Fat Possum Records has confirmed that delta blues musician James âT-Modelâ Ford passed away on Tuesday, July 16th of respiratory failure after a prolonged illness. His age was unknown, though he claimed to be 93. Heralded for his rugged personality … Continue reading →
Jon Langford (Photo by Barry Phipps, courtesy the artist and Bloodshot Records) Today we continue our conversation with transplanted Chicagoan and jack-of-all-trades (music, art, comic interludes, storytelling) Jon Langford. You can read Part One here; Part Three appears Friday. Today … Continue reading →
Without A Doubt, Jon Langford (2007) Introduction When I was just a baby, my Mama told me, âSon Always be a good boy, donât ever play with guns,â But I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die. … Continue reading →
Toshi-Aline Ohta Seeger, wife of folk music icon Pete Seeger, passed away overnight on Tuesday, July 9th. She was a mother, an organizer, an activist and filmmaker ⌠and an essential part of all of her husbandâs work. She was … Continue reading →
For SORM #13-28: New Tunes for Summer, Pt. 5, airing the week starting 07-10-13 For SORM #13-27: Gettysburg and the Civil War, airing the week starting 07-03-13 For SORM #13-26: New Tunes for Summer, Pt. 4, airing the week starting … Continue reading →
âDavid âStringbeanâ Akemanâ (image from Dirk aka Dave Kelly, via myspace) Murder in Music City Although the story behind this weekâs song, âThe Ballad of Stringbean and Estelle,â is forty years old, itâs in the minority of songs among our … Continue reading →
Introduction Our first post this week dealt with the lyrics and the provenance, as well as we can know it, of the ballad âWillie Moore.â Â If youâre looking for information and discussion along those lines, I encourage you to click … Continue reading →
Sing Out! provides an international listing of folk music festivals and camps, which can be found at www.singout.org/fests.html. Our listing is currently updated to feature festivals throughout the summer. Before making summer road trips, camping excursions, etc., be sure to … Continue reading →
Leonard Rutherford (fiddle) and Dick Burnett (banjo) â Theirs is the earliest known recording of âWillie Mooreâ Introduction One thing I find about murder ballads in my own life is that I often remember the first time and place I … Continue reading →
Bluegrass singer and banjo player Ralph Stanley has announced that he plans to retire in December of 2014. Now age 86, âDr. Ralph Stanleyâ has had a storied career with tremendous achievements, including inventing his own banjo playing style, winning … Continue reading →
