It's no accident this thread was dead for nine years, Bob (well, 7 years, 2005-2012). Editors Peter Blood and Annie Patterson submitted the list of songs for a new book to Sing Out! Magazine in 1997, and Sing Out! was supposed to produce a new book. But nothing happened. A couple of years ago, Peter and Annie signed a contract with Hal Leonard Music Publishing, and work on the book began again.

Peter and Annie will tell you exactly what Genie said, "I do not think it (Rise Up Singing) was ever meant to be that kind of 'songbook.'" They've held workshops all over the U.S. over the last twenty-five years, trying to encourage people to learn the songs, and to sing with their noses out of the book.

I've been thinking, though. The people who sing that way are in the process of learning the songs, and learning to sing together. They're not like many of us who have sung all our lives, who have a lots of songs in our heads that we can sing from memory. And they're exposing themselves to new songs that they haven't known. Should we deny them the chance to learn these songs and to learn to sing together, just because they're not "good enough" according to our standards? Give these people a break. Maybe they're not very good singers, but at least they're trying.

I think I have some 500-700 songs in my head, but many of those are kids' songs or church songs that aren't suited for singing on every occasion. So, I'm glad to have Rise Up Singing. I know most of the songs in the book, for better or for worse, and I don't have to do more than glance at the page to sing most of them.

I wanted to have input on the new songbook, and Peter Blood and Annie Patterson gave me free access. I'm a pretty good song researcher, and I intend to review every song in the book and add comments and corrections. So far, I've finished two chapters, Ballads and Old Songs and Blues. I've fully researched every one of the songs in those two chapters, and some of you have noticed some of the threads I have refreshed or started in the process. Peter and Annie are very receptive to the suggestions I've made, and they've consulted me on many matters. Next on my list is "British Invasion" songs.

Last night, though, I was researching Hebrew songs written by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach (1925-1994), a fascinating person. I found the information Peter and Annie needed, and I learned a lot in the process.

As songbooks go, RUS is a pretty good songbook, and Peter and Annie have worked hard over the years to fix incorrect chords and lyrics that appeared in earlier editions. This time, we're hoping to make most of those corrections before the first edition appears. There are hard choices to make, though. Which version of See See Rider should be used, since there are so many versions that are so different from each other? I'm pushing for the one by Big Bill Broonzy, with a caveat added stating that there are other, very different versions from Ma Rainey, Leadbelly, Mississippi John Hurt, and Eric Burdon. I submitted a proposal for an instruction box titled "how to sing a ballad or old song," telling people that there are many versions of almost every old song, and no one is the "right" version. Peter and Annie liked my instructions box.

I'm hoping that I will have time to ensure that every song in that book will be compared with the versions you have posted at Mudcat...and Mudcat and the Digital Tradition are already a major source for many, many of the lyrics in the new book.

-Joe-

Here's the instruction box I've submitted for inclusion in the songbook:

As is the nature of Ballads and Old Songs, there are many versions of almost every song in this chapter, and in many other chapters in this book. There is no "correct" version of any traditional song, and the versions used here are certainly not intended to be the "definitive versions. For the most part, they were chosen simply because they are reasonably authentic versions that work well for group singing. When you sing a ballad or any old song, remember that the most important thing is to tell the story well. Research the many versions of a song when you learn it and listen to a number of recordings, and feel free to substitute words and verses and even melodies that work best for you. Make your presentation of the song clear and interesting and lively. Do your best to memorize the lyrics, and don't be afraid to make up a line or a verse "on the fly" if you forget. Don't be a slave to any particular version of the song - sing what works best for you. And never, never tell another singer that he/she is singing the "wrong" version of a song.