Click on the title to link to a presentation of the song listed in the headline.
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
*In Folklorist Harry Smith’s House-"Rocky Road" — Alabama Sacred Harp Singers (1928)
Click on the title to link to a presentation of the song listed in the headline.
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
*In Folklorist Harry Smith’s House-"Oh Death Where Is Thy Sting" — Rev. J. M. Gates (1927)
Click on the title to link to a presentation of the song listed in the headline.
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
Song: Oh Death
A long time ago, Lazarus died
All hope seemed gone as his sisters cried
Jesus walked to where he laid
He called his name and he came out of the grave
Oh death, where is thy sting? Oh grave, where is thy victory?
you thought you had a hold on me but you were wrong, I’ve been set free
Oh, jesus hung on a rugged cross, he gave His life for a world once lost
He lay three days in a borrowed grave but when He came out I could hear Him say
Oh death, where thy sting? Oh grave, where is thy victory?
You thought you had a hold on me but you were wrong, I’ve been set free
One day I’ll lay this body down, they’ll dress me up and put me in the ground
But when Jesus comes in the sky, just listen close and you’ll hear me cry
Oh death, where is thy sting? Oh grave, where is thy victory?
You thought you had a hold on me but you were wrong, I’ve been set free
Oh death, where is thy sting? Oh grave, where is thy victory?
You thought you had a hold on me but you were wrong, I’ve been set free
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
Song: Oh Death
A long time ago, Lazarus died
All hope seemed gone as his sisters cried
Jesus walked to where he laid
He called his name and he came out of the grave
Oh death, where is thy sting? Oh grave, where is thy victory?
you thought you had a hold on me but you were wrong, I’ve been set free
Oh, jesus hung on a rugged cross, he gave His life for a world once lost
He lay three days in a borrowed grave but when He came out I could hear Him say
Oh death, where thy sting? Oh grave, where is thy victory?
You thought you had a hold on me but you were wrong, I’ve been set free
One day I’ll lay this body down, they’ll dress me up and put me in the ground
But when Jesus comes in the sky, just listen close and you’ll hear me cry
Oh death, where is thy sting? Oh grave, where is thy victory?
You thought you had a hold on me but you were wrong, I’ve been set free
Oh death, where is thy sting? Oh grave, where is thy victory?
You thought you had a hold on me but you were wrong, I’ve been set free
*In Folklorist Harry Smith’s House-"Must Be Born Again" — Rev. J. M. Gates (1927)
Click on the title to link to a presentation of the song listed in the headline.
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
You Must Be Born Again Lyrics
Long ago, I didn't know nothing about Jesus and His love
I had heard about Him, but I had never felt
this manna which comes down from above
In this life of sin I could no longer stand
I asked my mother how do you get to know the man
She said you must be, don't you see you've got to be ....Born again
You must have that fire and Holy Ghost
that Burning churning keeps the prayer wheel turning
The kind of religion you cannot conceal
It makes you move, makes you shout,
Makes you cry when it's real
I've got my hand right in the windin' chain
My souls been anchored in my Jesus' name
I'm filled within, I've free from sin
You know I've been born again
I started to walk, I had a new walk
I started to talk, I had a new talk
I looked at my hands, my hands looked new
I looked at my feet and they did too
I've got my hand right in the windin' chain
My souls been anchored in my Jesus' name
I'm filled within, I've free from sin
You know I've been born again
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
You Must Be Born Again Lyrics
Long ago, I didn't know nothing about Jesus and His love
I had heard about Him, but I had never felt
this manna which comes down from above
In this life of sin I could no longer stand
I asked my mother how do you get to know the man
She said you must be, don't you see you've got to be ....Born again
You must have that fire and Holy Ghost
that Burning churning keeps the prayer wheel turning
The kind of religion you cannot conceal
It makes you move, makes you shout,
Makes you cry when it's real
I've got my hand right in the windin' chain
My souls been anchored in my Jesus' name
I'm filled within, I've free from sin
You know I've been born again
I started to walk, I had a new walk
I started to talk, I had a new talk
I looked at my hands, my hands looked new
I looked at my feet and they did too
I've got my hand right in the windin' chain
My souls been anchored in my Jesus' name
I'm filled within, I've free from sin
You know I've been born again
*In Folklorist Harry Smith’s House-"Moonshiner's Dance Part One" — Frank Cloutier and the Victoria Cafe Orchestra (1927)
Click on the title to link to a presentation of the song listed in the headline.
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
*In Folklorist Harry Smith’s House-"Newport Blues" — Cincinnati Jug Band (1929)
Click on the title to link to a presentation of the song listed in the headline.
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
*In Folklorist Harry Smith’s House-"Home Sweet Home" — The Breaux Freres (Clifford Breaux, Ophy Breaux, Amedee Breaux) (1933)
Click on the title to link to a presentation of the song listed in the headline.
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
*In Folklorist Harry Smith’s House-"Acadian One Step" — Joseph Falcon (1929)
Click on the title to link to a presentation of the song listed in the headline.
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
*In Folklorist Harry Smith’s House-"Saut Crapaud" — Columbus Fruge (1929)
Click on the title to link to a presentation of the song listed in the headline.
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
*In Folklorist Harry Smith’s House-"Old Dog Blue" — Jim Jackson (1928)
Click on the title to link to a presentation of the song listed in the headline.
