Brother Boys On the Honky Tonk Highway with the Brother Boys: New Hillbilly Music (2-CD)

Whether in concert or on recordings, The Brother Boys - bandleaders Ed Snodderly and Eugene Wolf and their various bandmates - for more than three decades have created music reflecting the influence of several roots music styles while remaining original, true to their own sound. Deeply rooted in the past yet ahead of their time, The Brother Boys have been overlooked precisely because their music is not easily categorizable. In 1988, Snodderly, Wolf, and some bandmates recorded the group's eponymous debut album for their own label, New Hillbilly Records. The Brother Boys were steeped in the histories of several musical genres, with a repertoire that drew from - but did not imitate - classic country, folk, old-time, bluegrass, blues, rockabilly, gospel, and singer-songwriter pop. What rendered The Brother Boys' music distinctive was its organic blend of ingredients: Snodderly's and Wolf's authoritative lead vocals and adventurous 'brother duo'-style harmony singing; older but not overly familiar standards mixed with Snodderly's evocative original songs; as well as deft and daring acoustic and electric guitar playing from Snodderly with skilled instrumental support from a merry band of string and percussion wizards.