12 “Peg and Awl” by The Carolina Tar Heels

The Carolina Tar Heels World

Here comes Clarence Ashley again, this time as a member of the Carolina Tar Heels, originaly a duo composed of banjo player Doc Walsh and guitar and harmonica player Gwen Foster. Ashley joined the band in 1928 and recorded 17 sides with them. By this time the original harmonica player was replaced by Garley Foster ( No relation to Gwen). On this sides he played guitar rather than banjo and was singing lead vocals. After Ashley’s departure the band continued to record until 1932. Their rediscovery in 1962 leaded to  an lp recorded for the Folk Legacy label, with Doc Walsh’s son but without Ashley. 

The repertoire and sound of the band was not common, including many 19th-century songs, mountain Blues, double-entendre songs (My sweet farm girl) played mostly with guitar, banjo and harmonica but without the proeminent fiddle of most old-time string bands of that time. 

-Go here to read more about the Carolina tar Heels

-I’m offering 16 tracks for now that were part of box-set called “Mountain frolic” on the JSP label but we’ll meet again the Carolina Tar Heels on another song of the Anthology, “Got the farm land Blues” and it will be the occasion to post more tracks by this joyful  band.

TRACK LIST:

1.Good-Bye My Bonnie, Good-Bye

2.The Bulldog Down In Sunny Tennessee

3.I Love My Mountain Home

4.When The Good Lord Sets You Free

5.There’s A Man Goin’ Around Takin’ Names

6.Lady Down Baby, Take Your Rest

7.Can’t You Remember When Your Heart Was Mine?

8.Roll On, Boys

9.I’ll Be Washed

10.Hand In Hand We Have Walked Along Together

11.The Train’s Done Left Me

12.Who’s Gonna Kiss Your Lips, Dear Darling

13.Oh, How I Hate It

14.The Old Grey Goose

15.The Hen House Door Is Locked

16.Washing Mama’s Dishe

DOWNLOAD HERE

The Peg and Awl Variations

“Peg and Awl” is a delightful and simple song (Have you noticed that many of the songs on the Anthology sounds like children’s songs…) heard only in The united States. There’s a traditionnal english song called “The pegging Awl” which is in fact a bawdy one and have nothing to do with the american “Peg and Awl”. But according to the events descibed in the lyrics (“In the year of Eighteen and one…”) this song seems to be refering to the english industrial revolution, where machinery started to take the place of the working man. By the end of the 19th century the changes were felt everywhere in Europe and in North America, in all the working fields. But the shoemaker of the song does not protest against the industrialisation, on the contrary he’s rejoicing that it saves him from hard labour. 

-On this page you’ll read the lyrics and have an accurate description of the changes that occured in shoemaking during this period.

-On this page there’s also an interesting essay about the song.

-When i listened to the various versions of “Peg and Awl”, i noticed that some of the comptemporary performances are filled with some kind of melancholy and nostalgia, which seems to me in contradiction with the lyrics and maybe reflect the fact that today we see more the negative side of the industrial world, with the ecological damages and massive  unemployement it leads to.

TRACK LIST:

1.The Carolina tar heels, from the Anthology

2.Poverty Line Old Time Band, from “Poverty Line Old Time Band”

3.Freedy Johnston, from “Song of America”

4.Kelly Harrell, from “Kelly Harrell Vol. 1 (1925-1926)”

5.Danu, from “The Road Less Traveled”

6.Pete Seeger, from “American Industrial Ballads”

7.Anamude, from “Tribute To The Anthology Of American Folk Music By Harry Smith”

8.Tom Kitching And Gren Bartley, from  “Rushes”

9.Elizabeth LaPrelle, from “Lizard In the Spring”

10. J.E. Mainer and his Mountaineers, from “40 Classics”

11.Camptown Shakers, from “Tooth & Nail”

12.Bruce Molsky, from “Poor Man’s Troubles”

13.Hobart Smith, from “Southern Journey Vol. 2: Ballads and Breakdowns”

