharacteristically-odd timing, this recording of “Circle” is a delight. I’ve said before that Don Reno’s vocal work sounds an awful lot like something that may have influenced Simon and Garfunkel. The luminous “I’ve Made Up My Mind” just reinforces that opinion.

Lastly, if you think “Mountain Strings” amounts to nothing more than a 50s pastiche by a bunch of bluegrassers behind the times, I invite you to track down a copy of Bill Monroe’s “Heavy Traffic Ahead”, and take a real good listen. The inimitable Chubby Wise made that one work, too.