Ted Olson

"If you like folk music presented by an artist with very solid folklore credentials, you'll enjoy this album. It gets an all-around recommendation for those seeking a good introduction to the earlier string-band vocal music of the Appalachians."

--David Lawson - _Old Time Country_ [magazine]

"On _Workin' on the New Railroad_ Ted Olson sings in a mellow, gentle style, usually to his own folk guitar accompaniment. On a tune called 'The Fox,' Olson demonstrates his mastery of old-time clawhammer banjo technique. Recorded examples of this technique are not numerous, so a chance to hear Olson's excellent playing is particularly welcome.

"The choice of material, plus the high quality of the singing, playing, and writing, makes this recording a delight for lovers of old-time folk songs played in an old-fashioned way."

--Donna Arnold - _The Sonneck Society Bulletin_ [journal]

"I am impressed by the work that has gone into this set, that will educate an outsider about some important cultural and historical features of the Southern Appalachian region. Ted Olson's strong suit is the knowledge of the body of social historical information that he weds to a rather commonplace repertoire. The result is a strongly focused document."

--Neil V. Rosenberg - _Journal of American Folklore_

"Ted Olson, a folklore scholar and performer, has released an interesting and enjoyable release which is almost as much a historical project as it is a musical one. With quite extensive liner notes, he uses this fairly long album to trace the history of the Southern Appalachians. _Workin' on the New Railroad_ provides an interesting and welcome historical perspective on a region often sung about but not well understood."

--Eric A. Savage - _Bluegrass Unlimited_ [magazine]

"_Workin' on the New Railroad_ is a fine anthology of mountain music. Ted Olson's sensitive performances make this collection of folk songs an especially valuable recording of Southern music."

--William Ferris, Former Director, Center for the Study of Southern Culture; Former Chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities - Blurb Written for _Workin' on the New Railroad_

"Ted Olson, an Appalachian scholar, storyteller, singer, and clawhammer banjo player, has presented several lively evening programs for the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, a unit of the National Park Service. Mr. Olson's programs of coal mining and railroading songs have been a big hit with the local audiences at Barthell, a mining community here at Big South Fork. He blends scholarly research into the origins of the songs, an infectious enthusiasm, and a snappy playing style. We look forward to his programs each year."

--Arthur McDade, National Park Service Ranger - Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area press release

"Ted Olson provided an enjoyable and unique presentation during Wilderness Wildlife Week in Pigeon Forge. Ted's blend of music and stories provided those in attendance with a very interesting perspective of what life was like many years ago here in the Southern Appalachians. As a musician Ted plays very well, yet perhaps more important is what he communicates through those songs and through those stories. Ted provides an excellent reminder of what entertainment used to be in a time before TV and when radios weren't in every house. Ted helped us remember a time worth remembering, and all those who attended his performance enjoyed it very much."

--Jay Adams, Director of Special Events, Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism - Pigeon Forge [Tennessee] Department of Tourism official correspondence

"We've had nothing but positive comments from our students regarding Ted Olson's presentation of an outstanding seminar at Wild Acres retreat in Little Switzerland, North Carolina. Ted used his guitar and banjo to good effect when discussing the various types of Appalachian music and their origins. He also spoke on the region's literature and ended with a wonderful recitation of a poem about life in the mountains. The extent of his knowledge is most impressive, as is his genuine love of the people and places of Appalachia."

--Don and Debbie McIntire, Directors, Institute for Continued Learning, East Tennessee State University - East Tennessee State University official correspondence

"'Old folk songs never die. The music is simply reinterpreted by each generation,' said Ted Olson, who will bring a selection of songs and their histories to the Roots of American Music series tonight at Grace Episcopal Church on Church Street in Berryville [Virginia]. Olson's music is 'kind of the essence of this series,' said series organizer William Johnston. 'He's tracing our musical roots from Great Britain into the Appalachian mountains. It seems a perfect fit to me.' In his performance, Olson will show how the songs and ballads from England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland crossed the Atlantic and adapted to a new home in Appalachia and the South. Folk music, Olson, is part of our collective heritage. 'Anyone can reinterpret it and make it their own.' He sees his mission as bringing folk music to a new, younger generation of listeners. 'I think it's important that young people hear this old music. As a folk singer, that's my biggest achievement.'"

--Val Van Meter, Staff Writer, _The Winchester Star_ - _The Winchester Star_ [newspaper]

"Ted Olson first started performing at the Smoky Mountain Folk Festival years ago when he was working on the Blue Ridge Parkway for the National Park Service; people often called him 'the Singing Ranger.' Ted is a roving bard whose charming solo presence, combining voice and a variety of instrumentation, represents the quintessence of clean, clear folk music. Year after year, he brings fresh songs and stories, and presents them simply and directly, honoring the best of the traditions he obviously loves. Ted is always welcome on our stage."

--Joe Sam Queen, Festival Director, Smoky Mountain Folk Festival, Lake Junaluska, North Carolina - Smoky Mountain Folk Festival press release