âThe Bonnie Banks OâFordie,â by Charles Hodge Mackie (1892) Fair Flowers of the Valley While itâs not exactly our intention to ring the changes on the varieties of family-based murder ballads, weâll turn this week to Child Ballad 14, âBabylonâ … Continue reading →
Introduction My first post this week introduced âHiram Hubbardâ, a Kentucky murder ballad from the era of the Civil War. Â The performance of Jean Ritchie and Doc Watson was our springboard. Â For the sake of avoiding multiple clicks across posts, … Continue reading →
âCome all you friends and neighborsâŚâ Every spring, as I finish teaching my unit on the American Civil War, my thoughts turn towards that most terrible of American experiences. Me being who I am always makes that rather intense.  This … Continue reading →
Rorey Carroll Part Two of Murder Ballad Mondayâs Interview with Rorey Carroll Read Part One of the interview here. Read about the song, âHead Hung,â here. Â MBM:Â If you donât mind me asking about this, your brother died tragically … Continue reading →
Rorey Carroll ââŚitâs such a powerful thing to take someoneâs life.  Itâs one of the most powerful things, and itâs something that anyone could do.  I think people are fascinated with death and murder for the fascination with their own darkness.â Part One … Continue reading →
 I found the music of Colorado-based songwriter and recording artist Rorey Carroll, when she âlikedâ our Facebook page.  I looked up her web site, and gave âHead Hungâ a listen, and heard something I recognized in this original murder … Continue reading →
In between âFurnace Room Lullabyâ and âDeep Red Bells,â Neko Case released her second original murder ballad, âMake Your Bed.â The song appeared on Canadian Amp, an EP featuringa few covers, one traditional folk song, and two originals. âMake Your … Continue reading →
Neko Case playing murder victim on the cover of her album Furnace Room Lullaby In response to a previous post on Nick Cave and Johnny Cash, one of our readers commented that âthe emotion in Caveâs voice, along with his … Continue reading →
Last week, Pat asked why we keep pushing the murder ballad for meaning and truth, asking what we need to know that compels us to keep plumbing the depths of these songs? But sometimes, itâs not what we donât know … Continue reading →
 Note: This is Part 4 of a 4 part series â see also Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. My good friend and co-writer for this blog is visiting here this weekend, and heâs just gone off to bed, so … Continue reading →
