September 11
There Are No Words Halifax Explosion, 1917 If Pat will permit me this brief interruption in his week on “Cold Rain and Snow,” I thought it worth taking note of the day, September 11, and how it relates to our … Continue reading →
JOHN JACOB NILES: The Boone-Tolliver Recordings
JOHN JACOB NILES The Boone-Tolliver Recordings LM Dupli-cation 4 LM Dupli-cation Website www.john-jacob-niles.com “Over coffee and liqueurs we would sometimes listen to John Jacob Niles’ recordings. The metallic clang of his dulcimer never failed to … Continue reading →
MARY Z. COX: Girl With The Banjo Tattoo
MARY Z. COX Girl With The Banjo Tattoo Mary Z. Cox www.maryzcox.com Mary Z. Cox describes herself as a banjoholic. She has played since the age of 12 and has won numerous prizes in … Continue reading →
COSY SHERIDAN, The Horse King
COSY SHERIDAN The Horse King Waterbug 102 www.waterbug.com www.cosysheridan.com In the notes for this CD, her 10th release, Cosy Sheridan admits to only recently deciding to refer to herself a “singer songwriter.” Until now, she’d … Continue reading →
MARK COLLIE and HIS RECKLESS COMPANIONS: Alive at Brushy Mountain State Penitantiary
MARK COLLIE & HIS RECKLESS COMPANIONS Live at Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary Wilbanks 1694 www.wilbanks.com http://www.markcollie.com Country singer/writer Collie’s inspiration for this arresting disc came from hearing Johnny Cash’s Folsom and San Quentin prison LPs and knowing … Continue reading →
Cold Rain and Snow – Introduction
I first heard our subject ballad for the week from the same source I’m sure the majority of people who know it today did – the Grateful Dead. It had been part of their repertoire since their start in 1965, … Continue reading →
But don’t you let it take you over
[This is the fourth post this week on Child ballad 243, “The Demon Lover” or “House Carpenter.” Read the first one here, the second one here, and the third one here.] Our last post took a look at one of the descendants … Continue reading →
STEVE GILLETTE & CINDY MANGSEN: Home By Dark
STEVE GILLETTE and CINDY MANGSEN Home By Dark Compass Rose 13 www.compassrosemusic.com After some twenty albums between them, including four prior duo albums, premier songwriters and song interpreters Steve Gillette and Cindy Mangsen give their … Continue reading →
DAILEY & VINCENT: The Gospel Side of Dailey & Vincent
DAILEY & VINCENT The Gospel Side of Dailey & Vincent Rounder 116619124 www.rounder.com As is often the case with bluegrass musicians, Jamie Dailey and Darren Vincent are both steeped in the sounds of Southern … Continue reading →
Some are carpenters’ wives
[This is the third post on Child ballad 243, “The Demon Lover” or “House Carpenter.” Read the first one here, and the second one here.] “James Harris,” the demon figure in Child 243, does not represent just any potential lover … Continue reading →