Craft Recordings proudly celebrates the 50th anniversary of J.D. Crowe & The New South’s self-titled album—a landmark collection that helped shape the future of contemporary bluegrass—with an expanded reissue on CD and hi-res/standard digital formats. Long revered by musicians, fans and the press, J.D. Crowe & The New South (or, “Rounder 0044,” as it is lovingly referred to), which was recently inducted into the GRAMMY® Hall of Fame and added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry features such classic tracks as “Old Home Place,” “Cryin’ Holy” and “Rock Salt & Nails.” The lineup of musicians on the album brought Crowe and his longtime bassist Bobby Slone together with three young players who were on their way to becoming bluegrass legends: Tony Rice, Jerry Douglas and Ricky Skaggs.

Arriving September 12th, J.D. Crowe & The New South sounds better than ever, thanks to newly remastered audio from its original analog tapes. The CD edition features the album’s 1975 liner notes by John Hartford and Jack Tottle, along with an essay by Rounder co-founder Bill Nowlin—first published in the 40th-anniversary, vinyl-only reissue. This release also includes two rare bonus tracks, both making their CD and digital debuts: an alternate take of the gospel favorite “Cryin’ Holy,” featuring vocals by the legendary singer-songwriter Emmylou Harris and “Why Don’t You Tell Me So,” a track from the album’s sessions that didn’t appear on the original LP. “Why Don’t You Tell Me So” will be available to stream beginning August 29. Click here to pre-order the album.

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Esteemed banjo player and bandleader J.D. Crowe (1937–2021) was a pivotal figure in bluegrass music, who was instrumental in shaping the genre’s contemporary sound during his nearly 60-year career. Born and raised in Lexington, KY, Crowe first made a name for himself performing alongside bluegrass great Jimmy Martin before forming his own band in the early ’60s. Originally called The Kentucky Mountain Boys, the band evolved throughout the decade, both in lineup and musical style. By the early ’70s, reflecting his broad musical interests and a shifting cultural landscape, Crowe was eager for a rebrand. 

“To me, the Kentucky Mountain Boys kind of labels you to one style of music,” he told The Bluegrass Situation. “I wanted to change it to something that wouldn’t label you—to a name that you could play whatever kind of music you wanted, and the name would still fit.”

And so, The New South was born, while Crowe’s forward-thinking vision was poised to transform the traditionally rooted genre. The banjoist was joined by his longtime bassist, Bobby Slone, as well as a who’s who of rising Bluegrass stars, including 23-year-old Tony Rice (guitar, lead vocals), 18-year-old Jerry Douglas (Dobro) and 20-year-old Ricky Skaggs (fiddle, viola, mandolin). As the band developed its repertoire, the younger players introduced Crowe to their favorite contemporary folk artists, while Crowe, in turn, began weaving elements of rock and R&B into his arrangements.

In January 1975, the New South entered the studio to record their debut for Rounder Records, then a fledgling roots label based outside of Boston. Captured in two sessions, the album featured a diverse selection of material, including folk songs by Gordon Lightfoot (“You Are What I Am,” “Ten Degrees (Getting Colder)”), Utah Phillips (“Rock Salt & Nails”) and Ian Tyson (“Summer Wages”). The quintet showcased their stunning vocal harmonies with a gospel staple, “Cryin’ Holy,” and put a bluegrass spin on the R&B classic “I’m Walkin’” (famously recorded by Fats Domino in 1957). Despite their progressive approach, the cross-generational band incorporated traditional bluegrass stylings into selections like “Sally Goodin’” and Earl Scruggs’ “Nashville Blues.” They also paid homage to the humble sounds of 1950s country with such songs as “Old Home Place,” “Same Old Day” and the Rodney Crowell-penned “Home Sweet Home Revisited.”

Released later that year, J.D. Crowe & The New South (often famously referred to by its catalog number, “Rounder 0044”) was vibrant, modern and disruptive. Despite sparking controversy among some traditionalists, the trailblazing album ushered in a new era of modern bluegrass, inspiring countless musicians to shift their approach to the genre and, in turn, expanding the reach of bluegrass to fresh audiences. While this incarnation of The New South would last less than a year (Skaggs, Rice, and Douglas would all pursue other projects soon after the album’s release), J.D. Crowe and the New South would live on as one of the most (if not the most) iconic bluegrass albums of all time.

Alison Krauss, a 27-time GRAMMY®-winning bluegrass star, told Bluegrass Unlimited that the album “Influenced every bit of music I ever made, because it was what made me really want to play…. It was the beginning of me loving music.” Multiple IBMA Banjo Player of the Year winner Kristin Scott Benson echoed that sentiment in The Bluegrass Situation: “This particular band presented a tightness and a level of execution that was new—I don’t think there had been a bluegrass record up until that point that was so well done.” She added, “It’s impossible to overstate how good it is and how influential it is.”

50 years later, J.D. Crowe and the New South continues to be revered in the press. Among the highlights, Bluegrass Unlimited called Rounder 0044 “one of the most influential bluegrass albums of all time” with “one of—if not the—most talented band lineups in the history of bluegrass music.” Bluegrass Today noted, “The track list reads today like a greatest hits of contemporary bluegrass.” No Depression hailed it as “a historical ledger of some of bluegrass’ most virtuosic playing and exemplary harmonies,” while AllMusic declared it to be “one of the most…pioneering records in the history of bluegrass.” Last year, J.D. Crowe and the New South was preserved in the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant,” while earlier this year, the album was inducted into the GRAMMY® Hall of Fame.

Click here to pre-order or pre-save J.D. Crowe and the New South.

Tracklist (CD/Digital):

1. Old Home Place (2:45)

2. Some Old Day (2:25)

3. Rock Salt & Nails (2:58)

4. Sally Goodin (3:11)

5. Ten Degrees (2:13)

6. Nashville Blues (3:23)

7. You Are What I Am (2:17)

8. Summer Wages (4:21)

9. I’m Walkin’ (2:05)

10. Home Sweet Home Revisited (3:17)

11. Cryin' Holy (2:19)

12. Why Don't You Tell Me So (2:34)*

13. Cryin' Holy – Version 2 (featuring Emmylou Harris) (2:17)*

*Digital/CD debut