14.Charlie Parr, from “Tribute To The Anthology Of American Folk Music By Harry Smith”

15.Doc Watson & Clarence Ashley, from “Original Folkways Recordings Of Doc Watson And Clarence Ashley, 1960-1962″

DOWNLOAD HERE

11 “The Lazy Farmer Boy” by Carter & Young

Carter & Young’s World

Buster Carter and Preston Young were part of an ensemble of old-time musicians that came from the North Carolina region, the most famous being Charley Poole, who recorded at the end of the 1920’s and beginning of the 1930’s. All this musicians had a distinctive “string band” sound that revival groups like the New Lost City Ramblers tried to emulate. Today, Carter & Young are mostly remembered for being the first group to record the bluegrass classic “I’ll roll in my sweet baby’s arms” and their version of “The young man who wouldn’t hoe corn” who was included in the Anthology.

-On this page, you’ll read a biography of Preston Young

-In addition to the sides by Carter and Young, i’ve included sides by another group “The Carolina Buddies” in which they played on some tracks. Posey Rorer, the great fiddler who played with Charley Poole is playing also on most of the tracks.

TRACK LIST:

Buster Carter & Preston Young (with Posey Rorer)

1.It’s Hard To Love And Can’t Be Loved

2.Swinging Down The Lane (I’d Rather Be Rosy Nell)

3.It Won’t Hurt No More

4.A Lazy Farmer Boy

5.What Sugar Head Licker Will Do

6.Bill Morgan And His Gal

7.I’ll Roll In My Sweet Baby’s Arms

8.She’s A Darn Good Gal

The Carolina Buddies

9.In A Cottage By The Sea

10.Murder Of The Lawson Family

11.Story that the crow told me

12.My sweetheart is a sly miss

13.Work Don’t Bother Me

14.Otto Wood The Bandit

15.He Went In Like A Lion(But Came Out Like A Lamb)

16.My Evolution Gril

17.Mistreated Blues

18.Broken Hearted Lover

DOWNLOAD HERE

 

 

 

The Lazy Farmer Boy Variations

The song, mostly known as “The young man who wouldn’t hoe corn”,makes fun of the misfortunes of a young farmer  too lazy to take care of his fields and who stay single because no girl wants to marry him.

The tune of the song is a particulary beautiful one and like many other mountain songs is in a modal mode, neither major or minor, like “Shady Grove” for example. 

-The music and the lyrics of the song are on this two pages: Page one and page two 

-I’ve included on my “choiced” variations two songs that took the melody and changed the words (“The strange death of John Doe” by The Almanac Singers and “Man on the street” by Bob Dylan) and a “jazz” version by Nat Adderley. And, no, i didn’t include the “famous” version by Alison Kraus and Union Station, simply because i don’t like it!

TRACK LIST:

1.Young Man Who Wouldn’t Hoe Corn, Pete Seeger, from ”American Favorite Ballads, Vol. 2″

2.A Young Man That Wouldn’t Hoe Corn / I Wonder When I Shall Be married, Ritchie Family, from ”The Ritchie Family of Kentucky”

3.The Young Man Who Couldn´t Hoe Corn, Burl Ives, from ”The Golden Vanity”

4.Lazy Farmer Boy,Greg Hooven String Band, from ”The Harry Smith Connection: A Live Tribute to the Anthology” 

5.The Lazy Young Man, J.A. Latham, from Ozark Folksongs

6.Counting Rhyme / The Young Man Who Wouldn’t Hoe Corn, Jim Douglas, from ”Peddler’s Pack: A Collection of Early Colonial Songs”

7.Young Man Who Wouldn’t Hoe Corn, Nat Adderley, from ”The Music Of Quincy Jones”

8.The Lazy Farmer, Tom Paley, from ”Old Tom Moore”

9.The Young Man That Wouldn’t Hoe Corn, John Renbourn, from ”So Early In the Spring” 

10.The Young Man Who Wouldn’t Hoe Corn, Spider John Koerner, from ”Raised By Humans”

