Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. It’s a combination of the Autumnal weather and the brilliant colors but also sinister songs of the supernatural intertwined with tradition are very appealing. We’ll hear classics from Archie Fisher, Anne Hills and … Continue reading →
This week we complete our two part ballad feature with a series of selections collected by James Francis Child. Later we’ll hear a set of unaccompanied ballads from the Southern Mountains and explore a long set of English ballads in … Continue reading →
This week on The Sing Out! Radio Magazine we begin a two part feature Ballads Ancient & New. We’ll listen to ballads in many different settings and styles. Narrative songs have always been an important part of folk music whether … Continue reading →
I am very fond of music that pushes the envelope, that is I enjoy when musicians leave their comfort zone and take their music in new directions. This week’s program is entitled Name That Tune and features players who are … Continue reading →
The purity of the unaccompanied human voice is one of the most beautiful sounds. Songs sung without accompaniment or a capella have a long history in folk music. You don’t need an instrument to make beautiful music whether you’re working … Continue reading →
In celebration of Labor Day this week’s program dedicated to the American Labor Force. A recent Associated Press survey found 58% of American Adults approve of Labor Unions. This is the highest level since 2008 when 59% supported the establishment … Continue reading →
Ever since the Concert for Bangladesh organized by George Harrison there have been countless concerts and recordings in tribute to a musical style or an artist. The next two weeks we will sample some of the very best. This week … Continue reading →
A Sharp Turn A girl. A daughter, a sister, a lover. A prostitute. Ruby lips. Thin, delicate, pretty. Big feet. A fat girl. A clutz, a clod, a chub. A drunk girl. Drowned, lost, forgotten, betrayed. A dead girl. A … Continue reading →
On this blog, we often play detective. In fact, that’s pretty much all we do, and this post is no different, but I’m going to start by turning the tables. What, if anything, do you make of these fragments?: A … Continue reading →
Twice in recent weeks I’ve delved into Hazel Dickens’s work to find songs that walk the line between life and death in America’s coal fields. “Black Lung” is no murder ballad, but we saw how it used Primitive Baptist singing … Continue reading →