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
"Old Dog Blue"
Had an old doggie and I called him Blue
Listen, I'm gonna' tell you what Blue could do
Well I grabbed my gun and I blowed my horn
I am goin' to catch a possum in the new ground corn
Old Blue's got a possum up in a tree
Well I look up at him, and he looks at me
Well I grabbed my gun and I shot him down
And Old Blue picks up possum and he brings him around
Now Old Blue he's a fine old doggie
And I'm proud as a peacock he belonged to me
But when Old Blue died he died so old, so hard
I dug him a cold grave in my door yard
Well I dug Blue's grave with a silver spade
And I lowered Old Blue down on a link of chain
Now when I get to heaven first thing I'll do
Gonna' grab my old bugle and call up Blue
Come on Blue, Come on boy... I'm home
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
"Old Dog Blue"
Had an old doggie and I called him Blue
Listen, I'm gonna' tell you what Blue could do
Well I grabbed my gun and I blowed my horn
I am goin' to catch a possum in the new ground corn
Old Blue's got a possum up in a tree
Well I look up at him, and he looks at me
Well I grabbed my gun and I shot him down
And Old Blue picks up possum and he brings him around
Now Old Blue he's a fine old doggie
And I'm proud as a peacock he belonged to me
But when Old Blue died he died so old, so hard
I dug him a cold grave in my door yard
Well I dug Blue's grave with a silver spade
And I lowered Old Blue down on a link of chain
Now when I get to heaven first thing I'll do
Gonna' grab my old bugle and call up Blue
Come on Blue, Come on boy... I'm home
*In Folklorist Harry Smith’s House-"Old Country Stomp" — Henry Thomas (1928)
Click on the title to link to a presentation of the song listed in the headline.
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
*In Folklorist Harry Smith’s House-"Indian War Whoop" — Floyd Ming and his Pep-Steppers (1928)
Click on the title to link to a presentation of the song listed in the headline.
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
Friday, December 11, 2009
*In Folklorist Harry Smith’s House-"Brilliancy Medley" — Eck Robertson and Family (1930)
Click on the title to link to a presentation of the song listed in the headline.
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
Eck Robertson Bio From Old Time Fiddlers Hall Of Fame
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Eck Robertson was one of the most noteworthy fiddlers I have run across, because there is so much incredible history surrounding a man whose fiddling almost transcended the Old-Time style. Eck was an accomplished talent, and played many parts of his tunes in second or third position, a convention much more common to Classical style playing than Old-Time. Eck is also credited with being the first recorded country artist (see below).
We are also fortunate that Eck was around and still in fine fiddling form during the folk revival in the 1960s and 70s. The following article came from the LP liner notes of County 202 - Eck Robertson, Famous Cowboy Fiddler:
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Eck Robertson's musical career spanned eight decades. He was an accomplished musician by the turn of the century and entered the ranks of the professional entertainer by 1910. He was easy with a joke, quick to tell a funny story and confident of his ability as a fiddler. He was never content to simply play the old tunes repetitiously; he always experimented and expanded the boundaries of his musical tradition, but he never strayed too far from the core.
Eck, as evidenced by his repertoire and fiddling style, was firmly established within the larger tradition of late 19th century southern fiddling. Although he helped establish what is today called the "Texas style" of fiddling, his musical heritage and influence extended well beyond the southwest.
[The sound sample included here exhibits a mere snippet of Eck's phenomenal mastery of the fiddle.]
Eck Robertson was, first and foremost, one of America's great folk fiddlers. And through his music and his history a great deal can be learned about the folk tradition of fiddle playing, and the historic and cultural matrix within which it flourished.
Eck Robertson is famous as the first person to record a commercial country music record. This he did, in company with fellow fiddler Henry C. Gilliland, on June 30 and July 1,1922, for the Victor Talking Machine Company in their New York studios. Eck and Gilliland, a Civil War veteran from Altus, Oklahoma, after entertaining veterans at the 1922 Old Confederate Soldiers' Reunion in Richmond, Virginia, decided to go to New York for the express purpose of making records. Gilliland, a former justice of the peace, knew an influential lawyer there named Martin W. Littleton. After their first night in New York, the two men stayed with Littleton who provided them with grand tours of the city, including a visit to the Steinway piano factory, a visit Eck remembered fondly forty years later. The image of Gilliland and Eck touring New York, attired respectively in full dress Confederate uniform and flashy western "regalia" (satin fuchsia shirt with pearl studs, wide-brimmed black hat, leather cuffs and pants tucked into high-topped boots) and undoubtedly carrying fiddle cases, would be striking even today.
Just how much influence Littleton exerted to get the two fiddlers an audition for Victor is not known, but Littleton did, on occasion, do legal work for the company. Eck recalled that Littleton's "lawyer" first introduced he and Gilliland to the Victor people and that when he first appeared for an audition, the Victor manager insisted he take out his violin right then and there:
[In Eck's words:] "You couldn't fool that man was running the shop in the Victor office...But then he come at me, he just come into the room in a hurry with a long piece of paper with names on it. He done that on purpose, you see, thought he'd get rid of me just like he had all the rest of them. He said `Young man, get your fiddle out and start off on a tune.' Said `I can tell that quick whether I can use you or not.' Well, I said back to him just as honest as I could `Mister, I come a long ways to get an audition with you. Maybe I better wait and come back another time. You seem like you're in an awful hurry.' `No,' he said, `Just start off a tune...' Well, I didn't get to play half of Sallie Gooden; he just throwed up his hands and stopped me. Said, `By Ned, that's fine!' And just smiled, you know. Said, `Come back in the morning at nine o'clock and we'll make a test record."
And he did.