11.The Young Man Who Wouldn’t Hoe Corn,Richard Greene, from “Duets”

12.The Young Man Who Wouldn’t Hoe Corn, Vern Smelser, from ”Fine Times At Our House”

13.The Strange Death Of John Doe, Almanac Singers feat Woody Guthrie & Pete Seeger, from ”Which Side Are You On? The Best Of The Almanac Singers”

14.Man On The Street, Bob Dylan, from ”The Bootleg Series, Vols. 1-3 : Rare And Unreleased, 1961-1991″

15.A Lazy Farmer Boy, Robin Holcomb, from “The Big Time”

DOWNLOAD HERE

10 “Willie Moore” by Burnett & Rutherford

Burnett & Rutherford’s World

“Dick Burnett and Leonard Rutherford travelled throughout the South from 1914 to 1950, spreading their good music, collecting good songs, and building a reputation for musical excitement that still holds today throughout the region. People from widely different geographic areas remember the singing of “Blind Burnett,” the “blind minstrel of Monticello,” and fiddling Leonard Rutherford, “one of the smoothest fiddlers ever to take a bow.”

Sure, the old-time music of Burnett & Rutherford makes us travel in time, and it’s tempting to imagine the duo singing and playing in the streets of the mountain towns, while people are buck-dancing in rhythm with the banjo and fiddle. Even after 80 years,even played on a modern computer lap-top, their music sounds so exciting and immediate, joyful and honest all at once. Their version of “Willie Moore” is perhaps one my favorite performance on the Anthology…

-On this page, you’ll read the full article that i started to quote in the beginning by the great country music historian Charles Wolfe.

-and here, you’ll read more about the life and music of the duet

-Dick Burnett claimed that he wrote the famous appallachian song “Man of constant sorrow” in 1913 but never recorded it. Let’s hear Emry Arthur’s version of the song: 

“Man of constant sorrow” mP3

-I’ve compiled 18 tracks by Burnett & Rutherford, with Burnett always playing the banjo or guitar (he had a very “snappy” guitar style) and Rutherford the fiddle. They are joined on two tracks (Cumberland Gap and She’s a flower from the field of Alabama) by guitarist Byrd Moore. On two tracks (Going around the world and Going across the sea) Burnett is playing and singing alone.

1.Ladies On The Steamboat

2.All Night Long Blues

3.Cumberland Gap

4.Curley Headed Woman

5.Pearl Bryan

6.Billy In The Low Ground

7.Rambling Reckless Hobo

8.Willie Moore

9.Lost John

10.Little Stream Of Whiskey

11.I’ll Be With You When The Roses Bloom Again

12.She’s A Flower From The Fields Of Alabama

13.Weeping Willow Tree

14.A Short Life Of Trouble

15.Going Around The World

16.Going Across The Sea

17.Sleeping Lulu

18.Blackberry Blossoms

Download here

If you want to hear more old-time music from Kentucky, i strongly recommand the following discs:

-”Kentucky Mountain Music” a superb box-set with 7 cds and a booklet issued by Yazoo Records, it’s a compilation of 78rpm records and field recordings

-”Music of Kentucky” also from Yazoo Records, 2 cds with other 78s and field recordings from that region

-”Mountain music of Kentucky” is a 2 cd set of field recordings made by John Cohen for Folkways Records; a lot of banjo pickers, Sacred-Harp and religious singing, the great Roscoe Holcomb,etc… a must-have!

The Willie Moore Variations

“Willie Moore” is the first real vernacular american folk ballad of the Anthology. The theme and verses of the song are very alike british broadside balladry but versions of the song could only be found in America.

This tragic love tale has very mysterious verses: Why Willie Moore was called a “king”, did “sweet Annie” killed herself because she could not marry him, or Willie maybe killed her, why did Willie went away to Montreal and who is the mysterious J.R.D who “composed” the song?

