There’s an entire side of the bluegrass universe that owes its existence to John Hartford. Hartford’s name is a focal point of the bluegrass and newgrass canon and his musicianship, on both the banjo and fiddle, has now been doted over for generations. But until recently, little has been known about his late-in-life, academic approach to fiddle music.

After Hartford passed away in 2001, his family discovered over two-thousand original, hand-written fiddle tune charts in file cabinets under his desk, and in time, the idea for a way to honor Hartford’s passion came to fruition. Nashville-based fiddler Matt Combs spent months lovingly pouring over Hartford’s journals and notes to compile resources for what would become a rebirth of the long-lost, never-before-heard material; The John Hartford Fiddle Tune Project, Volume 1. The tunes were brought to life by a cast of some of the world’s greatest bluegrass musicians, all lifetime fans of Hartford’s music, and a few even members of his longtime band.

The following cast of musicians all played a part in The John Hartford Fiddle Tune Project, Volume 1:

Matt Combs, Brittany Haas, Megan Lynch Chowning, Tim O’Brien, Shad Cobb, Forrest and Kate Lee O’Connor, Ronnie McCoury, Sierra Hull, Mike Compton, Tristan Scroggins, Dominick Leslie, Jan Fabricius, Noam Pikelny, Alison Brown, Mark Howard, Chris Eldridge, Rachel Combs, Chris Sharp, Jordan Tice, Dennis Crouch, Paul Kowert, Mike Bub, and Kristin Andreassen.

Producers: Matt Combs and Katie Harford Hogue

Engineers: Cameron Davidson, Alex Skelton, Li Hogue, Justin Moses

“When John Hartford died in 2001, we lost a musical voice and first-rate humorist whose songwriting carried us down the Mississippi on riverboats and whose musical genius is with us still, in his songs and in the modern-day musicians he’s inspired. It’s our good fortune that he left behind a treasure trove.”

-No Depression

“Despite his aversion to pop and commercial music, everyone who knew Hartford insists he would be amused by this late-period renaissance of his music.”

-Rolling Stone