Eck and Gilliland recorded "Arkansas Traveler"and "Turkey in the Straw''on June 30th,with Gilliland playing the melody and Eck a high harmony. The next day Eck returned alone, this time recording "Sallie Gooden" and "Ragtime Annie" solo, and two additional tunes accompanied by a studio piano player. Two tunes from these sessions, "Sallie Gooden" and "Arkansas Traveler," were released in April, 1923, thus becoming the first commercial record ever released by a country musician. Eck stayed in New York ten days, finally returning home to Vernon, Texas, full of memories and stories.
It was seven years before Eck recorded again, this time in Dallas with his family band. Most historical accounts about Eck Robertson stop after this as if he and his music ceased to exist beyond 1929. However, such was certainly not the case.
Eck promoted himself heavily as the "World's Famous Cowboy Fiddler, Victor Record and Radio Artist" during this time, and advertised the family band as "A Novelty Musical Program Playing Old Time Melodies, Trick and Stunt Fiddling, Singing and Dancing," and promised, "If You Don't Laugh, We Will Call the Doctor!."
Eck had two special tricks he did while fiddling. One was the "normal" trick fiddling; tossing the fiddle or the bow in the air, catching it and not missing a beat, playing behind the back, fiddling while "laying down on the stage and doing somersets" and so forth. He played the tune "Pop Goes the Weasel" for this performance. His other trick was to make his fiddle talk. On many show flyers he asked the question, "Have you ever heard a fiddle talk?" He remembered:
"I used to do it on the stage in theaters and take the house down. I offered a dollar to any child in the house who didn't understand what the violin said...And I made that dad-gummed fiddle talk just as plain as anybody could have said the words...I generally wind up on that by playing Sallie Gooden. I'd wind up on the last of it by making that fiddle talk, representing Sallie Gooden going to the cowpen to milk the cow. You'd hear her calling the calves, and then you'd hear the calf bawl. About that time her baby woke up and began to holler `mamma oh mamma. I want my mamma!' And just say it as plain as anybody could."
Eck explained this trick to an incredulous Mike Seeger:
"Got to put an attachment in my mouth there. To touch the bridge of the fiddle with a piece of steel...Well, you just put that piece of steel in your mouth. It's just like a cigar, about as long as a cigar...You can take a pocket knife even, put it in your mouth; right shaped pocket knife, and do it, too. Anything that will kill the tone of the violin. You touch the bridge at intervals, and know how to pull the bow across the strings to make it do that."
Eck apparently learned this trick from a classical violinist he met during his medicine show travels. The family band disbanded around the beginning of World War II and shortly before Dueron [Eck's son], was killed, Eck and Nettie (who was working at the Pantex ordinance plant in Amarillo) separated. Eck never remarried.
The next two decades, through the 1950s and until his rediscovery by old-time music enthusiasts and folklorists in the early-1960s, were fairly dry years musically for Eck and the family. Eck continued to tune pianos for the Tolzien Music Company in Amarillo, and to repair and rebuild fiddles and other stringed instruments in his home shop. He was occasionally featured as a special guest at the fiddle contests that were sprouting throughout Texas. The brochure advertising the "Hale Center 4th of July Homecoming Celebration with All-American Fiddlers Contest" (ca .1963) proclaims: "The best fiddlers come from the country where folks scratch themselves for entertainment and aren't ashamed of it!" and "There's nothing more American than Fiddle Music." The flyer also features a photo of Eck Robertson with the following caption:
"Eck Robertson of Amarillo, who started fiddling when he was five years old is one of the most colorful performers in the All-American Fiddlers Contest at Hale Center. He has won top honors in the old fiddlers division of the contest several times. Two generations ago Eck, a recording star, was one of the most popular country musicians in the country."
By the 1960s, Eck was relegated to the role of elder statesman, special guest and pioneer recording artist. The family was gone and popular venues for either old-time fiddling or vaudeville style entertainment were scarce. When Mike Seeger, John Cohen and Tracy Schwarz visited Eck in 1963, he was seventy-six years old. The next year he performed at the UCLA Folk Festival, and in 1965 he appeared at the Newport Folk Festival. Even then he was still plenty able to charm an audience with his music and talk.
Eck's last few years were hard on both him and his family. After his house and shop in Amarillo nearly burned to the ground, Eck moved into a rest home. While there, his favorite fiddle, a Steiner he rebuilt, was stolen. He apparently received comfort from just holding a fiddle, because he was never without one, even in his last days. But having his fiddle stolen caused him to take precautions. Doyle Davis remembers:
"He took the neck out of an old fiddle, switched everything around and put the neck in the big end, the back end. That's all he had left at that rest home. And he would walk around with that old thing under his arm all the time"
Beulah [Davis] continues:
"...I remember the last time [we saw Eck]...We took this County Sales record that had dad's tunes and we played them for those old people in the nursing home that day."
And Doyle concludes:
"...Eck wanted to know - we had one of his tunes, I don't know if it was Wagoner or what - he wanted to know `Who's that fellow playing the fiddle?' Beulah told him `Why, that's you.' `I never played a tune that fast in my life,' he said."
Eck Robertson died February 15,1975 at the age of eighty-eight. Inscribed on his tombstone in Fritch, Texas, is the epitaph "World's Champion Fiddler."
—Blanton Owen, Virginia City, Nevada
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
Eck Robertson Bio From Old Time Fiddlers Hall Of Fame
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eck Robertson was one of the most noteworthy fiddlers I have run across, because there is so much incredible history surrounding a man whose fiddling almost transcended the Old-Time style. Eck was an accomplished talent, and played many parts of his tunes in second or third position, a convention much more common to Classical style playing than Old-Time. Eck is also credited with being the first recorded country artist (see below).
