Old Hat Records is a labor of love for Raleigh history and music buff, Marshall Wyatt. Founded in 1997, Old Hat is not about releasing the next new folk or bluegrass band, but remastering and preserving the old ones. Wyatt includes pages of historical research in each CD booklet, making each one a mini time capsule of musical history. The packaging of Good For What Ails You was nominated for 2 Grammy awards; Best Album Notes and Best Historical Album. Out of the releases I have, this one remains a favorite not only for its wealth of historical information, but also for Track 12, Beans, which is requested so often by friends riding in my car that I have left the CD in my player for two months now.
A few weeks ago, Wyatt hosted a release party for the label’s newest compilation, In The Pines, a collection of North Carolina folk tunes from the 1920s and 30s. People milled about munching on pine logs and bright little cookies shaped like guitars while listening to six bluegrass bands taking turns playing old favorites featured on the album. You could tell by the excitement of the crowd after each song that this collection of music has really hit home for enthusiasts, and that In the Pines is a welcomed addition to the Old Hat collection.
I highly recommend checking out the Old Hat Records website for more historical information about North Carolina’s musical past- including bios, photos, and some of Wyatt’s extensive research.
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