Showing posts with label Newport Folk Festival. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Newport Folk Festival. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

The Centennial Of Pete Seeger’s Birthday (1919-2014)- In Honor Of Newport 1965-Folk Music- The Graduate Course

Click on the headline to link to a "YouTube" film clip of Woody Guthrie performing "Pastures Of Plenty".

CD REVIEW

Classic Folk Music, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and various other artists, Smithsonian FolkWays, 2004

Recently, in a review of a three volume set of CDs entitled “Troubadours of The Folk Era” containing songs done by many of the folk singers then coming in prominent in the 1960’s, I headlined the entry “Folk Music 101-There Are Many Rooms In That Mansion” . That entry however, in a way, begged the question of how those singers (or listeners like me) traced their ways back to the roots of folk.

Well, my friends, I have the answer, or at least part of it, here in this little gem of a CD. Sure we all, later when we understood things better, appreciated that John and Allan Lomax did yeomen’s service to roots music by their travels into the hinterlands in the 1930’s and 1940’s (and had Pete Seeger tag along for a year and thus serve as a little transmission belt to the latter generation) to find blues, mountain and other types of American traditional music. However, most of us got our folk infusion second-hand through our addiction to local coffeehouses and the fledgling performers who provided us entertainment there. They, in turn, learned their material from the masters who populate this CD.

You doubt the truth of that statement? Well, let’s go through the litany. On one CD we have Woody Guthrie doing “Pastures of Plenty”; Pete leading “We Shall Overcome; Lead Belly on “Rock Island Line”; Doc Watson on “John Henry”; Elizabeth Cotton on the super-classic “Freight Train" (a right of passage for virtually every 1960’s performer); Paul Robeson on “No More Auction Block” (it will give you goose bumps to hear that voice); Big Bill Broonzy on “This Train” (fighting Jim Crow version) and on and on. This is the core of folk, take my word for it. No don’t. Get this CD and get ‘religion’ on your own.

A word is also in order about the role of Moses Asch, his Asch recording studio in New York City and his role as the producer of many of the classic folk songs in the 1940’s and 1950’s gleaned from the always excellent liner notes provided by Smithsonian Folkway. As I have noted previously in this space the folk revival of the 1960’s did not form tabula rasa. Asch’s commitment is a testament to that proposition. It therefore is no accident that the early flowering of the folk revival was in New York City as that is where one could find the ‘refugees’ from elsewhere during the "red scare" during the hard political winter of the 1950’s.

Nor is it accidental that left-wingers blacklisted, like Pete Seeger, Woody and Paul Robeson, by the government are liberally represented in this collection. When one is searching for some kind of critique of society there is bound to be a folk song by some damn radical that reflects that outrage. Or gets prominence due to that struggle. Witness in that regard the history of the song “We Shall Overcome” and its relationship to the black civil rights movement. I should also point out that the liner notes provide an interesting fact about the older generation of folk performers like Woody Guthrie and the young revivalists of the 1960’s. The notes point out that a fair proportion of the folk revivalists came to love the music from songs they learned as children at summer camp. Woody and Pete Seeger are well-known for their children’s songs. So, maybe the government was right to see “reds” under every bunk bed corrupting the morals of the youth. Oh, well.

As a general observation the producers of this CD, Smithsonian Folkway (the name itself should be a give away about the quality of this production) went out of their way, way out of their way to get the best renditions available of the songs by the individual artists represented and to provide the best range of what folk meant to those who wrote the songs, sang them and listened in. As I mentioned above in that earlier review of the 1960’s folk scene for those too young to have heard the music then you have been given a reprieve- take advantage of it.

Thursday, April 25, 2019

The Centennial Of Pete Seeger’s Birthday (1919-2014)- In Honor Of Newport 1965-A Pete Seeger Encore- The Early Work

Click On Title To Link To A Pete Seeger Appreciation Web Site.

CD REVIEWS


Darling Corey and Goofing-Off Suite, Pete Seeger, Smithstonian Folkways, 1993

This review is being used to describe several of Pete Seeger’s recordings. Although I have listened to most of his songs and recordings these are the CDs that best represent his life’s work.

