In 1998, Eddie McGee, native North Carolinian, made this album, a collection of traditional Appalachian music. It features old time banjo, acoustic guitar, and Eddie's southern vocals. In addition, he enlisted a smattering of local musicians, featuring the bodhran (Irish drums), fiddle, string bass, erhu, and piano. Esther Haynes, native Virginian, sings and plays guitar on the title track, a Ralph Stanley tune entitled "Who Will Sing for Me", which she learned from friends while attending college in Blacksburg, VA. She also sings and plays rhythm guitar on "Someday My Prince Will Come", and background vocals on the Townes Van Zandt tune, "Like a Summer Thursday." Eddie sings and plays the banjo, guitar, and piano. Also included is one track entitled "Bird Language", featuring Lu Tain Hua on the erhu. The album was featured on local radio and received good press.
"Need good music for your trek along the Blue Ridge Parkway this summer? On Who Will Sing for Me? by Durham's own Eddie McGee, you'll find mountain music for every leg of the trip: high-stepping jigs for the rapid rises and descents, bluesy ballads for the slow stretches when the forest opens up and the road smoothes out, and downright mystical numbers for those breathtaking vistas, when the whole world seems to drop away and you swear you can see infinity. McGee sings like a young Doc Watson, but from the well-worn opener, "Shady Grove," through the final, original, "Water Waft," his banjo takes center stage, though he plays classical guitar and piano as well. Jon Newlin bows a sweet and sassy fiddle, Tim Wells sings backup vocals and takes a turn on fiddle, Rob VanVeld and Fan Ming Ji ad an otherworldly touch on bodhran and erhu, respectively, while Leo Lorenzoni fills out the bottom with the string bass. This ensemble recorded under the able guidance of local musical guru Chris Stamey, who also plunks the bass on one tune. And it turns out the answer to the title question is Esther Haynes, whose old fashioned, mountain-laurel voice is the highlight of your summer soundtrack.
- L.D. Russell, Durham Independent, June 23, 1999
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