Concert Poster, Oakland Coliseum – Peter Barsotti, 12/31/91 I recently wrote about “Jack Straw” as the Grateful Dead’s only true murder ballad. That effort spurred me to begin this week with a broader look at the act of murder in the Dead’s … Continue reading →
The Union Grove Old Time Fiddlerâs Convention was started by H.P. VanHoy as a way to help raise funds to support North Carolinaâs 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. Â 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 aâChanginâ included numerous songs that addressed current events and real crimes. âOnly a Pawn in their Gameâ deals with the assassination of civil rights worker Medgar Evers by Byron De La Beckwith; âThe 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 âFair Ellenderâ â the subject of this blogâs first post â I suggested that the Brown Girlâs 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. Â 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. Â 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 →
