The Essex of Nantucket Last week was the 161st anniversary of the publication of Herman Melvilleâs The Whale, or, Moby Dick.  The novel was a critical and commercial failure at first.  It essentially ended Melvilleâs career as a novelist, but it … Continue reading →
For the fourth time this week we embark on an exploration of the ballad âYoung Emilyâ â Laws M34 or Roud #182 â and in Appalachia today weâll finish our trek. Â We introduced the ballad with Natalie Merchant singing an … Continue reading →
For our third post on âYoung Emilyâ this week, weâll travel to Northern Ireland and the banks of Lough Neagh, and there find it called âYoung Edmund in the Lowlands Low.â For the history of the ballad and an introduction … Continue reading →
Our first post this week introduced the murder ballad âYoung Emilyâ. 19th century English folk knew it as âYoung Edwin in the Lowlands Lowâ.  Eventually it acquired many other names â all cataloged commonly today as both Laws M34 and Roud 182. … Continue reading →
(Note this introduction is Part 1 of our four part series on this ballad. Part 2 takes us to England, Part 3 to Ireland, and Part 4 back to Appalachia.) Here at Murder Ballad Monday we hope every week to … Continue reading →
The Civil Wars (photo by Allister Ann) [This is our third post this week on The Civil Warsâ âBarton Hollow.â Â Read the first one here, and the second one here.]Take me to the riverIn her debut week with the blog, … Continue reading →
The Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee [This is the second post this week on âBarton Hollow,â by The Civil Wars. Â Read the first one here. Â Also, this post is not about the Mick Sterling album Between Saturday Night and Sunday Morning.]I … Continue reading →
The Civil Wars With two Grammy Awards to their credit this year, The Civil Wars hardly need our blog to lift them out of obscurityâŚto the extent that we are able to lift anybody out of obscurity for anyone.  Good … Continue reading →
Bob Weir [This is the fourth post this week on Marty Robbinsâs âEl Paso.â Â You can find the first one here, the second here, and the third here.]Iâve found over the course of doing my weeks at the blog that … Continue reading →
[This is the third post this week on Marty Robbinsâs âEl Paso.â Â Read the first here, and the second here.] In todayâs post, letâs give a listen to some of the Western material that Robbins created both at the time … Continue reading →
