(Excerpt from the CD liner notes)

Boris Mashalov is still revered for his unusual expressiveness as a singer of folk songs. Born in 1914 in the town of Sevlievo into a family of singers, he learned his most beautiful songs from his father, even though his mother's singing was a constant companion in everyday life. Boris was initially intent on a classical singing career, but he was encouraged by a well-known opera singer of the time, Subcho Subev, and by Sirak Skitnik, the director of Radio Sofia, to pursue folk singing instead. His first recordings were made in Prague in 1937, followed immediately by live broadcasts at Radio Sofia. He was often accompanied by the famous accordionist Boris Karlov, and they toured extensively both within Bulgaria and abroad. A testimony to Boris's stature as a performer is the fact that no one has had the courage to rerecord his songs, even though he has been dead for many years.