Loved and admired by all who knew her, Ola Belle Reed was among many southern mountain folk who moved from their native North Carolina to the Maryland/Delaware/Pennsylvania area to find work. She helped to establish the legendary New River Ranch in Rising Sun, Maryland, and later was a fixture at Sunset Park (in Pennsylvania, but just a few miles from New River Ranch.. In earlier days she was a member of the North Carolina Ridge Runners, later teamed with her brother Alex Campbell to record two good albums for Starday. She also was recorded by Rounder Records and Folkways in the 1970s, and it is from the latter recordings that this 19-track compilation was drawn. It is a fine collection that includes impressive versions of her best known songs, HIGH ON A MOUNTAIN, MY EPITAPH, I'VE ENDURED and the powerful SPRINGTIME OF LIFE, mixed in with some typical old time songs that she would perform at the country music parks and on the radio --NINE POUND HAMMER, SWEET EVALINA, BONAPARTE'S RETREAT, etc. The disc includes a wonderful 38 page booklet about her life and musical career (sadly, in the last 15 years of her life she was incapacitated by a severe stroke). This is a wonderful tribute to a great lady who shared wisdom as well as her music with many.
