• New Music from Mike Compton & Norman Blake: Gallop To Georgia

    Mike Compton & Norman Blake: Gallop To Georgia

    Renowned musicians and folk historians Mike Compton and Norman Blake join forces to introduce listeners to the repertoire of the Mississippi duo Narmour & Smith with Gallop To Georgia. This special project features the sounds of blues, rags, shuffles and country waltzes, and even a hint of Tex-Mex flavor.

    "Lyrical and melodic, filled with buoyant rhythms and clever rhythmic patterns, Gallop To Georgia captures a bygone era in American string music, now reintroduced by two of the world's finest interpreters of the genre. A treat from start to finish, it may spur many listeners to seek out the original recordings and discover a new world of old guitar, mandolin, and fiddle music that set the stage for modern bluegrass and other contemporary styles," stated Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine in a recent album review.

    Compton has also released the Gallop to Georgia Tab Book. The book is written music accompaniment to the recorded project of the same name recorded by Mike Compton and Norman Blake. All tunes are transcribed in both standard notation and tablature to accommodate those who favor one system or the other.

    Tim O'Brien said, "Compton and Blake, two masters with nothing to prove, make beautiful Southern music here. It feels so effortless and comfortable because they've run these dusty back roads so many times before. On Gallop to Georgia, they roll along in second gear, windows down, so we can all enjoy the scenery."

    Track Listing

    • Avalon Blues
    • Charleston #2
    • Heel & Toe
    • Kiss Me Waltz
    • Texas Shuffle
    • Captain George, Has Your Money Come?
    • Little Star
    • Gallop To Georgia
    • Mississippi Breakdown
    • Avalon Quickstep
    • Carroll County Blues
    • Charleston #1
    • Sweet Milk & Peaches
    • Sunny Waltz
    • Charleston #3
    • Who's Been Giving You Corn?

    Gallop To Georgia is available for purchase at Mike Compton's website where you can also purchase the album or book separately or as a package deal. Streaming is available at Apple Music, Spotify, and more.



    Additional Information

    Comments 15 Comments
    1. oliverkollar's Avatar
      oliverkollar -
      The record is sooooo great!

      Just got the book last week and have been learning the tunes, highly recommend both!
    1. Don Grieser's Avatar
      Don Grieser -
      Absolutely a gem of a recording, just stellar in every way. And the book provides a great resource for learning the tunes. Get them both!
    1. Jeff Hildreth's Avatar
      Jeff Hildreth -
      CD and book ordered. My compliments for the respectful usage of a spiral binding.
    1. giannisgrass's Avatar
      giannisgrass -
      I order it last May -cd only-from Mike's wife.. she was very kind,got it autographed by Mike. Great music from two of my favorite artists! Music travels you back in time. My one Big complain is that the CD it's a CD-R.
    1. Gop's Avatar
      Gop -
      Quote Originally Posted by Don Grieser View Post
      Absolutely a gem of a recording, just stellar in every way. And the book provides a great resource for learning the tunes. Get them both!
      Don, does the book have standard notation as well as Tab?
    1. Scotter's Avatar
      Scotter -
      Is it standard notation and tab for both mandolin and guitar or just mandolin?
    1. oliverkollar's Avatar
      oliverkollar -
      Quote Originally Posted by Scotter View Post
      Is it standard notation and tab for both mandolin and guitar or just mandolin?
      Just mandolin.
    1. Scotter's Avatar
      Scotter -
      Quote Originally Posted by oliverkollar View Post
      Just mandolin.
      Thanks. I'm looking forward to giving some of these songs a go.
    1. Don Grieser's Avatar
      Don Grieser -
      The book has both standard notation and tab for mandolin.
    1. Gop's Avatar
      Gop -
      Quote Originally Posted by Don Grieser View Post
      The book has both standard notation and tab for mandolin.
      too good!
    1. Scotter's Avatar
      Scotter -
      Well, I was hoping for either standard notation and/or tab for guitar as well as this looks like something my wife and I might enjoy playing together. I'm guessing, based on what Blake is playing in the video, that the guitar is mostly alternating bass/chord accompaniment with some single note bass line runs. If so, then we can probably work them out on guitar by ear.

      Regardless, I'm looking forward to this.
    1. Mandolin Cafe's Avatar
      Mandolin Cafe -
      The word on this album is that there is no guitar lead. Mike said Norman opted to just play rhythm on the recording and that was his choice.
    1. Don Grieser's Avatar
      Don Grieser -
      I'm learning the "Avalon Quickstep" today, using the book and Transcribe to slow down the tune from the CD. What a fun tune! Looking forward to digging into more of these tunes. What tunes are you working on?
    1. Simon DS's Avatar
      Simon DS -
      Great rhythm and choice of tunes on this CD,
      Sweet Milk and Peaches especially.
    1. tmsweeney's Avatar
      tmsweeney -
      Picked it up yesterday as present to myself - all I can say is America the Genuine!

      I do recall Doc and Merle doing a version of Carol County Blues with Sam Bush on Fiddle on his Pickin' the Blues Album.

      Great to hear authentic American string band music from two of our finest treasures.