The Kitchen Tapes was recorded on the afternoon of April 11, 1963, in the Hyattsville, Maryland, kitchen of bluegrass mandolin genius Frank Wakefield. There he and his partner, the legendary singer-guitarist Red Allen - two bluegrass masters in their prime - jammed freely for hours. Surrounded by their wives and kids, a reel-to-reel tape recorder, and a strategically placed microphone, these incomparable musicians played songs that have come to embody the essence of bluegrass: "Nine Pound Hammer," "Over the Hills to the Poorhouse," "Bluegrass Breakdown," "Billy in the Lowground," "Crying Heart Blues," "New Camptown Races," "Down in the Willow Garden," "Raw Hide," and 17 more!
Also present at this gathering were David Grisman and Peter Siegel, both 18-year-old New York University students and budding folk musicians who convinced Red and Frank to let them record an informal session for their learning and listening pleasure.