MY MUSIC, IN APPROXIMATE CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER, starting at the upper left with (1) "All Come Home," a set of original songs, followed by (2) "The Country Life," a set of traditional tunes. (3) "Westward" is a collaboration with Gayla Drake Paul. (4) "Acoustic Muse" and (5)"The Lion's Cage" are original works. The next four represent a pendulum swing into traditional music. (6) "Prairie Schooner" is a set of old folk songs featuring banjo and mandolin. (7) "Hard Times" contains some great American folk and blues standards, with one original instrumental. (8) "Airs & Flings" is a foray into Irish music, alternating tender ballads with upbeat instrumental work. (9) "Get Used to the Light" features several original blues tunes and several original ballads. (10) "Way Downtown" is upbeat bluegrass and old-time, with fiddle and banjo.

(11) "What You Leave Behind" is original blues work, bringing piano into the mix. (12) "It's a Small, Small Town" combines original monologue work with Celtic flatpicking. (13) "Bright Morning Stars" is all traditional, with a hymn, an Irish lullabye, some Child ballads, and two comedy songs. (14) "Music from the Moon" is a set of guitar compositions I created one winter, after adapting the dropped-D banjo tuning to guitar. (15) "Flang That Thang" is banjo music, with four vocal tunes. (16) "Backroads Blues" is original and traditional blues. (17) "All the Livelong Day" is Celtic flatpicking, with two Celtic ballads and some original guitar work. (18) "The Utmost Farthing" contains some of my favorite folksongs, with an original guitar composition and a tender song about fatherhood.

(19) "Bitter Sweet" contains some of my favorite old-time and bluegrass tunes, with the Irish tune "Pretty Peg" and the vaudeville song "Don't You Dare Touch It." (20) "Wheel of Misfortune," in bluesy style, offers ten original songs, one with lyrics by my brother Terry, and introduces fiddle into the mix. (21) "Bluegrass and Blues" is just that—acoustic country blues standards and hard-driving bluegrass. (22) "Mountaintop" contains 11 original songs—mostly love songs—and the slave ballad "No More Cane." (23) "Rebirth" is mostly blues—half original and half traditional. (24) "Emptiness" is nine original songs and one fiddle tune, including the ethereal "Roses & Wine" and a ballad about folksinger Jim Garland (a labor organizer, protest singer, and friend of Pete Seeger's). (25) "Ninety-Nine Point Three" is original blues and folk, with a cover of Ewan McColl's "Dirty Old Town."

(26) "Nemesis" incorporates the modal tuning used in "Music from the Moon" and depicts a number of the Greek gods and goddesses musically. (27) "Crumble to Dust" has some country flavor, a little jazz, and an upbeat blues tune, along with two more portraits of the Greek gods. (28) "Echo and Narcissus" contains two more Greek god songs, along with some old bluegrass standards.(29) "Wide Open Spaces" contains a cover tune I think of as beatnik bop, with some upbeat blues, a Dave Macon song, a Utah Philips song, and some original work.(30) "The Well of Song" combines three new original songs, four traditional songs, and covers of John Hurt, Lawrence Wilson, and Elizabeth Cotten. (31) "Pictures in My Mind" features four new original songs, with covers of Fats Waller's "Loafin' Time," Dave Mason's "Lonely Ones," and Van Morrison's "Irish Heartbeat." (32) "Map of Paradise" includes four original songs, the old shape-note hymn "Samanthra," the blues standard "Delia," and my version of the Cajun song "Jolie Blon." (33) "Game of Perception" has a decidedly country flavor, though several of the songs owe something to blues and jazz. Half of the songs on this CD are new vocal songs. Four are new instrumentals. The remaining song is the blue version of Robert Burns' "Green Grow the Rushes-O."

(34) "Transformation" is a mixture of original modal work with dobro, piano, guitar, and voice; and some traditional tunes with three-part harmonies. Three of the songs are about the Greek gods, a theme started in "Nemesis" and carried through sporadically on subsequent CDs. (35) "Cronos" is a mixed bag of blues, a Greek god song, and the 1920s jazz standard "Sometimes I'm Happy." (36) "Poseidon" features six new original works, two traditional bluegrass songs, and a long lament for a lost queen. (37) "One Just Man" features a number of longer poem-like songs, along with a handful of old-time country and gospel tunes. (38) "On the Road" features three new free-form lyrical ballads, along with some traditional instrumentals and a couple of old blues tunes from Blind Blake and the Rev. John Wilkins. (39) "Heartwood" features an adaptation of a 1920s blues tune, "Bad Luck Blues," by Blind Lemon Jefferson, several original lyrical tunes with banjo, dobro, and guitar; some instrumental work on guitar and banjo, an an arrangement of the traditional blues tune "Another Man Done Gone."

