Music of Coal: Mining Songs from the Appalachian Coalfields is a 70-page book and two CD compilation of old and new music from southern Appalachian coalfields. The project was produced by Jack Wright and is a benefit for the Lonesome Pine Office on Youth in Wise County, Virginia.

The songs included cover a range of topics related to coal culture such as mining accidents and black lung disease. Some of the artists are natives of the U.S. coal mining region while others have less direct ties. Both vintage recordings and contemporary music have been combined with detailed liner notes giving context to both the songs and the artists. Musicologist Archie Green adds a "Sanctus" note to Wright's "Introduction."

In the preliminary round of nominations for the 50th Grammy Awards the boxed set was under consideration for a number of awards, including, Best Recording Package, Best Liner Notes and Best Historical Album. The compilation did not, however, make it the final round of nominees.

Track listing

Volume one

  1. "Down in a Coal Mine (Excerpt)" - 1:25 The Edison Concert Band
  2. "Mining Camp Blues" - 2:59 Trixie Smith
  3. "Sprinkle Coal Dust on My Grave" - 2:46 Orville J. Jenks
  4. "Coal Miner's Blues" - 3:04 The Carter Family
  5. "Hard Times in Coleman’s Mine" - 2:36 Aunt Molly Jackson
  6. "He’s Only a Miner Killed in the Ground" - 2:35 Ted Chestnut
  7. "Coal Black Mining Blues" - 1:13 Nimrod Workman
  8. "‘31 Depression Blues" - 2:52 Ed Sturgill
  9. "Prayer of a Miner's Child" - 1:51 Dock Boggs
  10. "That Twenty-Five Cents You Paid" - 2:25 Sarah Ogan Gunning
  11. "The L & N Don’t Stop Here Anymore" - 3:10 Jean Ritchie
  12. "Dark as a Dungeon" - 1:55 Merle Travis
  13. "Come All You Coal Miners" - 2:21 Reel World String Band
  14. "My Sweetheart’s the Mule in the Mines" - 0:22 Mike Kline
  15. "Thirty Inch Coal" - 2:36 Hobo Jack Adkins
  16. "Black Waters" - 3:38 Jim Ringer
  17. "Roof Boltin’ Daddy" - 2:26 Gene Carpenter
  18. "Dream of a Miner’s Child" - 2:46 Carter Stanley
  19. "Coal Miner's Boogie" - 2:57 George Davis
  20. "The Yablonski Murder" - 3:00 Hazel Dickens
  21. "What Are We Gonna Do?" - 3:01 Dorothy Myles
  22. "Explosion at Derby Mine" - 4:02 Charlie Maggard
  23. "Blind Fiddler" - 3:05 Jim “Bud” Stanley
  24. "Loadin’ Coal" - 2:29 John Hutchison
  25. "Coal Town Saturday Night" - 3:06 Randall Hylton
  26. "It’s Been a Long Time" - 3:15 Sonny Houston & Roger Hall
  27. "Fountain Filled with Blood" - 3:56 Elder James Caudill & Choir

Volume two

  1. "West Virginia Mine Disaster" - 2:48 Molly Slemp
  2. "Union Man" - 3:36 Blue Highway
  3. "Blue Diamond Mines" - 4:26 Robin & Linda Williams
  4. "Set Yourself Free" - :50 Billy Gene Mullins
  5. "Redneck War" - 5:22 Ron Short
  6. "Sixteen Tons" - 2:32 Ned Beatty
  7. "There Will Be No Black Lung in Heaven" - 2:05 Rev. Joe Freeman
  8. "Deep Mine Blues" - 3:45 Nick Stump
  9. "I’m a Coal Mining Man" - 2:22 Tom T. Hall
  10. "Dirty Black Coal" - 4:27 Kenneth Davis
  11. "Black Lung" - 3:21 AJ Roach
  12. "Coal Dust Kisses" - 4:06 Suzanne Mumpower-Johnson
  13. "Coal Tattoo" (Billy Edd Wheeler) - 4:06 Dale Jett
  14. "A Strip Miner’s Life" - 3:00 Don Stanley & Middle Creek
  15. "Daddy’s Dinner Bucket" - 3:26 Ralph Stanley II
  16. "In Those Mines" - 3:43 Valerie Smith
  17. "Miner’s Prayer" - 3:14 Ralph Stanley & Dwight Yoakam
  18. "Dyin’ To Make A Livin’" - 3:47 W.V. Hill (of Foddershock)
  19. "You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive" - 6:06 Darrell Scott
  20. "They Can’t Put It Back" - 2:31 Jack Wright
  21. "Which Side Are You On?" - 5:04 Natalie Merchant

Further reading/listening

External links