We are also fortunate that Eck was around and still in fine fiddling form during the folk revival in the 1960s and 70s. The following article came from the LP liner notes of County 202 - Eck Robertson, Famous Cowboy Fiddler:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eck Robertson's musical career spanned eight decades. He was an accomplished musician by the turn of the century and entered the ranks of the professional entertainer by 1910. He was easy with a joke, quick to tell a funny story and confident of his ability as a fiddler. He was never content to simply play the old tunes repetitiously; he always experimented and expanded the boundaries of his musical tradition, but he never strayed too far from the core.
Eck, as evidenced by his repertoire and fiddling style, was firmly established within the larger tradition of late 19th century southern fiddling. Although he helped establish what is today called the "Texas style" of fiddling, his musical heritage and influence extended well beyond the southwest.
[The sound sample included here exhibits a mere snippet of Eck's phenomenal mastery of the fiddle.]
Eck Robertson was, first and foremost, one of America's great folk fiddlers. And through his music and his history a great deal can be learned about the folk tradition of fiddle playing, and the historic and cultural matrix within which it flourished.
Eck Robertson is famous as the first person to record a commercial country music record. This he did, in company with fellow fiddler Henry C. Gilliland, on June 30 and July 1,1922, for the Victor Talking Machine Company in their New York studios. Eck and Gilliland, a Civil War veteran from Altus, Oklahoma, after entertaining veterans at the 1922 Old Confederate Soldiers' Reunion in Richmond, Virginia, decided to go to New York for the express purpose of making records. Gilliland, a former justice of the peace, knew an influential lawyer there named Martin W. Littleton. After their first night in New York, the two men stayed with Littleton who provided them with grand tours of the city, including a visit to the Steinway piano factory, a visit Eck remembered fondly forty years later. The image of Gilliland and Eck touring New York, attired respectively in full dress Confederate uniform and flashy western "regalia" (satin fuchsia shirt with pearl studs, wide-brimmed black hat, leather cuffs and pants tucked into high-topped boots) and undoubtedly carrying fiddle cases, would be striking even today.
Just how much influence Littleton exerted to get the two fiddlers an audition for Victor is not known, but Littleton did, on occasion, do legal work for the company. Eck recalled that Littleton's "lawyer" first introduced he and Gilliland to the Victor people and that when he first appeared for an audition, the Victor manager insisted he take out his violin right then and there:
[In Eck's words:] "You couldn't fool that man was running the shop in the Victor office...But then he come at me, he just come into the room in a hurry with a long piece of paper with names on it. He done that on purpose, you see, thought he'd get rid of me just like he had all the rest of them. He said `Young man, get your fiddle out and start off on a tune.' Said `I can tell that quick whether I can use you or not.' Well, I said back to him just as honest as I could `Mister, I come a long ways to get an audition with you. Maybe I better wait and come back another time. You seem like you're in an awful hurry.' `No,' he said, `Just start off a tune...' Well, I didn't get to play half of Sallie Gooden; he just throwed up his hands and stopped me. Said, `By Ned, that's fine!' And just smiled, you know. Said, `Come back in the morning at nine o'clock and we'll make a test record."
And he did.
Eck and Gilliland recorded "Arkansas Traveler"and "Turkey in the Straw''on June 30th,with Gilliland playing the melody and Eck a high harmony. The next day Eck returned alone, this time recording "Sallie Gooden" and "Ragtime Annie" solo, and two additional tunes accompanied by a studio piano player. Two tunes from these sessions, "Sallie Gooden" and "Arkansas Traveler," were released in April, 1923, thus becoming the first commercial record ever released by a country musician. Eck stayed in New York ten days, finally returning home to Vernon, Texas, full of memories and stories.
It was seven years before Eck recorded again, this time in Dallas with his family band. Most historical accounts about Eck Robertson stop after this as if he and his music ceased to exist beyond 1929. However, such was certainly not the case.
Eck promoted himself heavily as the "World's Famous Cowboy Fiddler, Victor Record and Radio Artist" during this time, and advertised the family band as "A Novelty Musical Program Playing Old Time Melodies, Trick and Stunt Fiddling, Singing and Dancing," and promised, "If You Don't Laugh, We Will Call the Doctor!."
Eck had two special tricks he did while fiddling. One was the "normal" trick fiddling; tossing the fiddle or the bow in the air, catching it and not missing a beat, playing behind the back, fiddling while "laying down on the stage and doing somersets" and so forth. He played the tune "Pop Goes the Weasel" for this performance. His other trick was to make his fiddle talk. On many show flyers he asked the question, "Have you ever heard a fiddle talk?" He remembered:
"I used to do it on the stage in theaters and take the house down. I offered a dollar to any child in the house who didn't understand what the violin said...And I made that dad-gummed fiddle talk just as plain as anybody could have said the words...I generally wind up on that by playing Sallie Gooden. I'd wind up on the last of it by making that fiddle talk, representing Sallie Gooden going to the cowpen to milk the cow. You'd hear her calling the calves, and then you'd hear the calf bawl. About that time her baby woke up and began to holler `mamma oh mamma. I want my mamma!' And just say it as plain as anybody could."
Eck explained this trick to an incredulous Mike Seeger:
"Got to put an attachment in my mouth there. To touch the bridge of the fiddle with a piece of steel...Well, you just put that piece of steel in your mouth. It's just like a cigar, about as long as a cigar...You can take a pocket knife even, put it in your mouth; right shaped pocket knife, and do it, too. Anything that will kill the tone of the violin. You touch the bridge at intervals, and know how to pull the bow across the strings to make it do that."
Eck apparently learned this trick from a classical violinist he met during his medicine show travels. The family band disbanded around the beginning of World War II and shortly before Dueron [Eck's son], was killed, Eck and Nettie (who was working at the Pantex ordinance plant in Amarillo) separated. Eck never remarried.