-On this page, you’ll read an essay and the lyrics of the song

-Most of the versions that i found share the same melody, a melody that can also be found in other ballads, like “Sweet William and Lady Margret” sung here by Jean Ritchie. My selection is relatively short to avoid repetition as many versions of the song sounds quite similar.

TRACK LIST

1.Sweet William and Lady Margaret, Jean Ritchie,  from “Ballads from her Appalachian Family Tradition”

2.Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, from “Best of the Vanguard Years”

3.Hadden, Rothfield & Carr, from “When These Shoes Were New”

4. Happy Traum , from “Buckets Of Song”

5.Barry Hall, from “Virtuoso Five-String Banjo”

6.Silver Thread Trio, from  “Silver Thread Trio”

7. Brian Keane, from “The Way West (Original Film Soundtrack)”

8.Foghorn Stringband, from “Rattlesnake Tidal Wave”

9.Doc Watson, from “Jean Ritchie and Doc Watson at Folk City”

10. Fred Starr, from “The Max Hunter Folksong Collection”

11. Hank Schwartz, from “Notes Along The Way”

12. Jody Stecher & Kate Brislin, from “Stay Awhile”

13. The Kossoy Sisters With Erik Darling, from “Bowling Green”

14.Matt Bauer, from “Tribute To The Anthology Of American Folk Music By Harry Smith”

DOWNLOAD HERE

9 “Old Shoes & Leggins” by Uncle Eck Dunford

Uncle Eck Dunford’s World

Uncle Eck Dunford, born in 1878 in Caroll County, West Virginia, was an old-time musician, singer and comedian as well as an eccentric character. During the 1920’s, he played mostly with Ernest Stoneman’s band on fiddle or guitar but also recorded a few sides by himself as lead singer. Later,in the 1930’s he played with members of the Ward family in a band called ”The Bogtrotters”. 

-On this page, you’ll read a bit more in lenght about “Uncle Eck”

-Apparently, Uncle Eck is best remembered for his archaic voice and eccentric personnality than for his playing on fiddle or guitar. From the few 78rpm records that went out under his name, two features him telling comic stories over Ernest Stoneman’s banjo playing.

-I’ve compiled the sides where he’s the lead singer as well as the three “skits” he recorded with Ernest Stoneman’s Blue Ridge Cornshuckers. There’s also two tracks from The Bogtrotters recorded by the Library of Congress.

TRACK LIST

UNCLE ECK DUNFORD

1.Old Shoes & Leggins

2.Angeline The Baker

3.Skip To Ma Lou, My Darling

4.Whippoorwill Song

5.My first bicycle ride

6.The Savingest Man On Earth

7.What Will I Do When My Money Is All Gone

8.Barney McCoy

ERNEST STONEMAN’S BLUE RIDGE CORNSHUCKERS

9.Old time corn shuckin’ part 1

10.Old time corn shuckin’part 2

11.Possum Trot School Exhibition – Pts. 1 & 2

12.A Serenade In the Mountains – Pts. 1 & 2

THE BOGTROTTERS

13.Who Broke The Lock

14.Old Jimmy Sutton

DOWNLOAD HERE

 

 

 

The Old Shoes & Leggins Variations
With its origin in Scotland in the 18th century, this song remained popular in the british folklore under such titles as “An Old Man Came O’er The Lea” or “With His Grey Beard Newly Shaven”. Usually sung by a young girl, it makes fun of a ridiculous and poor old man who comes courting a young lady.

-On this article, you’ll read more about it and have the full lyrics.

-Click on the picture below to see a wonderful comic book illustration of “Old Shoes and Leggins” by Jeffrey Lewis

 

-Contrary to my previous post (“The King Kong Kitchie Ki-Me-O Variations”), i couldn’t find many recorded versions of the song but i hope the 14 tracks selected here will give you a good overview.