My musical tastes were formed, as were many of those of the generation of 1968, by ‘Rock and Roll’ music exemplified by the Rolling Stones and Beatles and by the blues revival, both Delta and Chicago style. However, those forms as much as they gave pleasure were only marginally political at best. In short, these were entertainers performing material that spoke to us. In the most general sense that is all one should expect of a performer. Thus, for the most part that music need not be reviewed here. Those then who thought that a new musical sensibility laid the foundations for a cultural or political revolution have long ago been proven wrong.

That said, in the early 1960’s there nevertheless was another form of musical sensibility that was directly tied to radical political expression- the folk revival. This entailed a search for roots and relevancy in musical expression. While not all forms of folk music lent themselves to radical politics it is hard to see the 1960’s cultural rebellion without giving a nod to such figures as Dave Van Ronk, the early Bob Dylan, Utah Phillips, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie and others. Whatever entertainment value these performers provided they also spoke to and prodded our political development. They did have a message and an agenda and we responded as such. That these musicians’ respective agendas proved inadequate and/or short-lived does not negate their influence on the times.

As I have noted in my reviews of Dave Van Ronk’s work, when I first heard folk music in my youth I felt unsure about whether I liked it or not. As least against my strong feelings about the Rolling Stones and my favorite blues artists such as Howlin' Wolf and Elmore James. Then on some late night radio folk show here in Boston I heard Dave Van Ronk singing "Come All You Fair and Tender Ladies" and that was it. From that time to the present folk music has been a staple of my musical tastes. From there I expanded my play list of folk artists with a political message, including, obviously, Pete Seeger.

Although I had probably heard Seeger’s "Had I a Golden Thread" at some earlier point I actually learned about his music second-hand from a recording of “Songs of the Spanish Civil War” which included “Viva la Quince Brigada” a tribute to the American Abraham Lincoln Battalion of the International Brigades. Since I was intensely interested in that fight in Spain and in that “premature anti-fascist” organization I was hooked. While, like Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger’s influence has had its ebbs and flows since that time each succeeding generation of folk singers still seems to be drawn to his simple, honest tunes about the previous political struggles and the ordinary people who made this country, for good or evil, what it is today.

This compilation is made of two early Seeger albums that reflect his early and on-going attempts to recapture the American folk heritage. He uses his signature banjo to great effect here. You will also find that since the release of these albums in the 1950’s many of these songs are now familiar and have frequently been covered by a whole range of later artists. Thank Pete for that. Think- “John Riley”, “Darling Corey”, “East Virginia Blues”, “Empty Pocket Blues’ and “Sally Ann” on that point.





Here are lyrics to "We Shall Overcome" made famous by Pete Seeger and others in the early 1960's part of the black civil rights struggle.

We Shall Overcome

Lyrics derived from Charles Tindley's gospel song "I'll Overcome Some Day" (1900), and opening and closing melody from the 19th-century spiritual "No More Auction Block for Me" (a song that dates to before the Civil War). According to Professor Donnell King of Pellissippi State Technical Community College (in Knoxville, Tenn.), "We Shall Overcome" was adapted from these gospel songs by "Guy Carawan, Candy Carawan, and a couple of other people associated with the Highlander Research and Education Center, currently located near Knoxville, Tennessee. I have in my possession copies of the lyrics that include a brief history of the song, and a notation that royalties from the song go to support the Highlander Center."

1.
We shall overcome
We shall overcome
We shall overcome some day

CHORUS:
Oh, deep in my heart
I do believe
We shall overcome some day

2.
We'll walk hand in hand
We'll walk hand in hand
We'll walk hand in hand some day

CHORUS

3.
We shall all be free
We shall all be free
We shall all be free some day

CHORUS

4.
We are not afraid
We are not afraid
We are not afraid some day

CHORUS

5.
We are not alone
We are not alone
We are not alone some day

CHORUS

6.
The whole wide world around
The whole wide world around
The whole wide world around some day

CHORUS

7.
We shall overcome
We shall overcome
We shall overcome some day

CHORUS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCES:
Eileen Southern, The Music of Black Americans: A History, Second Edition (Norton, 1971): 546-47, 159-60.
The International Lyrics Server. . March 1998.
Donnell King, email message, 29 Nov. 1999.

