Sassafras String Band

Happy New Year 2024!

In September 1979 a Maryland-based bluegrass group, The Sassafras String Band, recorded a whole heap o’ songs just outside Washington DC at Storeroom Sound Studios in Langley Park, Maryland. This upload is the entire output from that one evening of recording. Though not an employee of the studio, I was in attendance; assisting recording engineer Greg B. 

At the time I was a recording engineer at another studio (in Baltimore) and Greg was my friend. He knew I liked bluegrass music and invited me to be in on the session.

This transfer is from an audio cassette I made from the 1/4” 15 ips mixmaster 44 years ago at the Baltimore studio where I was employed. Please bear in mind that 44 years is a long time for an audio cassette to be on the shelf. Tape oxide deteriorates. Additionally, my entire tape collection crossed the Atlantic twice by ship (I lived in France for 11 years). 

Using modern digital software available to me today here in 2024 I have painstakingly tried to restore the audio on the original 1979 cassette. I have always enjoyed the Sassafras String Band!

I do not own this music. I provide it here out of love — not only because I remember fondly the session but because the quality of the musicianship. They were nice guys to boot!

I would like nothing better than to be contacted by a member of the Sassafras String Band here in 2024. I think they were from Clinton, Maryland. The members would have been about 26 years old in 1979. I wonder if the band is still together after all these years?

If a member of the Sassafras String Band would like for me to take this post down and remove the music, I will cheerfully comply.

My name is Steve and I can be found at bakervoice@gmail.com

 

UPDATE 10/14/24

I am thrilled to post that two members/associates of the Sassafras String Band, Neal and Dana, have contacted me regarding their music being featured on WWM last January 1st. Wow....it took less than 11 months for this to happen. Thank you Internet! They report that all of the guys are still around and playing music though geography keeps them from playing together as much as they would like. A reunion is not out of the question.

 

I was corrected: The band has never self-identified as a 'bluegrass' band; rather, they prefer the term 'string band'. My apologies to the guys in the group for originally mislabling them in my original blurb above.