The next two decades, through the 1950s and until his rediscovery by old-time music enthusiasts and folklorists in the early-1960s, were fairly dry years musically for Eck and the family. Eck continued to tune pianos for the Tolzien Music Company in Amarillo, and to repair and rebuild fiddles and other stringed instruments in his home shop. He was occasionally featured as a special guest at the fiddle contests that were sprouting throughout Texas. The brochure advertising the "Hale Center 4th of July Homecoming Celebration with All-American Fiddlers Contest" (ca .1963) proclaims: "The best fiddlers come from the country where folks scratch themselves for entertainment and aren't ashamed of it!" and "There's nothing more American than Fiddle Music." The flyer also features a photo of Eck Robertson with the following caption:
"Eck Robertson of Amarillo, who started fiddling when he was five years old is one of the most colorful performers in the All-American Fiddlers Contest at Hale Center. He has won top honors in the old fiddlers division of the contest several times. Two generations ago Eck, a recording star, was one of the most popular country musicians in the country."
By the 1960s, Eck was relegated to the role of elder statesman, special guest and pioneer recording artist. The family was gone and popular venues for either old-time fiddling or vaudeville style entertainment were scarce. When Mike Seeger, John Cohen and Tracy Schwarz visited Eck in 1963, he was seventy-six years old. The next year he performed at the UCLA Folk Festival, and in 1965 he appeared at the Newport Folk Festival. Even then he was still plenty able to charm an audience with his music and talk.
Eck's last few years were hard on both him and his family. After his house and shop in Amarillo nearly burned to the ground, Eck moved into a rest home. While there, his favorite fiddle, a Steiner he rebuilt, was stolen. He apparently received comfort from just holding a fiddle, because he was never without one, even in his last days. But having his fiddle stolen caused him to take precautions. Doyle Davis remembers:
"He took the neck out of an old fiddle, switched everything around and put the neck in the big end, the back end. That's all he had left at that rest home. And he would walk around with that old thing under his arm all the time"
Beulah [Davis] continues:
"...I remember the last time [we saw Eck]...We took this County Sales record that had dad's tunes and we played them for those old people in the nursing home that day."
And Doyle concludes:
"...Eck wanted to know - we had one of his tunes, I don't know if it was Wagoner or what - he wanted to know `Who's that fellow playing the fiddle?' Beulah told him `Why, that's you.' `I never played a tune that fast in my life,' he said."
Eck Robertson died February 15,1975 at the age of eighty-eight. Inscribed on his tombstone in Fritch, Texas, is the epitaph "World's Champion Fiddler."
—Blanton Owen, Virginia City, Nevada
*In Folklorist Harry Smith’s House-"Georgia Stomp" — Andrew & Jim Baxter (1929)
Click on the title to link to a presentation of the song listed in the headline.
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
*In Folklorist Harry Smith’s House-"La Danseuse" — Delma Lachney and Blind Uncle Gaspard (1929)
Click on the title to link to a presentation of the song listed in the headline.
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
"La Danseuse Est Créole"
Au bistrot des Trois Capitaines
La patronne est Napolitaine
Et l'homme est Péruvien
En Pologne naquit la bonneLe pianiste vient de Lisbonne
Pourtant je vous préviens
Voilà surtout pourquoi l'on vient{Refrain:
}La danseuse est Créole
Et dessinant ses pasSa robe tourne et vole
Au tempo de la rumbaSa taille se renverse
Se relève aussitôt
On dirait une liane
Que berce un souffle de vent chaud.
Son petit pied se pose ici
Son petit pied se pose là
Comme un furet qui passe et court
C'est un sourire à celui-ci
C'est un clin d'œil à celui-là
Vous êtes pris à votre tour.
La danseuse est Créole
Oui mais on ne sait pas
Si la belle est fidèle ou frivole
Et pour qui son cœur bat.
Son public est un vrai mélange
De marins aux visages étranges
Et de mauvais garçons
Quand parfois les clients se battent
Quand soudain la bagarre éclate
On dit c'est la boisson
Mais on sait bien l'autre raison{au Refrain}
Croyez-moi sur paroleAu lieu d'entrer demain
Au bar où la danseuse est CréolePassez votre chemin !
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
"La Danseuse Est Créole"
Au bistrot des Trois Capitaines
La patronne est Napolitaine
Et l'homme est Péruvien
En Pologne naquit la bonneLe pianiste vient de Lisbonne
Pourtant je vous préviens
Voilà surtout pourquoi l'on vient{Refrain:
}La danseuse est Créole
Et dessinant ses pasSa robe tourne et vole
Au tempo de la rumbaSa taille se renverse
Se relève aussitôt
On dirait une liane
Que berce un souffle de vent chaud.
Son petit pied se pose ici
Son petit pied se pose là
Comme un furet qui passe et court
C'est un sourire à celui-ci
C'est un clin d'œil à celui-là
Vous êtes pris à votre tour.
La danseuse est Créole
Oui mais on ne sait pas
Si la belle est fidèle ou frivole
Et pour qui son cœur bat.
Son public est un vrai mélange
De marins aux visages étranges
Et de mauvais garçons
Quand parfois les clients se battent
Quand soudain la bagarre éclate
On dit c'est la boisson
Mais on sait bien l'autre raison{au Refrain}
Croyez-moi sur paroleAu lieu d'entrer demain
Au bar où la danseuse est CréolePassez votre chemin !
*In Folklorist Harry Smith’s House-"Wake Up Jacob" — Prince Albert Hunt's Texas Ramblers (1929)
Click on the title to link to a presentation of the song listed in the headline.