JOHN RILEY

As I went out one morning early,
To breathe the sweet and pleasant air,
Who should I spy but a fair young maiden;
She seemed to me like a lily fair.

I stepped to her add kindly asked her,
"Would you like to be a bold sailor's wife?"
"Oh no kind sir," she quickly answered,
"I choose to lead a sweet single life."

"What makes you different from other women?
What makes you different from other kind?
For you are young, sweet, beautiful and handsome,
And for to marry you, I might incline."

"It's now kind sir that I must tell you.
I might have been married three years ago
To one John Riley who left this country.
He's been the cause of my overthrow."

"He courted me both late and early.
He courted me both night and day.
And when he had once my affections gained,
He left me here and he went away."

"Oh never mind for this Johnny Riley,
Oh come with me to the distant shore.
Why, we'll sail o'er to Pennsylvany,
And bid adieu to Riley forever more."

"I shan't go with you to Pennsylvany,
Or go with you to the distant shore.
My heart is with Riley, my long lost lover
Although I'll never see him no more."

Oh, when he saw that her love was loyal,
He gave her kisses one, two, and three,
Saying, "I'm the man you once called Johnny Riley,
Saying "I'm the cause of your misery."

"I've sailed the ocean, gained great promotion,
I've laid my money on the English shore,
And now we'll marry, no longer tarry,
And I shall never deceive you any more."

sung by Pete Seeger

DARLING COREY

Wake up, wake up, Darlin` Corey.
What makes you sleep so sound?
Them revenue officers a`commin`
For to tear your still-house down.

Well the first time I seen Darlin` Corey
She was settin` by the side of the sea,
With a forty-four strapped across her bosom
And a banjo on her knee.

Dig a hole, dig a hole, in the medder
Dig a hole, in the col` col` groun`
Dig a hole, dig a hole in the medder
Goin` ter lay Darlin` Corey down.

(above verse frequently used as chorus)
The next time I seen Darlin` Corey
She was standin` in the still-house door
With her shoes and stockin`s in her han`
An` her feet all over the floor.

Wake up,wake up Darlin Corey.
Quit hangin` roun` my bed.
Hard likker has ruined my body.
Pretty wimmen has killed me mos` dead

Wake up, wake up my darlin`;
Go do the best you can.
I`ve got me another woman;
You can get you another man.
Oh yes, oh yes my darlin`
I`ll do the best I can,
But I`ll never take my pleasure
With another gamblin` man.

Don` you hear them blue-birds singin`?
Don` you hear that mournful sound?
They`re preachin` Corey`s funeral
In some lonesome buryin` groun`

Friday, July 24, 2015

In Honor Of Newport 1965-Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By-Bukka White And Friends At The Newport Folk Festival -1966

Click on the title to link a "YouTube" film clip of Bukka White and friends (including one Howlin' Wolf) blowing the blues from here to eternity with his National steel guitar.

In this series, presented under the headline “Songs To While Away The Class Struggle By”, I will post some songs that I think will help us get through the “dog days” of the struggle for our communist future. I do not vouch for the political thrust of the songs; for the most part they are done by pacifists, social democrats, hell, even just plain old ordinary democrats. And, occasionally, a communist, although hard communist musicians have historically been scarce on the ground. Thus, here we have a regular "popular front" on the music scene. While this would not be acceptable for our political prospects, it will suffice for our purposes here. Markin.

In Honor Of Newport 1965-Bob Dylan- Unplugged, Again

Click on the headljne to link to a "YouTube" film clip of ob Dylan performing "John Brown".

DVD REVIEW

Bob Dylan: Unplugged, Bob Dylan in a 1995 MTV Concert, Sony Records, 2004


Not intentionally, a least I do not think that is the case, I watched this Bob Dylan MTV Concert from 1995 directly after watching his Bob Dylan: The Other Side of The Mirror: Live at The Newport Folk Festival 1963-1965, Bob Dylan and various other artists, 2007. I have reviewed that documentary separately in this space. However, comments, and of necessity, comparisons between the two are in order here. I will not go on and on about hair styles and clothing as I did in the earlier film, in order to draw contrasts, because except wearing some sunglasses his persona has not changed dramatically from the 1965 Concert where he set himself on his own personal rock and roll (or better, I think) folk rock path.

