Newest Songs
Hell Bound Train
A cautionary tale of damnation and redemption
You know about the train that was "bound for glory". Well, this train was going the other way on the opposite track.
Jolly Roving Tar
A sea song from Newfoundland
I found this jolly sea song from Newfoundland on one of the old 'American Folksay' albums produced on Stinson records by Moses Asch, performed by Frank Warner.
No Peas No Rice
A Bahamian jazz song
A Bahamian song recorded in the 1930s by big band leaders such as Mart Brit and Count Basie and in the Bahamas by Blind Blake Alfonso Higgs.
Thorneymore Woods
A song of the noble poacher, and mean gamekeepers
An English poaching ballad as performed by Louis Killen.
La Bruja
Vampire story from Vera Cruz, Mexico. Boo!
La Bruja is a song and traditional dance in the Huapango tradition from the state of Vera Cruz. The dance usually involves a number of women with lighted candles on their heads.
The Devil and Bailiff McGlynn
The devil takes his due
What a fine old Irish tale. But it derives from a history that is not so jolly - the mass evictions and house levelings that took place during the Irish famine of the mid-nineteenth century. No wonder the mother in the story cries "May the devil take that awful Bailiff!".
Spotted Cow
A naughty little English folk song
Here is a traditional English song, at least I think so, I heard it from Steel Eye Span, that parcel of rogues who brought fuzz-tone electric guitar to English folk music.
Italian Carol
A christmas song from Italy
An Italian carol adapted by Pete Seeger from an old tradition in Naples in which shepherds come down from the Calabrian mountains for a festive stay in that city during the Christmas celebration.
Wild Women Don't Have No Blues
A blues for strong women
This song was recorded by Ida Cox in 1924, Ida was one of great, if lesser known, female blues singers in the era of Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey and Sippie Wallace.
Mean Old Bedbug Blues
A blues from Bessie Smith
Each of these are classic blues performance in their own right and provide an interesting contrast between country blues and early jazz band styles. I always favored Bessie's rendition. I think her slower tempo with piano and guitar accompaniment captured the true creepiness of bedbugs.
Uncle Joe Gimme Mo
Calypso from Trinidad
This great Trinidadian Calypso song comes from an early recording by Wilmuth Houdini. I love the way these Calypsonians took "uncle joe and his old ban-jo", a common stereotype in minstrel shows, and transformed him into a rock star.
Monsieur Banjo
A creole song for kids
This children's song in Louisiana Creole. My version is an adaptation of Pete Seeger's English language version on 'American Favorite Ballads' and a French language version from the Magnolia Sisters on their delightful children's album 'Lapin Lapin'
Featured Songs
Hopalong Peter
An old time banjo song
This was recorded by J.E. Mainer's Mountaineers in the 1930's. I learned it from the NLCR.
Ella Speed
A great old ragtime blues from Leadbelly
This was among the songs from a ten-inch Capitol LP recorded by Leadbelly in Hollywood in 1944. Paul Mason Howard accompanies Leadbelly on the "Dulceola" (the blues zither!) absolutely rocked.
Lady Margaret
A ghost ballad
Pete Seeger played ths variation of "Fair Margaret and Sweet William" (Child 74) on his his Folkways 'American Favorite Ballads' albums. A recording session from the period that Pete describes in his musical autobiography, ‘Where have all the Flowers Gone:’
Texian Boys
A warning to young ladies.When other good folk are all gone to bed, the devil is a workin' in the Texian's head.
This song was collected by John Lomax, recorded on his Folkways "John A. Lomax Jr. Sings American Folksongs." Texian Boys is not very complimentary about Texas, but pretty accurate actually.
Little Birdie
An essential mountain banjo song with its own tuning.
Every country banjo player, oldtime and bluegrass alike, does Little Birdie. I learned this tuning and style from Art Rosenbaum in "The Art of the Mountain Banjo" - Mel Bay. Art credits Pete Steele as the inspiration for his version. I also take some inspiration from Ralph Stanley.
Candy Man
A blues on the banjo
Everyone with finger picking guitar aspirations learns this tune from Reverend Gary Davis. Reverend Davis did not sing these words, at least not after his religious convictions moved him to abandon such sinful singing. I'm not sure where these verses came from.
Green, Green Rocky Road
A ring game song from New Orleans
A classic children's song circle from New Orleans. I learned it from the playing of Dave Van Ronk, a signature piece for Dave.
Fod!
A really silly song
This song is a load of fun from Kenton County, Kentucky. I learned it from Mike and Peggy Seeger's 'Fly Down Little Bird' album. The first couple of verses remind me of "Rattlesnake Mountain and it is darned near as silly as that song.
Tighten on the Backband
A song of plowing and country life
Sam Hinton put this song together from bits of mule and ox driver shouts and work songs. Sam was an East Texas songster who left home to become an aquatic biologist. As devoted to his academic career as he was, Sam kept on singing and recording throughout his life and left us some wonderful material.
Wabash Cannonball
Get on board!
The Wabash Cannonball is the subject of many speculations. Was there really a train by that name? Who is Daddy Claxton? What is a "combination?" Are there really jungles in Indianna? What do you mean, "no changes can be taken?"
Backwater Blues - 1
Uncle Dave's flood song
This 'Backwater Blues' was recorded for Vocalion Records by Uncle Dave Macon and Sam McGee on May 11, 1929 in New York City. This is just after flooding in the Mississippi River valley covered 27,000 miles to a depth of 30 feet. It affected 630,000 many of whom were forced to live in relief camps for log periods.
Italian Carol
A christmas song from Italy
An Italian carol adapted by Pete Seeger from an old tradition in Naples in which shepherds come down from the Calabrian mountains for a festive stay in that city during the Christmas celebration.