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
Wake Up, Jacob - Lyrics & Chords
Cowboy's Gettin' Up Holler
C Am
Wake up, Jacob, day's a-breakin',
C G7 C
Peas in the pot and hoe-cake's bakin'.
Bacon's in the pan and coffee's in the pot,
Come on round and get it while it's hot.
Early in the morning, almost day,
If you don't come soon, gonna throw it all away.
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
Wake Up, Jacob - Lyrics & Chords
Cowboy's Gettin' Up Holler
C Am
Wake up, Jacob, day's a-breakin',
C G7 C
Peas in the pot and hoe-cake's bakin'.
Bacon's in the pan and coffee's in the pot,
Come on round and get it while it's hot.
Early in the morning, almost day,
If you don't come soon, gonna throw it all away.
*In Folklorist Harry Smith’s House-"The Wild Wagoner" — Jilson Setters (1928)
Click on the title to link to a presentation of the song listed in the headline.
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
THE OLD, WEIRD AMERICA Blog
My exploration of Harry Smith’s Anthology29 “The Wild Wagoner” by J.W Day (Jilson Setters)
J.W Day’s World
“In a windowless cabin, hidden away in a high cranny of the Kentucky mountains, lived Jilson Setters, who, for all his sixty-five years, had never seen a railroad. Neither had he heard a phonograph nor a radio. His home-made fiddle and his ‘ballets’ were good enough for Jilson Setters and mountain folk.”
from: “The Last Minstrel” by Jean Thomas, The English Journal, December, 1928
The story around Kentucky old-time fiddler James W. Day is an interesting case of mystified folkore. Born in 1861 in Rowan County, Kentucky, J.W Day was a blind fiddler and singer, often living as a beggar musician in the small towns around Kentucky. At the end of the twenties, a young woman interested in folklore named Jean Thomas “discovered” him as she was collecting songs and stories in Kentucky. Fascinated by the way mountain people preserved traditions of the British Isles, notably the singing of the old ballads, Thomas created the “American Folk Song Festival” to present authentic perfomers of mountain music. The feestival was held every year in Kentucky from 1930 to 1972. When she met J.W Day, she had the idea to present him as the archetype mountain fiddler,”The singin fiddler of Lost Hope Hollow” (Title of the book she wrote about him) and she built a whole story , part true, part purely her own fantasy, to promote him and his music around the country. Under the name of “Jilson Setters”, she arranged for Day concerts and recording sessions and she even took him to play before the King of England. We don’t know how Day himself reacted to all this fuss around him, as on the pictures Thomas took of him, he looked like a dignified old country man, surely proud of the venerable old tunes he could play on his fiddle, but also had to make a living, be an entertainer, the only way to survive for a blind musician during those years… His fiddle style was very unique also, as he was left-handed but played without re-stringing his instrument, with the strings upside down.. Like Elizabeth Cotten on the guitar, it gave him a unique style that is hard to duplicate. He recorded for the Victor Record Company and also for The Library Of Congress in 1930.
-Go here (Wikipedia page) to read more about Jean Thomas (she was nicknamed “The Traipsin’ Woman”) and the American Folk Song Festival
-On this page, you can browse the beautiful collection of photographs she took in the mountains, and among them, many of J.W Day
-I’ve compiled all the sides i have by J.W Day including two sides recorded for the Library of Congress (very noisy, you’ll be warned)
1.The Wild Wagoner
2.Grand Hornpipe
3.Forked Deer
4.Way Up On Clinch Mountain
5.Black-eyed Suzie
6.The Arkansaw Traveler
7.Little Boy Working On The Road
8.No Corn on Tigert (LOC recording)
9.Dr Humphrey’s Jig(LOC recording)
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
THE OLD, WEIRD AMERICA Blog
My exploration of Harry Smith’s Anthology29 “The Wild Wagoner” by J.W Day (Jilson Setters)
J.W Day’s World
“In a windowless cabin, hidden away in a high cranny of the Kentucky mountains, lived Jilson Setters, who, for all his sixty-five years, had never seen a railroad. Neither had he heard a phonograph nor a radio. His home-made fiddle and his ‘ballets’ were good enough for Jilson Setters and mountain folk.”
from: “The Last Minstrel” by Jean Thomas, The English Journal, December, 1928
The story around Kentucky old-time fiddler James W. Day is an interesting case of mystified folkore. Born in 1861 in Rowan County, Kentucky, J.W Day was a blind fiddler and singer, often living as a beggar musician in the small towns around Kentucky. At the end of the twenties, a young woman interested in folklore named Jean Thomas “discovered” him as she was collecting songs and stories in Kentucky. Fascinated by the way mountain people preserved traditions of the British Isles, notably the singing of the old ballads, Thomas created the “American Folk Song Festival” to present authentic perfomers of mountain music. The feestival was held every year in Kentucky from 1930 to 1972. When she met J.W Day, she had the idea to present him as the archetype mountain fiddler,”The singin fiddler of Lost Hope Hollow” (Title of the book she wrote about him) and she built a whole story , part true, part purely her own fantasy, to promote him and his music around the country. Under the name of “Jilson Setters”, she arranged for Day concerts and recording sessions and she even took him to play before the King of England. We don’t know how Day himself reacted to all this fuss around him, as on the pictures Thomas took of him, he looked like a dignified old country man, surely proud of the venerable old tunes he could play on his fiddle, but also had to make a living, be an entertainer, the only way to survive for a blind musician during those years… His fiddle style was very unique also, as he was left-handed but played without re-stringing his instrument, with the strings upside down.. Like Elizabeth Cotten on the guitar, it gave him a unique style that is hard to duplicate. He recorded for the Victor Record Company and also for The Library Of Congress in 1930.