TRACK LIST

1.Old Shoes & Leggins, Uncle Eck Dunford, from the Anthology 

2.The old black booger, Ollie Gilbert, from Max Hunter Folksong Collection

3.With his old gray beard a shining, Mrs Pearl Brewer, from Max Hunter Folksong Collection

4.Old shoes and leggins, David Krussel, from Max Hunter Folksong Collection

5.With his long cane pipe a smokin’, Mrs Clyde Johnson, from Max Hunter Folksong Collection

6.With his old gray beard a shining, Mrs Laura McDonald, from Max Hunter Folksong Collection

7.Old Man’s Courtship,The The Bergerfolk, from ”Bergerfolk, Vol. 4: Pack Up Your Sorrows”

8.Old shoe boots and leggings, Sarah Gunning, from ”Land of Yahoe”

9.My old gray beard ’s a flappin, Clyde Davenport, from ”American Fogies”

10.Shoes and Leggings ,Jeff Warner and Jeff Davis, from ”Two Little Boys: More Old Time Songs for Kids”

11.Old Gray Beard A-Flappin’, Otis High, from ”Hand-Me-Down Music: Old Songs, Old Friends, Vol. 2 – Traditional Music of Union County, North Carolina”

12.Old Shoe Boots, Jean Ritchie, from ”Children’s Songs and Games from the Southern Mountains”

13.Ole Gum Boots and Leggins, Betty Garland, from ”American Folk Ballads”

14.Old Shoes and Leggings, Mike and Peggy Seeger, from  ”Mike and Peggy Seeger” 

DOWNLOAD HERE

8 “King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki-Me-O” by Chubby Parker

Chubby Parker’s World

We have no idea how an artist that we don’t know much about today, could have been so popular in a certain time and place.In the 1920’s, for listeners of WLS, the Chicago-based radio station, Chubby Parker and his old-time banjo was a very popular act, entertaining the audience with his repertoire of funny songs, country songs and “negro” songs. Singing, strumming his five-string banjo, blowing his harmonica, whistling a bit, he was a much loved figure before going to oblivion in the depression era, like many others.

-On the last issue of The Old-Time Herald, there’s an article by Ken Russell. There’s a short excerpt on line here.

-Here’s 21 sides for your delight of Chubby Parker, old-time troubadour and clown, that will put a big smile on your face and move your feet (I hope…).

TRACK LIST

1.The Year Of jubilo

2.In Kansas

3.Get Away Old Maids Get Away

4.Bingo Was His Name O

5.Drill Ye Tarriers Drill

6.Grandfather’s Clock

7.I’m A Stern Old Bachelor

8.The Old Wooden Rocker

9.A Rovin Little Darkey

10.Whoa Mule Whoa

11.You’ll Hear The Bells In The Morning

12.Nickety Nackety Now Now Now

13.Davey Crockett

14.Kissing Song

15.Bib-A-Lollie-Boo

16.King King Kitchie Kitchie Ki Me O

17.And That Was Irish Too

18.The Irish Christening

19.See The Black Clouds A Breakin’ Over Yonder

20.Oh Susanna

21.Oh Dem Golden Slippers

DOWNLOAD HERE

 

 

The King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki-Me-O Variations

Known better under the title “Frog went a-courtin”, this is a variant of one of the oldest and more popular british folk song of all times. It tells of the courtship that leads to the wedding between a frog and a mouse,the folk process adding along time many words and funny twists to it, like a non-sense chorus that changes depending on the traditions. Today, it’s still one of the most famous children song of the english-speaking world and it has been recorded a lot during this last century.

To go deeper in the study of this song and its many variants, i’ve found a few interesting links:

-First of all, this website is devoted to track down all the variants of the song. An impressive work

-On the Folk Den page, you have the lyrics of the Chubby Parker’s version and the Roger Mc Guinn performance of the song

-On this page, there’s many good informations

There’s so many good performances of this song that i decided to offer you two compilations of the ones that i like the best, a total of 32 tracks divided in two parts. 

