Look what came in the mail today! It’s Canadian Folk and Country songs with Mac Beattie and his Ottawa Valley Melodiers! How awesome is that? Very awesome, trust me. Tunes include Take me back to the Madawaska Valley, The Washboard Polka, Ross Township’s my Home… Read More
I love this tune. Here’s Alan Jabbour and Ken Perlman How about a version of this one on pipes? Here are Jerry O’Sullivan and Tim Cummings. And finally here’s Mark Gilston performing it on mountain dulcimer.
There are new “old-time” tunes written from time to time, but many players prefer to find their own way to play songs that have been with us for a long time. Why write new songs where there are plenty of good ones around to play… Read More
When I was a kid, my father liked to sing bits and pieces of songs around the house. He never remembered whole songs – mostly just choruses with an occasional verse. One of the tunes he like to sing was My Blue Heaven. After I… Read More
Here are Law and Hargreaves… Clifton Hicks does a great job of this one on solo banjo… This is another very old tune that goes back to Civil War days in America. It’s been very well recorded over the years.
The Yellow Rose of Texas was a Confederate Civil War song that somehow or another evolved into a square dance tune. The two “versions” of the tune share a title, but are really strikingly different. Here’s Bob Wills…. And now here’s Cathy Fink playing it… Read More
I was thinking about Harry Smith. I knew about Harry Smith in two ways and for the longest time I didn’t know they were the same person. First and foremost, I know the set of recordings known as the “Harry Smith Anthology” or as it… Read More
I don’t know who Bill Cheatham was, but the tune named after him has endured and has become a standard in both the old-time and bluegrass genres. I videotaped some banjo practice tonight. Here’s me, attempting the old-time Bill Cheatham on clawhammer banjo. By the… Read More
I first heard this tune on David Bromberg’s superb CD, Slightly Mad. Here’s Mr. Bromberg performing it live…. I don’t know who wrote this one, but I believe Conway Twitty had a hit with it…here he is…(even if you hate hurtin’ country tunes, check this… Read More
I like log driving songs almost as much as I like train songs. Here’s legendary Canadian songwriter Wade Hemsworth. Here’s my favourite of Mr. Hemsworth’s tunes, The Land of the Muskeg Of course he also wrote the Log Driver’s Waltz and the Blackfly Song, both… Read More
27th Street 