For those not in the know, in mid-December 1997, a remarkable group of musicians gathered at Charles Sawtelle’s studio in Boulder, Colorado to record Si Kahn’s bluegrass classic, Been A Long Time.

Despite glowing reviews, Been a Long Time lacked the distribution, marketing, and radio promotion the album needed.

For a score of years, the album has languished as an underappreciated gem discovered by lucky fans at his record table.

However, the discovery of 1000 booklets by Carl Apter of Sliced Bread Records led to producing a new run of CDs celebrating the 20th anniversary of an album important in bluegrass and folk music that deserves a wider audience.

1. Going Down to the Old Home Place
2. Houses on the Hill
3. Hear That Sound
4. Been A Long Time
5. Long Way To Harlan
6. Just A Lie
7. Tarpaper Snacks
8. First Time Lover
9. Dancing with the Johnson Boys
10. Brown Lung Blues
11. Grandma
12. Where the Song Never Ends

This exhilaratingly beautiful, and oh-so well-honed album opens on the lusciously crafted Going Down to the Old Home Place and the majestically-imbed balladry of Houses on the Hill and backs those up with the foot-tapping Hear That Sound, the aching, scenic yearn of Been A Long Time, and then we get the delightful reminiscing (along with Laurie Lewis) of Long Way To Harlan.

Up next is the depressional era storytelling of Just A Lie and the soft bluegrass hop-skip of Tarpaper Snacks which are in turn followed by the delicate embrace of First Time Lover (once again with Lewis), the expressional barn jam of Dancing with the Johnson Boys, the gently fervent Brown Lung Blues, the album rounding out on the bluegrass solace of Grandma, closing on the whispering gossamer of the group-sung Where the Song Never Ends.

This 20th anniversary release of Been A Long Time is dedicated to Carl Apter, whose steadfast friendship and passion for music made possible both this and the original album.

Si Kahn - Hear That Sound [Official Music Video]

Official Website

Amazon CD Purchase Link