This week we complete our two part feature focusing on family members who play music together. We’ll hear some Celtic family bands old and new, some classic Bluegrass families and some contemporary organizations. There’s something very special about playing music … Continue reading →
Ellen Greene An “Interlude” post, in our use, is not necessarily a connection between one piece of music and another, but an exploration of artistic work with close thematic engagement with murder ballads. It’s a step outside our “song of … Continue reading →
Introduction Two years ago this month we lost Doc Watson. This isn’t an homage to Doc. I mention the anniversary by way of saying that I first heard today’s song from him. But more to the point, “No Telephone in … Continue reading →
Note: This is Part 3 of a three part series on “Little Sadie” – See also Part 1 and Part 2 Introduction I went out one night for to make a little round I met Little Sadie and I shot … Continue reading →
SUTTON, HOLT & COLEMAN Ready For the Times High Windy Audio 1264 www.davidholt.com Billed as a tribute to the late Doc Watson, this trio does indeed have a cumulative total of several decades of … Continue reading →
Introduction Nature has no mercy at all. Nature says, “I’m going to snow. If you have on a bikini and no snowshoes, that’s tough. I am going to snow anyway.” – Maya Angelou, from Conversations with Maya Angelou It’s … Continue reading →
Leonard Rutherford (fiddle) and Dick Burnett (banjo) – Theirs is the earliest known recording of “Willie Moore” 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 →
Arthel Lane “Doc” Watson This is our third post this week on “Tom Dooley.” You can read the first here and the second here. Introduction My heart sank just a little after reading in John Edward Fletcher’s book about the … Continue reading →
This is the second post on Child 243. Read the first post here. The short answer is “nobody.” Nobody weeps for the house carpenter. In our last post, we saw how artists through the years molded and shaped the original … Continue reading →
Arthel Lane “Doc” Watson (March 3, 1923 – May 29, 2012) If there are patron saints for this blog, Doc Watson is one of them, at least for me. With apologies to my dad, who was the acoustic guitar player with … Continue reading →
