Gourd Music is proud to present a set of its three critically acclaimed recordings of the music of the Shakers.

The set is composed of Simple Gifts, Tree of Life, and Music On The Mountain arranged and produced by guitarist William Coulter and Cellist Barry Phillips.

To listen to sound samples click on the individual album covers.

Exuberant dance tunes, lively marches, and reverent hymns were part of the daily lives and worship of the Shakers, who flourished in mid-19th century America.

Like their highly-prized crafts, the Shakers’ music was an outward expression of their faith and celebrated their ideals of simplicity and love.

From the title track (made famous by Aaron Copland in Appalachian Spring) to little-known gems from the Shakers’ vast treasury of song, these are melodies born directly of the Shakers’ spiritual life, yet deeply rooted in the Anglo-American folk tradition—music to cheer the heart and lift the spirit.

This collection containes over 64 shaker compositions and features the talents of:
William Coulter (guitars)
Barry Phillips (cello, psaltry, mandola,
harmonium, and percussion)
Mike Marshall (mandolin & fiddle)
Shelley Phillips (oboe, English horn & harp)
Robin Petrie (hammered dulcimer)
Kaila Flexer (violin)
Esther Landau (flute)
Lars Johannesson (wooden & silver flute)
Neal Hellman (mountain dulcimer)
Laurie Hart (fiddle)
Deby Benton Grosjean (fiddle).