Obviously, there cannot be a complete comparison between play lists for the two films because in 1965 some of the material covered in the 1995 film had not been created like Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door or things like that. Others are older works, like a well- done "John Brown", which had not been released earlier. Or the 1990’s-created "Dignity". One can, however, compare certain material covered in both films like "The Times They Are A- Changin’" , the classic "Like a Rolling Stone" and "Love Minus Zero, No Limit" (hereafter, No Limits).

Two things are clear by 1995. One is that Dylan, either by design or happenstance, had changed the mood and the manner in which he sang those songs, some for the better, some not. I believe that his newer version of "Like a Rolling Stone" geared to the musical tastes of a new generation works, "No Limits" does somewhat and "Times" not at all. First, I had to get over the sentimentally of knowing how these songs were played in my youth and wanting to cling to that notion, especially on a favored love anthem like "No Limits". Still the changed-up in rhythm only partially works to demonstrate the original pathos of that song.

Second, and this is something I had also observed in a live concert that I attended in the early 1990’s, old Bob had lost his voice and had adjusted some of his material to that new fact. Here comparison with the strong vibrant voice of 1965 is truly amazing. His adjustments worked best on a then new song like "Dignity" that has lyrics like in the old days but reflected his new vocal range. Nice. So is this thing worth seeing and hearing. Sure. But I would get that old "The Other Side of the Mirror" documentary – on purpose- to check out why, for a minute anyhow Dylan was the voice of my generation, the generation of ’68.

In Honor Of Newport 1965-The Not Joan Baez Female Folkies- The Music Of Carolyn Hester

Click On Title To Link To YouTube's Film Clip Of Carolyn Hester Doing " The Praties They Grow".

CD REVIEW

Carolyn Hester At Town Hall 1965, Carolyn Hester, Bear Family Records, 1990

Earlier this year I posed a question concerning the fates of a group of talented male folk singers like Tom Rush, Tom Paxton and Jesse Colin Young, who, although some of them are still performing or otherwise still on the musical scene have generally fallen off the radar in today’s mainstream musical consciousness, except, of course, the acknowledged “king of the hill”, Bob Dylan. I want to pose that same question in this entry concerning the talented female folk performers of the 1960’s, except, of course, the "queen of the hill” Joan Baez. I will start out by merely rephrasing the first paragraph from the reviews of those male performers.

“If I were to ask someone, in the year 2008, to name a female folk singer from the 1960’s I would assume that if I were to get an answer to that question that the name would be Joan Baez (or, maybe, Judy Collins but you get my point). And that would be a good and appropriate choice. One can endlessly dispute whether or not Baez was (or wanted to be) the female voice of the Generation of ’68 but in terms of longevity and productivity she fits the bill as a known quality. However, there were a slew of other female folk singers who tried to find their niche in the folk milieu and who, like Baez, may today still quietly continue to produce work and to perform. The artist under review, Carolyn Hester, certainly had the talent to challenge Baez to be “queen of the hill.”

Carolyn Hester wrote a number of good songs (“Three Young Men” here, among others), sang like a nightingale, filled Town Hall in New York City on several occasions, was political and had long, straight hair(presumably ironed as was the fashion started by Ms. Baez then) hair. Oh, yes, and was beautiful and wistful. That sounds like the formula for success in the 1960’s folk scene, right? But, and I pose this as a query as much as a statement, where is she now? Certainly off this CD (produced in 1990 from the 1965 Town Hall performances) she had a voice to die for. Listen to her on Tom Paxton’s “Outward Bound” or the classic “Summertime” or the nice musical rendition of Walt Whitman’s Lincoln tribute poem, “Captain, My Captain” or “Jute Mill Song” and several others here. Then you will be asking the same damn question that I have posed above.

O Captain! My Captain!

Walt Whitman

1

O CAPTAIN! my Captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:
But O heart! heart! heart! 5
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

2

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills; 10
For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding;
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head;
It is some dream that on the deck, 15
You’ve fallen cold and dead.

