Survival by Ballad
[Notes: Thanks to Pat for the title. I’m going to add some songs in here that are not murder ballads, but they fire some of the same synapses, and their relevance to the story I tell below should … Continue reading →
Down in the Willow Garden
“Down in the Willow Garden” brings us a tune with slightly different roots, and an interesting story about branches. It’s the first ballad we’ve taken up with distinctively Irish origins. For our first post this week, we’ll introduce the ballad … Continue reading →
Frankie was a good woman
Glenna Bell For my final installment on “Frankie and Johnny,” I want to pick out two versions that, while not necessarily representing the kind of girl anthem (sardonic or otherwise) of Judy Henske’s “Love Henry,” still present a woman’s voice … Continue reading →
This story has no end: Part Two
Cyd Charisse as “Frankie” in “Meet Me in Las Vegas” Going to the Movies: Hipsters and Hootenannies To paraphrase Lord Buckley,”Friends, blog-readers, countrymen, knock me your lobes.” Sammy Davis, Jr. here takes a turn at Frankie … Continue reading →
This story has no end: Part One
Going to the Movies: Icons and Idols The “Frankie and Johnny” story has gone through a few cinematic adaptations over the years. It also appears in a few film musicals in productions that are otherwise unrelated to the “Frankie” … Continue reading →
This story has no moral
Despite the fact that I think there was some “hourglass moment” where this song slipped through a narrow channel to flow back out again, there is still so much diversity to the lyrics of this song that a “close … Continue reading →
Ain’t gonna tell you no lies
“As our American culture advances, it may be that classes will take up the Frankie songs as seriously as a play by Molière or a Restoration comedy or the Provençal ballads of France….While the Frankie story deals with … Continue reading →
Digital Lomax: His fieldwork goes online
Alan Lomax envisioned his collected fieldwork culminating into an amalgam of traditions, a sort of “global jukebox” available to the masses to learn from and enjoy. Finally, Lomax’s vision is palpable, thanks to technological advancements in online archiving. Today, what … Continue reading →
Ain’t gonna tell you no stories
We’ll start today’s 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. For the moment at least, … Continue reading →
Details for Woody Guthrie Centennial Celebration in Tulsa announced
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 →