(40) "Old Blues" is a set of ten old blues tunes I've arranged and performed from artists like Blind Boy Fuller, Robert Johnson, Blind Willie Johnson, and Leadbelly. (41) "Old Pictures" features blues, swing, some original ballads, and a couple of Doo Wop tunes from the 1050s. (42) "The Midwest" is half new original work and half old blues songs from Blind Blake, Sleepy John Estes, and others. (43) "Pantheon" is a compilation of my songs of the Greek gods. 15 of the 20 songs on this CD are taken from previous CDs. Five new songs appear here: "Hera," "Athena," "Aphrodite," "Pantheon" (an introductory gloss of the Greek gods), and "The Daemon." (44) "Life of Rhyme" is ten new original works: bluesy cuts with inventive lyrics and a variety of beats. "Flathead" is the story of a big catfish. "Sorry to See Her Go" is about a funeral. "Life of Rhyme" is a humorous song about writing songs. (45) "The Barn Out Back" is a collection of seven original vocal songs. Most of them are lyrical songs, some using a modal-tuned guitar (DADGAD or CGCGCD). The title songs is a rocking tune. (46) "Heartsick Lovesick Fool" is a progression of stories about relationships, from childhood to middle age. It features 12 original lyrical songs with voice, guitar, dobro, and bass.

(47) "Song Mill" is an exploration of the relationship between poetry and music. Several of the songs are poetry loosely coupled with chord progressions. The title song, by contrast, is an old-timey tune. At the end of the CD is a seven and a half minute musical rendition of the ancient Welsh poem "Hanes Taliesin." (48) "Lonesome" is a tribute to great country music, including covers of four songs by Hank Williams, Sr., two bluegrass tunes, a Texas swing tune, and one by the Carter Family. (49) "Snow Across the Road" is generally about the experience of growing up musically, from touring with a rock and blues band to experiencing the old-time music scene. "Bringing the Horizon" is a jazz tune. (49) "Snow Across the Road" combines several hard-driving original blues tunes with some more reflective work, including the title song. (50) "Ship of Love" includes nine new original songs, ranging from the rockabilly song "The Dirt on Me" to the haunting "Courtroom of Conscience." (51) "Country Blues" is named after my arrangement of a Doc Boggs songs from 1927. This CD features several original introspective ballads, several old-time country tunes, and a Blind Lemon Jefferson blues tune, "Broke and Hungry Blues."

(52) "Locks & Keys" begins my exploration of the Child Ballads, a collection of songs reaching into the Middle Ages, surviving and adapting to new cultures. "Mackerel of the Sea" is one such ballad. Another is "Tam Lin." This CD also contains my adaptation of Blind Boy Fuller's "I Want Some of Your Pie." "Rusty Old Boat" is my midlife self-assessment, in a nautical context. (53) "Our Daily Song" features four blues tunes from the early 20th century, three new original works, a Child Ballad, and a banjo/mando rendition of an old-time waltz. (54) "Ballads & Jigs" continues my foray into the Child Ballads, with six ballads arranged for voice, guitars, mandolin, and banjo—along with three Irish jigs to lighten the mood. (55) "Just One More Song" starts with the Depression-era ballad, "Down on Penny's Farm," then features a Blind Lemon Jefferson song, "Matchbox Blues." At the heart of this CD are four new original works, followed by my adaptations of three Child ballads. (56) "Songs of Love and Shipwreck" is a metaphorical title. There is one shipwreck song, the Bahaman calypso tune "Run Come See." The rest of the CD includes four new original songs, some old blues tunes, and a Woody Guthrie song.

(57) "Old & Broken" comprises four old blues standards, two new original country ballads, covers of Randy Newman's "Mr. President" and Hoagy Carmichael's "Skylark," and an up-tempo version of "I Know You Rider." (58) "Black Dog Blues" contains three old blues tunes, a Bahaman Calypso song, two instrumentals with banjo and dobro, and several new original lyrical works. (59) "The Lost Soul" features an old-time gospel tune (the title track), a song by Archie Fisher ("Witch of the Westmereland"), an old-time country song ("Been All Around This World"), two new introspective ballads ("Two Doves" and "Trout"), a pair of songs based in Celtic myth ("Finn MacCool" and "Hen Wen"), and several instrumentals ("Hot Dog," "Temperance Reel," and "Dobrology"). (60) "River Night Song" features eight new original works and two traditional songs. (61) "Try Love" features the old-timey ballad "A Picture from Life's Other Side," two new bluesy numbers ("On the Strip" and "I Never Knew Love"), a rendition of Julie Gold's "Try Love," and a cover of John Kay's "My Sporting Life." (62) "Headin' Down the Road" consists of eight new original songs and three traditional tunes. "Winding Roads" and "Jump and Jive" are upbeat, swinging blues. "One Meatball" and "Nobody Knows You" are old blues standards. "White House" blues is an upbeat traditional song about the assassination of President McKinley.