-Go here (Wikipedia page) to read more about Jean Thomas (she was nicknamed “The Traipsin’ Woman”) and the American Folk Song Festival
-On this page, you can browse the beautiful collection of photographs she took in the mountains, and among them, many of J.W Day
-I’ve compiled all the sides i have by J.W Day including two sides recorded for the Library of Congress (very noisy, you’ll be warned)
1.The Wild Wagoner
2.Grand Hornpipe
3.Forked Deer
4.Way Up On Clinch Mountain
5.Black-eyed Suzie
6.The Arkansaw Traveler
7.Little Boy Working On The Road
8.No Corn on Tigert (LOC recording)
9.Dr Humphrey’s Jig(LOC recording)
*In Folklorist Harry Smith’s House-Volume Two: Social music-"Sail Away Lady" — "Uncle Bunt" Stephens (1926)
Click on the title to link to a presentation of the song listed in the headline.
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
Traditional Arr. by Roger McGuinn
©1999 McGuinn Music
Album: "Treasures From The Folk Den" - 2001 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ain't no use to sit and cry
Sail away lady sail away
You'll be an angel bye and bye
Sail away lady sail away
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de -O
Well I've got a home in Tennessee
Sail away lady sail away
That is where I'd rather be
Sail away lady sail away
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Now come along boys and go with me
Sail away lady sail away
We'll go down to Tennessee
Sail away lady sail away
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Whenever I get my new house done
Sail away lady sail away
Love you pretty girls one by one
Sail away lady sail away
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Hush little baby don't you cry
Sail away lady sail away
You'll be an angel bye and bye
Sail away lady sail away
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
Traditional Arr. by Roger McGuinn
©1999 McGuinn Music
Album: "Treasures From The Folk Den" - 2001 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ain't no use to sit and cry
Sail away lady sail away
You'll be an angel bye and bye
Sail away lady sail away
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de -O
Well I've got a home in Tennessee
Sail away lady sail away
That is where I'd rather be
Sail away lady sail away
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Now come along boys and go with me
Sail away lady sail away
We'll go down to Tennessee
Sail away lady sail away
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Whenever I get my new house done
Sail away lady sail away
Love you pretty girls one by one
Sail away lady sail away
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Hush little baby don't you cry
Sail away lady sail away
You'll be an angel bye and bye
Sail away lady sail away
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
Don't you rock 'im die - de - O
*In Folklorist Harry Smith’s House-"Got the Farm Land Blues" — The Carolina Tar Heels (1932)
Click on the title to link to a presentation of the song listed in the headline.
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
THE OLD, WEIRD AMERICA
My exploration of Harry Smith’s Anthology27 “Got The Farmland Blues” by The Carolina Tar Heels
The Carolina Tar Heels World (part 2)
Here’s more Carolina Tar Heels tracks for you… I already introduced the band on my “Peg’n Awl” post a few months ago…The sound on some track is pretty bad but i hope you’ll enjoy nevertheless…
TRACK LIST
1.Farm Girl Blues
2.I don’t like the Blues no how
3.The Apron String Blues
4.Somebody’s tall and handsome
5.Rude and Rambling Man
6.My home’s across the Blueridge mountains
7.Roll on Daddy roll on
8.Her Name was Hula Lou
9.Going to Georgia
10.Bring me a leaf from the sea
11.You’re a little too small
12.Got the farmland Blues
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
THE OLD, WEIRD AMERICA
My exploration of Harry Smith’s Anthology27 “Got The Farmland Blues” by The Carolina Tar Heels
The Carolina Tar Heels World (part 2)
Here’s more Carolina Tar Heels tracks for you… I already introduced the band on my “Peg’n Awl” post a few months ago…The sound on some track is pretty bad but i hope you’ll enjoy nevertheless…
TRACK LIST
1.Farm Girl Blues
2.I don’t like the Blues no how
3.The Apron String Blues
4.Somebody’s tall and handsome
5.Rude and Rambling Man
6.My home’s across the Blueridge mountains
7.Roll on Daddy roll on
8.Her Name was Hula Lou
9.Going to Georgia
10.Bring me a leaf from the sea
11.You’re a little too small
12.Got the farmland Blues
*In Folklorist Harry Smith’s House-"Mississippi Boweavil Blues" — The Masked Marvel (1929)
Click on the title to link to a presentation of the song listed in the headline.
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
THE OLD, WEIRD AMERICA
My exploration of Harry Smith’s Anthology26 “Mississippi Boweavil Blues” by Charley Patton (The Masked Marvel)
Charley Patton’s World
Charley (or Charlie) Patton is considered by many the most important bluesman of all times, the father of the “Delta Blues”, which is a genre that most people see as the “real, deep Blues”. Raised near the famous Dockery Plantation, a big cotton and sawmill plantation and the “mythical” birthplace of the Blues, Patton learned his skills with Henry Sloan, an older Bluesman born in 1870. His powerful guitar playing and vocals influenced all the other musicians around him, including Willie Brown, Tommy Johnson, Son House and the younger Robert Johnson would learn to play the Blues from them. Patton was very popular in all the South and he was a real showman on stage, making tricks like playing the guitar behind his head or his back, interspreading different vocal comments during his songs. His erratic life, his inclinations toward booze and women and his short life also contributed to make him a “Blues” icon.
