Maryland-based Patuxent Music has a number of reissue CDs in their catalog featuring some of the most esteemed American Bluegrass artists and high on the list is String Time, a 2024 reissue by banjo legend Bill Emerson. Listeners would have to go way back to 1962 to hear any of the 20 tracks on the String Time album but Patuxent makes it easy.

The cool thing here is that each of the 20 tracks on the 39 minute long CD is a bluegrass instrumental featuring Bill Emerson’s banjo backed up by some of the finest bluegrass instrumentalists of the era, including mandolin player Frank Wakefield, dobro ace Kenny Haddock and guitarist Red Allen, who plays on many of the tracks here. Emerson would go on to greater heights but these sides from the start of his career makes a great introduction.

The String Time CD features knowledgeable liner notes by Alan Munde along with colorful album artwork. Patuxent features a number of bluegrass albums in their vast catalog along with a wide range of CD / DL reissues and new music from world of blues, jazz, old time, swing, country and Dixieland sounds. Although Bill Emerson passed away in August 2021, String Time makes a great introduction to his still amazing banjo-picking wizardry.