The Core Songs CD Series

Five volumes. One hundred songs.

Order All Five CDs

Only $49.
(That's 33% off!)

Order Individual CDs

CDs: $15 each

Order an MP3-CD

Core Songs: The Complete Collection in MP3
All 100 songs on one CD, in MP3 format. Playable in any computer. “iPod ready.” Just 39¢ per song.
Note: Many audio CD players won't play MP3-CDs. For example, you may have to burn your own audio CD(s) from the computer to hear them in your car.

We hand-selected 100 songs to represent a solid foundation of American mountain music, choosing many of the songs most often played in bluegrass and old-time jams. Each volume of Core Songs has twenty full-length recordings from the Abbott family and friends. They include two, three, and four-part harmonies, and demonstrate very effectively how all the instruments work together—playing leads and backup—to make beautiful music.

Listen to the songs on the CDs by clicking on a song name below!

Volume One Songs (with keys)

  1. Columbus Stockade Blues (D)
  2. Give Me the Roses (F)
  3. When the Bees Are in the Hive (G)
  4. Reuben's Train (D)
  5. Little Log Cabin in the Lane (D)
  6. Lonesome Road Blues (G)
  7. Meet Me by the Moonlight (D)
  8. East Virginia (C)
  9. Sally Ann (D)
  10. Will You Miss Me (A)
  11. Bury Me Beneath the Willow (D)
  12. Little Birdie (A)
  13. Darling Nelly Gray (C)
  14. Oh Susanna (D)
  15. Bring Back to Me My Wandering Boy (G)
  16. Short Life of Trouble (F)
  17. Rabbit in the Log (C)
  18. Water Bound (D)
  19. New River Train (D)
  20. Hard Times Come Again No More (E)

Volume Two Songs (with keys)

  1. Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms (A)
  2. Down Among the Budded Roses (D)
  3. Johnson Boys (G)
  4. Hold to God's Unchanging Hand (F)
  5. I Never Will Marry (Bb)
  6. Worried Man Blues (Bb)
  7. Crawdad Song (D)
  8. Darling Cory (D)
  9. Drifting Too Far from the Shore (E)
  10. Late Last Night (G)
  11. Midnight on the Stormy Deep (D)
  12. Lonesome Valley (Bb)
  13. In the Pines (D)
  14. Black Eyed Susie (C)
  15. Palms of Victory (D)
  16. Jesse James (G)
  17. Sad and Lonesome Day (D)
  18. Where the Soul of Man Never Dies (F)
  19. Red Rocking Chair (Dm)
  20. Who Will Sing for Me (A)

Volume Three Songs (with keys)

  1. Girl I Loved in Sunny Tennessee (G)
  2. Fair and Tender Ladies (Bb)
  3. Take this Hammer (G)
  4. Ground Hog (G)
  5. Life's Railway to Heaven (G)
  6. Banjo Picking Girl (A)
  7. Lord I'm Coming Home (F)
  8. Sittin' on Top of the World (G)
  9. Banks of the Ohio (D)
  10. Paul and Silas (G)
  11. Pretty Polly (E)
  12. She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain (G)
  13. Don't This Road Look Rough and Rocky (G)
  14. John Henry (D)
  15. I Am a Pilgrim (A)
  16. Cowboy Jack (Bb)
  17. My Home's Across the Blue Ridge Mountains (G)
  18. Down in the Willow Garden (F)
  19. Handsome Molly (G)
  20. Working on a Building (D)

Volume Four Songs (with keys)

  1. Nine Pound Hammer (A)
  2. May I Sleep in Your Barn Tonight (E)
  3. Hold Fast to the Right (D)
  4. Molly and Tenbrooks (B)
  5. Corrina (G)
  6. My Native Home (Bb)
  7. Old Joe Clark (D)
  8. Down in the Valley (C)
  9. Standing in the Need of Prayer (Bb)
  10. Are You Tired of Me My Darling (A)
  11. Rain and Snow (D)
  12. Roving Gambler (G)
  13. Angel Band (A)
  14. Wild Bill Jones (G)
  15. On Top of Old Smoky (Bb)
  16. Just Over in the Glory Land (A)
  17. Oh Those Tombs (E)
  18. Long Journey Home (G)
  19. Dream of a Miner's Child (F)
  20. Rocky Island (G)

Volume Five Songs (with keys)

  1. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot (G)
  2. More Pretty Girls Than One (D)
  3. Hot Corn, Cold Corn (Bb)
  4. Precious Memories (E)
  5. Cindy (C)
  6. This World Is Not My Home (D)
  7. Bring Back My Blue Eyed Boy to Me (G)
  8. Don't Let Your Deal Go Down (F)
  9. Leaning on the Everlasting Arms (C)
  10. Going to Georgia (D)
  11. Rye Whiskey (G)
  12. John Hardy (E)
  13. Stepstone (G)
  14. Man of Constant Sorrow (E)
  15. Waves on the Sea (B)
  16. All the Good Times Are Past and Gone (A)
  17. Little Maggie (G)
  18. Little Bessie (D)
  19. Shady Grove (G)
  20. Pass Me Not (E)

This CD is really a treat. Perfect for learning or listening enjoyment. Thanks to you I am beginning to be educated in an "Old Time" music which I never knew existed.

–Topher
Gilroy, CA

Note to Traditional Songs CD owners

If you bought our now-discontinued Traditional Songs CD Series, you are likely eligible for a discount on these new Core Songs CDs. Please contact us for details.

Review of The Traditional Songs (an older CD series by us)

    When Kyle and Luke were youngsters, parents Carl and Leslie decided to develop family music playing time. From these early family gatherings, the family developed a program to help everyone learn how to play instruments and sing in a supportive and social setting. Their "Mountain Music for Everyone" books and CDs not only provide music insights and help with making music on some of the popular bluegrass instruments, but also provide an extensive set of song lyrics and chord changes for over 300 old-time and bluegrass songs.

    This new edition [of the CD] focuses on 25 popular songs and includes the kickoffs and leads for the songs. Using full versions of the songs gives the learner a chance to learn an entire song by repeating the selection and "learning by ear." Musical keys are also included so the learner can start changing chords along with the CD. Carl sings most of the leads with a strong, confident voice suggesting the hills and valleys of times past. Luke also takes center stage with his harmony vocals and talents on several instruments: dobro, banjo, fiddle, and guitar. Leslie plays bass and sings the tenor parts while Kyle adds some tasty mandolin leads. It's a great family effort, and anyone is invited to join the "family" with voices and instruments held high!

      - Brenda Hough, NCBS Board Member
            written for local bluegrass newsletters