The Union Grove Old Time Fiddler’s Convention was started by H.P. VanHoy as a way to help raise funds to support North Carolina’s Union Grove School in 1924. This charity fiddle contest grew exponentially, attracting some of the top bluegrass … Continue reading →
“Listening for the secret, searching for the sound…” I am one of those people who early in life, somewhere around age four, started grappling with the existential ‘problem’ of death. I don’t know why. Maybe it was because my grandmother … Continue reading →
As I mentioned in my first post, “Ballad of Hollis Brown” was presented and received as a sad story about something that happened to a man, not about what that man did to six other people. The song brings us … Continue reading →
The Times They Are a’Changin’ included numerous songs that addressed current events and real crimes. “Only a Pawn in their Game” deals with the assassination of civil rights worker Medgar Evers by Byron De La Beckwith; “The Lonesome Death of … Continue reading →
At the end of this week, I’ll return to the key issues that Dylan addresses in “The Ballad of Hollis Brown.” As part of that, I’ll look at one of if not the worst versions of the song ever sung … Continue reading →
“Ex-Farm Family, now on WPA.” Photo credit: Dorothea Lange. Farm Security Administration, Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library Archives. In regard to “Fair Ellender” – the subject of this blog’s first post – I suggested that the Brown Girl’s murderous act … Continue reading →
“None recover, they are just replaced.” – Robert Hunter, 1995 Note: This is Part 3 of a three part series. See also Part 1 and Part 2. Introduction At the free concert at Altamont Speedway on December 6, 1969, an eighteen … Continue reading →
The last 10 minutes of the 1939 version of Of Mice and Men Note: this is Part 2 of a three part series. See also Part 1 and Part 3. Introduction Bob Weir’s revelation that John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and … Continue reading →
Note: this is Part 1 of a three part series. See also Part 2, and Part 3. Introduction “We can share the women, we can share the wine. We can share what we got of yours, ‘cos we done shared … Continue reading →
The Lass of Loch Royal As Hamish Henderson noted in the link we discussed in the post that started this week with the deception May Margaret’s mother perpetrates on Willie matches that found in “Lord Gregory” (lyrics) or “The Lass of … Continue reading →