3

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;
The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done;
From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won; 20
Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells!
But I, with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

In Honor Of Newport 1965- Bob Dylan- Unplugged and Plugged at Newport 1963-65


Bob Dylan- Unplugged and Plugged at Newport 1963-65

Bob Dylan: The Other Side of The Mirror: Live at The Newport Folk Festival 1963-1965,Bob Dylan and various other artists, 2007

Were we ever really that young? That is the first reaction I had in viewing this film. A young Bob Dylan featured with his lady at the time (I believe, if memory serves) a young Joan Baez. And who, at least for the controversial 1965 concert (where he did that taboo couple of electrified guitar numbers that freaked the old-time folkies out) had a young Markin as part of his audience. I am not altogether sure that in the end Bob Dylan cared one way or the other whether he was the voice of a generation, my generation, the generation of ’68 but in this very well configured musical documentary there is certainly a case to be made for that proposition. This is the high tide of Dylan’s career as an acoustic folk performer making the transition to, for lack of a better term, folk rock or just flat out rock.

Probably the most important reason to view this documentary, however, is to observe Dylan’s visual, vocal and professional transformation during this short two year period. In 1963 Dylan is dressed in the de rigueur work shirt and denim jeans with an unmade bed of a hairdo. His voice is, to be kind, reedy and scratchy, and his songs sung at that time are things like Blowin’ in the Wind (done here with Baez and others in an incredible finale) and With God on Our Side (with Baez) reflecting the influence of traditional folk themes and of a style derived from his early hero Woody Guthrie. Newport 1964 is a transition. The hair is somewhat styled, the outfit more hippie than traditional folk garb, the voice is stronger reflecting the established fact that he is now ‘king of the hill’ in the folk world. And he sings things like the classic Mr. Tambourine Man that give a hint that he is moving away from the tradition idiom.

Newport 1965 gives us the full blown Dylan that we have come not to know. The one that once we think we have him pegged slips away on us. Here we get no mixing it up with Baez or other folkies but a full-bore rock back up band to play Maggie’s Farm and one of the anthems for my generation, Like A Rolling Stone. Then back to acoustic with It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue and Love Minus Zero, No Limit (which is something of the love anthem for my generation or, at least, one of them). All done in a very strong and confident voice that says here it is, take it or leave it. Wow. You know my answer.

This film, seemingly consciously, shies away from an investigation of any of the controversies of the time concerning the direction of Dylan’s work. Pete Seeger’s only shot on film, as I recall, was to introduce Dylan at the 1964 festival. The most controversial subjects addressed seem to be whether or not it would throw the schedule off to give into the crowd and have Dylan play longer. Or whether it was okay for the jaded youth of the day to have folk singers as idols. Aside from that shortcoming, which in any case can be pursued elsewhere, this film will go a long way to solving any lingering controversy about whether Mr. Dylan belongs in the folk pantheon.

In Honor Of Newport 1965-Odetta- A Powerful Voice Of The Black Liberation Struggle

CD REVIEW

From a review on Amazon.com in 2006

The Essential Odetta. Odetta, Vanguard Records, 1973


I have been listening to and occasionally attending concerts by Odetta for over forty years and she still brings that big strong voice to her work as she did when I first heard her. A big strong strumming guitar adds to the pleasure. She is the consummate female interpreter of the old ballads that denoted the struggle of blacks and other at work and play in slavery times and later in wage slavery times. Religious sentiments about a better life in the hereafter because this life so is hell are also interwoven into some these ballads. It is hard today to get the full impact of that genre but I have noticed that audiences still response to her gentle prodding to sing along. If you have one Odetta album to get this is the one. Some children-oriented ballads, also sing-along-able add to the flavor of this album. Standouts here are "If I Had A Hammer" and "Long Chains On".

December 3, 2008- Honor the memory of a big, big voice in support of the black liberation struggle. Odetta, 1930-2008.

December 7, 2008

When The Blues Is Dues

Lookin For A Home-Thanks To Leadbelly, Odetta, M.C. Records, 2001


I have been listening to and occasionally attending concerts by the recently departed Odetta for over forty years and she, despite her various illnesses in her latter years was still able to bring that big strong voice to her work as she did when I first heard her. A big strong strumming guitar added to the pleasure. And on this album some helpful and thoughtful backup work by her band members. Odetta was the consummate female interpreter of the old ballads that denoted the struggle of blacks and other at work and play in slavery times and later in wage slavery times. Religious sentiments about a better life in the hereafter because this life so is hell are also interwoven into some these ballads. It is hard today to get the full impact of that genre but I always noticed that audiences still responded to her gentle prodding to sing along.

