Alan Lomax envisioned his collected fieldwork culminating into an amalgam of traditions, a sort of âglobal jukeboxâ available to the masses to learn from and enjoy. Finally, Lomaxâs vision is palpable, thanks to technological advancements in online archiving. Today, what … Continue reading →
Weâll start todayâs posts with some news accounts, to begin thinking about whether and how the facts matter to the song, and how the facts leave their traces, often in indirect ways, in the songs. Â For the moment at least, … Continue reading →
The LA-based GRAMMY Museum, in conjunction with Woody Guthrie Publications, Inc. and the Woody Guthrie Archives, has announced details about their plans to commemorate the life and career of Oklahoma folk music legend Woody Guthrie in Tulsa. Designed to celebrate … Continue reading →
The Frankie and Johnny mural in the House Lounge at the Missouri State Capitol âFrankie and Johnnyâ or âFrankie and Albertâ is the most popular and commercially successful murder ballad. I canât think of a song that really comes remotely … Continue reading →
Ok, letâs bring this one on home. In the introductory post for the week, we learned that Child 10, the ballad commonly known as âTwo Sistersâ, is in fact quite old, with Scandinavian roots stretching back perhaps a thousand years. … Continue reading →
When I was linking the lyrics for Clannadâs version of âTwo Sistersâ for this weekâs main post, I was stumped when I saw the refrain on several sites listed as âthe boys are born for meâ. Iâd always heard it … Continue reading →
âGirl by Streamâ Charles Van Shaick ca. 1880 This week finds us in new waters â sibling rivalry. Ok, ok, I know. One thing to love about murder ballads is that we canât dismiss the violence with simple explanations or … Continue reading →
As Ken commented, the role of the natural world is a significant element in âYoung Hunting/Henry Lee.â Nick Cave may have removed the dialogue between the woman and the bird, but his original chorus uses the howling wind and the … Continue reading →
This weekâs installment focuses on another American contribution to the genre, in the sense that âHenry Lee,â or âLove Henry,â is an Americanized take on an old ballad called âYoung Huntingâ (Child Ballad No. 68). Â Â The ballad tells … Continue reading →
View From Max Patch, North Carolina â by Jeff Pitman  (Prints available here) âKenâs post about Omieâs surviving children gave rise to something in me that popped out as this little poem. Nothing about what they must have gone through made … Continue reading →
