A Folk Song A Day

Jon says, “Another FSC campfire number although I’m not sure who wrote it. I love the line ‘like a fiend for his dope or the drunkard his wine’

I think that line instantly gives it a modern feel, but even so the surprise (for me anyway) answer as to the composer’s identity is Merle Travis who also wrote 16 Tons. I confess to knowing very little about him and although he came from a mining family, I’d suggest the note by Peter Kennedy on Mainly Norfolk that “he is himself a miner”, is probably wide of the mark. Whether Merle was trying to claim that background as this song became a staple of the folk revival is I suppose possible, although chinese whispers is the more likely root of the statement. More interesting is Hedy West’s note about Merle’s conversation with a miner and indicates Merle’s genuine identification with that community he grew up in. He seems to be a character none the less and Merle Fest is a whole American annual event in his honour. His Wiki entry has him as a highly influential guitarist too, with both Chet Atkins and Scotty Moore in his debt. Another name for the ‘investigate at a later date’ file, but let’s face it I’m going to need a whole extra life to get through that one.

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Backyard Songs is the name of acclaimed traditional music duo Spiers & Boden’s spring 2013 tour. As one might expect from two such dynamic individuals (and founding members of big band Bellowhead), this is a tour with a difference. You, the public, are invited to contribute your local knowledge of folk songs to determine the content of each show, thus creating a concert of music and songs from your own backyard.

Visit www.backyardsongs.com to view the Spiers & Boden tour on a map. By clicking on the flagged up venues you can find further details and leave suggestions for local songs, sharing your intimate knowledge of traditions local to where you live.

One of the things that fascinates Jon Boden and John Spiers about traditional music is that although it’s generally identified by national boundaries, many tunes and stories originate from the smallest of villages.

In one way or another, Jon and John have spent half of their adult lives on the road, moving from town to town and despite this, rarely staying in one place long enough to feel that they had an intimate feel for the local music, dance and customs of that area. They have concluded that this can only really be achieved by inviting the locals to get involved.

The Backyard Songs Tour starts on 13th April and culminates on 25th May 2013 at Cecil Sharp House, London – the home of English Folk Dance & Song. At that stage, the duo hope to showcase their favourite pieces of music from where the tour has taken them – as well, as music from the capital.

Visit www.backyardsongs.com to find the upcoming tour dates and make your suggestions.

Jon says, “The fabulous Irish singer Mick Henry has been going on at me for years to learn this one. It’s a tricky little number and so sentimental that it’s difficult to know how to pitch it. I’m really enjoying singing it though.”

Here’s another that’s confounded me. I was quite prepared not to like this at all, but I find Jon’s reading of it strangely moving. I guess I have this pegged as one of those syrupy, MOR mainstays, but in fact it’s rather sad. The author for this is well known, an American of German ancestry Thomas Westendorf and this Mudcat thread is genuinely fascinating. His wife’s name was Jenny and whether this was a simple bit of commercial opportunism aimed at the Irish market, or otherwise gained association with the Irish community because it was generally performed by tenors on the Vaudeville circuit and all tenors were labelled Irish, is moot. I’m even more intrigued that the author’s full name is Thomas Paine Westendorf, although that revolutionary thinker was as hugely important in America as he was unwelcome here. What went wrong?

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Another of the Child ballads, #239, and Jon says “I first heard this sung unaccompanied by the brilliant Elle Osborne. She sang it with real gusto and totally nailed it. I’ve only just learnt this recently so am not sure how it will develop for me. I was a bit disappointed to find out it wasn’t called Anarchy Gordon. That should surely be a David Owen illustration of some sort?”

Jon Lydon to guest on AFSAD perhaps??!!?? This is a bit of a Scottish epic and it seems another revived by Nic Jones, with all subsequent versions based on his, first second or third (etc) hand. Mainly Norfolk has his notes and it’s clear from those that he pulled the verses together from several different sources.  I guess it makes this one of those hybrids that I suggested the other day. There have been several notable recordings, including Mary Black’s version that led some people to presume this to be Irish. I think that the name says it all, however, with various alternative spellings Annochie, Anachi and Auchannachie, etc plus the alternate title of Lord Saltoun and Auchanachie. I didn’t think Mudcat added much to the story, but start here should you want to. Wiki has an entry for it and I’m intrigued by the closing remark that “According to the Columbia State University website, it is ‘Possibly related to the Swedish ballad Stolt Ingrid [Proud Ingrid]’.” The whole slightly over wrought, Romeo and Juliet, ill-starred lovers story dying broken hearted has a strong moral lesson element. The father ordering the loosening of his daughter’s gown for political or monetary gain is rather sinister and unsavoury, the consequences are tragic.

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We continue our military theme and Jon says of this one, “Derek Schofield invited Fay and I to sing at the Vaughan Williams concert at Cecil Sharp House a few years ago. I learnt this then to sing with Fay – she has subsequently recorded it on Looking Glass.”

This is another from Vaughan Williams’ collection that Martin Carthy saw fit to revive, this time with the Falklands conflict as his inspiration. You’ll see from Mainly Norfolk that The Young Tradition and Fotheringay both got there before him, but I like Martin’s notes. I’m also intrigued by Bert Lloyds entry and the fact that some women did apparently do exactly as the girl was planning to do and follow their men aboard ship. I’m also intrigued as this is another where there is clearly an Irish version as per the penultimate verse in Fay and Jon’s versions. Elsewhere it’s England or unspecified. I note the other lyrical variations and came up with another version, although the source of it is unspecified, I was rather taken with it especially the couplet,

Let a hundred days be darkened and let maidens give a sigh
It would melt the very elements to hear the wounded cry

Those of you minded to sing this out and about might be able to construct a bit of an epic from the various verses on offer, although whether there’s any merit in that only your audience will decide.

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