There is an old expression-“What goes around, comes around”. Nothing profound in that but it does point out that Odetta was very aware of her roots, of her debts to earlier black singers and influences and of the need to pay back those debts. The last part of here career included efforts in that direction, a prime example being this cover tribute to the legendary country blues singer and performer Leadbelly. On the face of it the storied 'rough and ready' life of an old time rural country singer caught up in a violent and unforgiving world that included a southern prison and the rather proper upbringing of a modern city-bred and educated woman would not seem a match that makes musical sense. However, go back to the beginning of this paragraph and the part about roots and debts. That, my friends is the link, the eternal binding.

That said, Odetta does not try, like many an urban folkie of the 1960’s and others, to imitate Leadbelly’s style, manner and mistakes but hones her own renditions and gives them her own interpretation. That is the true way to honor one’s forbears. Thus, although not every song here makes you want to throw away your old Leadbelly albums there are many more hits than misses. The hits- a very upbeat, carib-influenced rendition of the Leadbelly theme song, “Goodnight, Irene”; a very political take (highlighting Jim Crow racism) on “Bourgeois Blues” and “Easy Rider” (also known as “C.C. Rider”). The misses- “Midnight Special”; “How Long” and “Rock Island Line”. Overall though, a nice tribune from one legendary singer to another.

In Honor Of Newport 1965-The 1960's Cambridge Folk Scene- The Work Of Eric Von Schmidt

CD REVIEWS

Baby, Let Me Lay It On You, Eric Von Schmidt, Gazell Productions, 1995

If I were to ask someone, in the year 2008, to name a male folk singer from the 1960's I would assume that if I were to get an answer to that question that the name would be Bob Dylan. And that would be a good and appropriate choice. One can endlessly dispute whether or not Dylan was (or wanted to be) the voice of the Generation of '68 but in terms of longevity and productivity he fits the bill as a known quality. However, there were a slew of other male folk singers who tried to find their niche in the folk milieu and who, like Dylan, continued to produce work and to perform beyond the 1960's. The artist under review Eric Von Schmidt was one such singer/songwriter.

I have been posing a question, in reviewing the work of a number of male folk singers from the 1960's, about whether their dream was to be 'king of the hill' on the folk scene and it is certainly an appropriate question to ask of Eric as well, although in this case I may know the answer. I do not know if Eric Von Schmidt, like his contemporary Bob Dylan(and early friend in the Cambridge folk scene), started out wanting to be the `king of the hill' among male folk singers but he certainly had some things going for him. A decent acoustic guitar but a very interesting voice to fit the lyrics of the kind of traditional songs of the sea, the Caribbean and the like that he was singing about at the time.

In Eric's case though, I believe, I can partially answer the question for, according to a couple of long time friends that I ran into a few years ago, he just flat-out did not care for success in the folk field. For him it was about fun and carrying traditional music forward, and besides, they argued, he was as interested in becoming a painter as a singer. Fair enough.

As for the songs here, most of which were written by Eric early on, he does a very nice rendition of "Joshua Gone Barbados" a song covered by both Tom Rush and Dave Van Ronk. But here is a surprise the best cover version I have heard was recently on Volume Five of Bob Dylan's "Genuine Basement Tapes" done in an upstate New York studio in 1967 with The Band for kicks. It blew me away. Eric's "Light Rain" and "Rule the Road" also should get a listen.

Roy Cahn and Eric Von Schmidt, Eric Von Schmidt, Roy Cahn, Smithsonian Folkways, 2007

As for the songs here, most of which were covered by Eric early on he does a very nice rendition of "Wasn't That A Mighty Storm" (about the Galveston, Texas flood in the early 20th century) a song covered by both Tom Rush and Dave Van Ronk. "Buddy Bolden's Blues" (used by August Wilson in one f his plays) and "He Was A Friend Of Mine" need a listen. But you are getting this one for the archival value and for "Wasn't That a Mighty Storm"- a rare treat.