Here is Dylan Tuccillo’s award-winning short film, “Omie Wise — A Folktale.” It presents another contribution to the legend, I suppose, with a modern, if not entirely realistic setting. I’ll keep my thoughts, when I add them, to the comments … Continue reading →
“Omie Wise” has been with us a long time, and been “folk processed” in a number of different directions. That it is still with us is evidence of its power to move and affect the singer and the listener. That … Continue reading →
Elvis Costello appeared five or six years ago as part of “The Harry Smith Project,” a musical renewal of the songs collected by Smith in the Anthology of American Folk Music, providing his proposed resolution of the Omie Wise tale. … Continue reading →
Harry Smith’s Anthology incorporated his somewhat idiosyncratic, news-brief style summaries for the songs he included. The brief on “Ommie Wise” reads as follows: GREEDY GIRL GOES TO ADAMS SPRING WITH LIAR; LIVES JUST LONG ENOUGH TO REGRET IT … Continue reading →
This week’s installment is a decidedly American contribution to the genre, and one not completely shrouded in the mists of history, but only partly so. The events of “Omie Wise” can be pinned down to a known historical event—the drowning … Continue reading →