Like for Robert Johnson, the label “Delta Blues” is quite limiting the range of their music. The repertoire of Patton (and Johnson) included a broader range of popular music, religious songs and pieces that came from the white tradition and they could includes them along with their “Blues” to please different audiences. The fact is that we see them today as genuine folk musicians rather than “entertainers” is due in part to the romantized and almost mystical way they were described by white Blues lovers and writers. He recorded more than 60 sides during his rather short career, some with other musicians, some with a female vocalist, but a large part of his recordings he plays alone with his guitar. His unique spontaneous style and incredible timing combined with percussive effects on the guitar, vocal eccenticities made some of this sides, the most passionate pieces of music ever recorded.
-Go to this wikipedia page for a more complete biography and a list of his recordings
-Go here to see Robert Crumb’s cartoon biography
-Music writer and musician Elijah Wald, who wrote a very interesting book about Robert Johnson (“Escaping the Delta”), wrote also a superb essay about Patton, where he tries to picture the musician in “context”, escaping the romanced and mythical proses so common about Blues icons.
-Really appropriate to this post i found this article by Robert K.D Peterson: “Charley Patton and his Mississippi Boweavil Blues”
-There are two books dedicated entirely to the life and music of Charley patton:one by guitar player John Fahey and the other by Stephen Calt and Gayle Wardlow.There are both out-of-print but you can maybe find them by doing a research on the net.
-You can have the Fahey book by buying the box-set he issued on his Revenant label along with 7 cds and a booklet. It’s pricey but a must-have for the real fan.
-Those with a low budget can nevertheless have Patton’s complete recordings with this JSP box-set or with excellent compilations issued by Yazoo records
-From my part, i offer you the 14 sides Patton recorded for his first session in Richmond in 1929:
Pony Blues
A Spoonful Blues
Down The Dirt Road Blues
Prayer Of Death, Pt. 1
Prayer Of Death, Pt. 1
Screamin’ & Hollerin’ The Blues
Banty Rooster Blues
Tom Rushen Blues
It Won’t Be Long
Shake It & Break It (But Don’t Let It Fall Mama)
Pea Vine Blues
Mississippi Boweavil Blues
Lord I’m Discouraged
I’m Goin’ Home
The year 2009 has turned into something a year of review of the folk revival of the 1960s. In November I featured a posting of many of the episodes (via “YouTube”) of Pete Seeger’s classic folk television show from the 1960s, “Rainbow Quest”. I propose to do the same here to end out the year with as many of the selections from Harry Smith’s seminal “Anthology Of American Folk Music,” in one place, as I was able to find material for, either lyrics or "YouTube" performances (not necessarily by the original performer). This is down at the roots, for sure.
THE OLD, WEIRD AMERICA
My exploration of Harry Smith’s Anthology26 “Mississippi Boweavil Blues” by Charley Patton (The Masked Marvel)
Charley Patton’s World
Charley (or Charlie) Patton is considered by many the most important bluesman of all times, the father of the “Delta Blues”, which is a genre that most people see as the “real, deep Blues”. Raised near the famous Dockery Plantation, a big cotton and sawmill plantation and the “mythical” birthplace of the Blues, Patton learned his skills with Henry Sloan, an older Bluesman born in 1870. His powerful guitar playing and vocals influenced all the other musicians around him, including Willie Brown, Tommy Johnson, Son House and the younger Robert Johnson would learn to play the Blues from them. Patton was very popular in all the South and he was a real showman on stage, making tricks like playing the guitar behind his head or his back, interspreading different vocal comments during his songs. His erratic life, his inclinations toward booze and women and his short life also contributed to make him a “Blues” icon.
Like for Robert Johnson, the label “Delta Blues” is quite limiting the range of their music. The repertoire of Patton (and Johnson) included a broader range of popular music, religious songs and pieces that came from the white tradition and they could includes them along with their “Blues” to please different audiences. The fact is that we see them today as genuine folk musicians rather than “entertainers” is due in part to the romantized and almost mystical way they were described by white Blues lovers and writers. He recorded more than 60 sides during his rather short career, some with other musicians, some with a female vocalist, but a large part of his recordings he plays alone with his guitar. His unique spontaneous style and incredible timing combined with percussive effects on the guitar, vocal eccenticities made some of this sides, the most passionate pieces of music ever recorded.
-Go to this wikipedia page for a more complete biography and a list of his recordings
-Go here to see Robert Crumb’s cartoon biography
-Music writer and musician Elijah Wald, who wrote a very interesting book about Robert Johnson (“Escaping the Delta”), wrote also a superb essay about Patton, where he tries to picture the musician in “context”, escaping the romanced and mythical proses so common about Blues icons.
-Really appropriate to this post i found this article by Robert K.D Peterson: “Charley Patton and his Mississippi Boweavil Blues”
-There are two books dedicated entirely to the life and music of Charley patton:one by guitar player John Fahey and the other by Stephen Calt and Gayle Wardlow.There are both out-of-print but you can maybe find them by doing a research on the net.
-You can have the Fahey book by buying the box-set he issued on his Revenant label along with 7 cds and a booklet. It’s pricey but a must-have for the real fan.
-Those with a low budget can nevertheless have Patton’s complete recordings with this JSP box-set or with excellent compilations issued by Yazoo records
-From my part, i offer you the 14 sides Patton recorded for his first session in Richmond in 1929:
Pony Blues
A Spoonful Blues
Down The Dirt Road Blues
Prayer Of Death, Pt. 1
Prayer Of Death, Pt. 1
Screamin’ & Hollerin’ The Blues
Banty Rooster Blues
Tom Rushen Blues
It Won’t Be Long
Shake It & Break It (But Don’t Let It Fall Mama)
Pea Vine Blues
Mississippi Boweavil Blues
Lord I’m Discouraged
I’m Goin’ Home
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