It’s amazing how lives can change in just a very short time. The two recent hurricanes Harvey and Irma destroyed vast areas on the mainland US and in the Caribbean.

For this week’s show, I’ve collected some music appropriate to these recent disasters. The program’s title, “Wasn’t That a Mighty Storm,” is taken from the spiritual from the early 1900s. Its lyrics depict the Galveston Flood from 1900, which caused approximately 12,000 fatalities.

We lead off with Tom Rush’s classic rendition of that song …

LISTEN:

Artist / “Title” / CD / Label

Pete Seeger / “If I Had A Hammer” (excerpt) / Songs of Hope and Struggle /
              Smithsonian Folkways
Mr Malaska / “Maanitusta” / Mr Malaska / IMU
Tom Rush / “Wasn’t That A Mighty Storm” / 50 Years of Music / Appleseed
Deborah Robins / “We Are All One Family-When the Rain Comes Down” / Lone Journey /
              Zippety Whippet
John Martyn / “Bless the Weather” / Bless the Weather / Island

James Keelaghan / “Red River Rising” / History / Borealis
Joan Shelley / “If the Storms Never Came” / Joan Shelley / No Quarter
Richard Shindell / “Waiting for the Storm” / Thirteen Songs You May or May Not Have Heard
              Before / Amalgamated Balladry
Mr. Malaska / “Mustan Aukom Tamgo” / Mr Malaska / IMU

Bob Dylan / “Down in the Flood” / Sidetracks / CBS
Sean McConnell / “Running Under Water” / Undone / Rounder
Rachel Unthank & the Winterset / “Lull IV Can’t Stop it Raining” / The Bairns / Realworld
Bruce Cockburn / “False River” / Bone on Bone / True North

Susan Cattaneo / “The River Always Wins” / The Hammer & The Heart / Jersey Girl
Bob Franke / “The Great Storm is Over” / Fast Folk Music Magazine Vol.1 No. 6
Pete Seeger / “If I Had A Hammer” (excerpt) / Songs of Hope and Struggle /
              Smithsonian Folkways