Beyond The Willow Tree is a hauntingly beautiful anthology of folk songs chronicling the experience of a young black man growing up in the segregated south. A balanced mix of covers and originals, Cleveland Francis' body of work seamlessly blends deep, soulful vocals with the stripped down acoustic instrumentation of folk. In the late 60's Francis coined the term "soulfolk", playing his genre bending music across college campuses and coffee shops while earning a medical degree at William & Mary. These songs serve as a missing link between soul and folk music, suppressed by the harsh political landscape of a music industry heavily influenced by racial stereotypes. "If you were black, you played blues or soul music... I wanted to play folk music," Cleveland professed. Included in this double LP set is Cleveland Francis' entire 1970 self released album Follow Me, featuring the original artwork and liner notes printed inside the gatefold. The second LP takes you Beyond The Willow Tree with unreleased demos recorded in 1968 along with one 45 only single recorded in 1970. "These recordings are a look into my soul through a long and lonely journey to understand feelings of my childhood, poverty, racial segregation, bigotry, war, love and hope. It represents my attempt to express and come to terms with all that I have seen and felt as a Black man growing up in America." - Cleveland Francis
Release date:
August 26, 2022
Label:
Install our app to receive notifications when new upcoming releases are added.

Recommended equipment and accessories
-
Vevor Ultrasonic Cleaner
Thoroughly clean and restore your vinyl records, removing dust, dirt, and grime from every groove without damaging the surface
-
Nobsound Little Bear T7 Tube Preamp
Delivers rich, warm audio through its high-quality vacuum tubes, featuring multiple inputs and adjustable gain
-
Cartridges - Top Picks
A selection of turnatble cartridges that provide great performance and sound quality
-
Denon DP-400
Featuring a high-precision, belt-driven mechanism and an adjustable tonearm that ensures optimal tracking and minimal resonance
-
HumminGuru: Ultrasonic Vinyl Record Cleaner
Advanced ultrasonic technology with customizable cleaning cycles and a large tank capacity to thoroughly remove dust, dirt, and contaminants
Featured Upcoming Vinyl
-
David Gilmour THE LUCK and STRANGE CONCERTS (Amazon Exclusive Edition) [4xLP]
Legacy Recordings
October 17, 2025 -
Tate McRae The One Day
Nettwerk Records
October 17, 2025 -
Rainbow Kitten Surprise bones
Atlantic
September 26, 2025 -
OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) Crush: 40th Anniversary (Deluxe) [2xLP]
Universal UK
October 17, 2025 -
Between the Buried and Me Blue Nowhere (Blue & White Haze) [4xLP]
Century Media Int'l
September 19, 2025 -
Newton Faulkner OCTOPUS (White)
Cooking Vinyl
September 19, 2025 -
PeelingFlesh PF Radio 2
Unique Leader Orch
October 10, 2025 -
Buckingham Nicks Buckingham Nicks
Rhino Records
September 19, 2025 -
Perrie Perrie
Sony UK
October 3, 2025 -
Alan Parsons Project I Robot (Super Deluxe Edition Box Set) [2xLP]
Cooking Vinyl
October 17, 2025 -
Ups and Downs Stained Glass Memories (Random: Red, Yellow Or Blue)
Basket Case Records
September 19, 2025 -
Descendents Milo Goes to College (Gray)
Org Music
September 19, 2025 -
The Barrens Corpse Lights
Pelagic
September 19, 2025 -
The Aces Gold Star Baby (Gold)
Vector
October 24, 2025