The Root Cellar

I've created this blog for the purpose of sharing my collection of vintage American "Roots" music with others.

I will be posting many forms of American Roots music including blues, country blues, ragtime, mountain music, and bluegrass.

The music posted on this blog will mainly be taken from the 1920's and 1930's although occasionally I may post something from the early 1940's as well. However all of the music that I post will be acoustic based.

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Sun May 18

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

“Paul And Silas In Jail” - Washington Phillips (ca. 1928)

Since today is the first Sunday of the Root Cellar’s existence I thought that I would post a “spiritual” song.

If there was an award given for the “most beautiful” early American roots music that award would undoubtedly go to Washington Phillips. Phillips recorded what is the most unbelievably majestic music that I have ever heard in all of my years of collecting early American music.

Phillips played either a fretless zither, dolceola, celestophone, or Phonoharp (no one really knows) on the 16 recordings he made between 1927 and 1929. Whatever the instrument was that Phillips played he was a virtuoso with it. Phillips could make his instrument sound like a music box or a carousel depending on the effect he was trying to achieve.

Not much is known about Washington Phillips other than he was born on January 11, 1880 in the state of Texas and died on September 20, 1954 in Teague, Texas from head injuries he sustained after falling down a flight of stairs.

“Paul And Silas In Jail” was recorded for the “Columbia” label sometime between 1927 and 1929. The song recounts the biblical story of Paul and Silas from The Book Of Acts.