(63) "Good Old Songs" are my arrangements and adaptations of ten American folk and country songs, ranging from poetic and melancholy to upbeat and downright hilarious. (64) "Small Town Sunday" combines old blues, new original work on guitar, banjo, dobro, and piano; and a couple of nostalgia tunes from the 1940s and 1960s. (65) "Alchemy" compares human development to a chemical process. This CD includes covers of Don Gibson's "Troubles of My Own," Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child," the old-time tune "Black-Eyed Suzie," and a handful of new original songs, ranging from narrative ballads to upbeat acoustic rock. (66) "The Source of Song" combines old-time country ballads and fiddle tunes, five new original songs, and my arrangement of the 1927 blues tune "James Alley Blues" by Richard "Rabbit" Brown. (67) "The Turning Point" includes three old blues tunes and one old country song, remakes of two of my earlier songs, and a handful of new songs. (68) "Menagerie" is predominantly American folksongs culled from historical sources, along with a Sonny Terry blues tune, "The Sporting Life," and a new original work, "Swinging Door." This CD features much banjo work, along with mandolin and fiddle.

(69) "Wild Over Me" draws upon American and Celtic tradition, with three historical blues tunes by Robert Lee McCoy and Casey Bill Weldon; several Child ballads; a cowboy ballad; and an original comic tune. (70) The title song of "Over the Factory Wall" is about a man writing home to his sweetheart in Iowa from a factory in the city, at a time when life was hard and factory work unsafe. "Crawdad" and "Single Girl" are upbeat country tunes. "Well Below the Valley" has a man and a maid meeting at the well. "Edward" is my arrangement of a Child ballad about fratricide. "As I Went Out for a Ramble" is the hard-luck story of a hobo in love. (71) "The Man in the Wood" features two Child ballads, an Elmore James blues tune, several new original works, and a musical interpretation of Andrew Marvell's famous seduction poem "To His Coy Mistress."

(72) "Broke Down Blues" is devoted to my arrangements and adaptations of nine blues tunes from the first third of the 20th century. I adapt and perform songs by artists including Charlie Patton, Blind Boy Fuller, and Robert Johnson. (73) "Wild Rippling Waters" combines original blues with old ballads. (74) "Banty Rooster Blues" features several new original gospel-blues songs, adaptations of blues songs by Charlie Patton and Robert Johnson, and a handful of old-time country tunes. (75) "An Angel Fell from Heaven Yesterday" combines two new original songs, remakes of three previously released original works, and four new adaptations of songs from traditional sources. (76) "Bull Doze Blues" includes my adaptations of blues numbers by Robert Johnson and Henry Thomas; two new original works; reprises of three of my earlier recordings; and two old-time banjo tunes. (77) "Jack O' Diamonds" combines old-time country arrangements with old blues arrangements, from the marrow of the American musical tradition. (78) "Casey Jones" is largely a tribute to the works of two early American blues musicians—Gus Cannon and Henry Thomas. Also on this CD are my interpretations of two railroad songs ("Railroad Bill" and "Casey Jones") and one original song ("The Scapegoat").

(79) "The Drunken Poet" is ten new original songs colored by blues influences from previous works. (80) "The Wolf" combines five new original works with five historical blues renditions of songs by Henry Thomas, Gus Cannon, and Washington Phillips. (81) "Orpheus" consists of five new songs plus historical works by Henry Thomas and Washington Phillips. Styles range from lyrical verse and upbeat light rock to country and down-home. "Down Home" features my interpretations of historic blues material by Gus Cannon, Charlie Jordan, and Charley Patton. Also included are two bluegrass songs and a comic gospel tune, "God Don't Like It." (83) "Boat's Up the River" is a collection of old-time country and blues tunes with influences from Big Bill Broonzy, Fred McDowell, Clarence Ashley, and Dock Boggs. (84) "The Willow Tree" consists of my adaptations of old-time country and old blues tunes, along with two a capella vocal numbers.