A bit older this time, perhaps
I listened to this version for the first time this morning: I had never heard this tune for the song before. Here is where we have want of a musicologist. On the face of it, it seems like this tune … Continue reading →
Ken Bigger
Ken Bigger is a writer based in the Midwest. He co-founded Murder Ballad Monday in 2012.
Fair Ellender
For the first selection: Fair Ellender. Here is Jerry Garcia and David Grisman’s version from “Shady Grove.” Fair Ellender (Spotify) Here’s the same song on YouTube: (link replaced 12/10/14) While not the most famous of the genre, this one … Continue reading →
Introduction to Murder Ballad Monday
The murder ballad fascinates me. Not murder, of course, but songs about it—how the person or people who craft and carry on the song use something terrible to make something beautiful, or at least something useful or emotionally or morally … Continue reading →