I always try to find some unusual versions to be included with my favorite ones, so here you’ll have, for example, a punk-rockabilly version by  The Flat Duo Jets, a gospel one by The Golden gate Quartet, a blues one by Doctor Oakroot and an acapella version by Jim Nollman who made a very unusal record of music played with animals (issued  in 1982 by Folkways records). Here, he’s singing the song with 300 turkeys!!

I would like to know which one among the performances i chosen (or maybe one that is not included here) is your favorite so feel free to leave a comment…

TRACK LIST

1.A Frog He Went A-Courting, Jeff Warner and Jeff Davis, from “Two Little Boys: More Old Time Songs for Kids”

2.Froggy Went A-Courting, Doctor Oakroot, from “Hapless Fool”

3.Frog Went A-courtin’ ,Enzo Garcia, from “Breakfast With Enzo”

4.Froggy Went A-Courtin’, Steve Gardner, from “JERICHO”

5.Froggy-Went-a-Courting (300 Turkeys), Jim Nollman, from “Playing Music with Animals: Interspecies Communication”

6.Mr. Froggie Went A-Courting (Good Bye Mister Froggie), Golden Gate Quartet, from “Gospel Masters: Get On Board Little Children”

7.Sing Song Kitty, Doc Watson, from “At Gerdes Folk City”

8.Froggy Went a Courtin’, Sparky Rucker, from “A Home In Tennessee”

9.Frog Went a-Courting, Pete Seeger, from “American Folk Songs For Children”

10.Kemo Kimo, Jack Pearson, from “Singin’ in Our Own Back Yard”

11.Keemo Kimo/ Brigg’s Corn Shucking Jig, Camptown Shakers, from “Tooth & Nail”

12.Froggy went a courtin, Jimmy Driftwod, from “Ozark Folksongs”

13.The Frog Went A-Courtin’,Tom Glazer, from “Tom Glazer Sings Honk-Hiss-Tweet-GGGGGGGGGG”

14.The Frog Went A-Courtin, Anna & Juliet Canova, from “The Story That The Crow Told Me, Vol. 2″

15.Frog Went A-Courtin’, John Jacob Niles, from “I Wonder As I Wander – Carols & Love Songs”

16.Selections from 19 American Folk Songs for Piano: Frog Went a courtin’,Virginia Eskin, from “Music of Marion Bauer & Ruth Crawford Seeger”

DOWNLOAD PART ONE HERE

 

1.There Was A Puggie In A Well, Ewan MacColl, from “The Riverside / Folklore Series Volume 4 “

2.A Frog He Would A-Wooing Go, Alan Mills, from “Animals, Vol.1″

3.Frog Went A-Courtin’, George and Gerry Armstrong, from “Simple Gifts”

4.Frog Went A Courtin’, Flat Duo Jets, from “Go Go Harlem Baby”

5.Froggy Went a Courtin’,Red Allen, from “Keep on Going: The Rebel & Melodeon Recordings”

6.King Kong Kitchie Ki-Mi-O, Ed Badeaux, from “American Guitar”

7.Frog In The Well, Tommy Makem and Liam Clancy, from “We’ve Come A Long Way”

8.King Kong Kitchie (with The Wonderland String Band),Dan Zanes and Friends, from “Rocket Ship Beach”

9.Froggie Went A-Courtin’, Bob Dylan, from “Good As I Been To You”

10.Kitty Alone, Martha Hall, from “Mountain Music Of Kentucky”

11.Froggy Went A Courtin, Doc Watson, from “Songs for Little Pickers”

12.Sing Song Kitty, Harry and Jeanie West, from “Smoky Mountain Ballads”

13.A Frog, He Would A-wooing Go, Studio Group, from “Nursery Rhyme Sing-along”

14.Froggy went a courtin, Almeda Riddle, from “Ozark Folksongs”

15.Froggie Went A-Courtin’, Woody Guthrie, from “Buffalo Skinners: The Asch Recordings, Vol. 4″

16.Froggy Went a Courtin, Elizabeth Mitchell, from “You Are My Sunshine”

DOWNLOAD PART 2 HERE

 

 

 

-And here’s two videos you might enjoy: