BS: Folk Personality of the Year

Subject: BS: Folk Personality of the Year
From: GUEST,Valerie Moss
Date: 05 Dec 11 - 03:15 PM

Since we have had so much controversy over Sports Personality of the Year, I thought I should ask people to vote for their Folk Personality of the Year. Unlike Sport, I don't think we will be struggling for nominees somehow!!

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Personality of the Year
From: Little Hawk
Date: 05 Dec 11 - 06:17 PM

My pick for that is Lynn Miles. No joke. She's a fantastic performer and songwriter.

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Personality of the Year
From: Bill D
Date: 05 Dec 11 - 06:27 PM

Which year? Most of my votes go to some who are dead now.. ☺

I see VERY few of those vaguely 'folk' persons in current spotlight.

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Personality of the Year
From: banjoman
Date: 06 Dec 11 - 07:22 AM

Sir Arthur Plate - little known but much revered collector of ancient nursery rhymes and songs

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Personality of the Year
From: Elmore
Date: 06 Dec 11 - 09:56 AM

Pete Seeger. How original of me.

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Personality of the Year
From: Little Hawk
Date: 06 Dec 11 - 11:05 AM

Bill, just go to the folk festivals. You will see some present day folksingers who are absolutely as good as it gets.

We have so many fine folksingers in Ontario alone that it's just amazing. I can't get over how much talent is out there these days.

(and almost none of it gets heard on the radio...)

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Personality of the Year
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 06 Dec 11 - 11:57 AM

The thing about Sports personalities - they tend to have a short career. Whereas with folksingers , they tend to get better the more miles they have on the clock.

So its important to honour sports personalities in the short time they are before our eyes.

I think I'd prefer a Folk Music Hall of fame - like the Rock and Roll Music Hall of Fame.

Obviously Ewan, martin Carthy, Ashley Hutchins, Nic Jones, Derek Brimstone, Noel Murphy ....is he an honorary English man, Dick gaughan, Peter Bellamy. Bert Jansch

I suppose the real traddies ... the Copper family, Sam Larner etc.

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Personality of the Year
From: Bill D
Date: 06 Dec 11 - 12:21 PM

Little Hawk... I DO go to festivals when I can. It's not a matter of being 'good', but rather of style and subject matter. I DO hear some current singers who strike a chord with me, but all too many are just riding a personal wave that feels awkward. Many just feel like an odd branch of current 'pop' music.
It takes a huge amount of time to sort thru 100 examples to find 3-4 I really like..........and I have thousands of MP3s, LPs and CDs to listen to which suit MY admittedly 'purist snob' tendencies. ;>)

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Personality of the Year
From: lefthanded guitar
Date: 06 Dec 11 - 12:53 PM

Big Al I do like your idea of a folksinger Hall of Fame. Rolling Stone just had an issue celebrating the top 100(!) guitarists, but was niggardly in choosing folk performers- as I remember only Bonnie Raitt and John Fahey (both whom I'd nominate) were included. SO many more from the folk and even folk rock genres belong.

My vote for folk performer of the year:
Joan Baez

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Personality of the Year
From: Elmore
Date: 06 Dec 11 - 12:53 PM

Earlier I picked Pete Seeger because of all the buzz surrounding his occupy wall street appearance. If You're looking for first rate young performers, I recommend Elizabeth Laprelle. Also, check out John Doyle and Jim Malcolm's recent solo work.

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Personality of the Year
From: Little Hawk
Date: 06 Dec 11 - 01:38 PM

I would happily vote Joan Baez as the folk performer of ANY year (since 1959). I would do much the same for both Mary Chapin Carpenter and Lynn Miles. Lynn Miles is a Canadian singer, Bill. I don't know if you've ever seen her perform live (she does tour the States), but if not, I hope you get the chance to. She's as good as it gets. Check out her videos on Youtube.

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Personality of the Year
From: GUEST,Suibhne Astray
Date: 06 Dec 11 - 02:16 PM

No contest really : Mudcat's own Spleen Cringe.

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Personality of the Year
From: Bill D
Date: 06 Dec 11 - 07:50 PM

Well, Little Hawk, I watched about 5-6 of Lynn Miles, and she is 'good' (strong, moving voice) at what she does, much as Kate Wolf was good a number of years back. It is just that I don't usually care for the general subject matter: songs of the heart and poignant reflections on 'relationships'.
   I can see why you like her, as she does bring Joan Baez & Mary Chapin Carpenter to mind....but I never paid much attention to them either. (Joan did do 'some' trad material, and she was/is an icon of sorts.)

Now...someone mentioned Elizabeth LaPrelle, who knows all sorts of music, but is fast becoming a new voice in preserving traditional Appalachian music and has a **voice** that is amazing. That is what I will go out of my way for...(and did recently)

There are some of her on YouTube also....

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Personality of the Year
From: Bill D
Date: 06 Dec 11 - 08:03 PM

I was sitting about 20 ft. from her as she performed "The Hills of Mexico

This blows me away.

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Personality of the Year
From: Bill D
Date: 06 Dec 11 - 08:11 PM

And leading the song with Wayne Henderson and friends on The Crooked Road Tour

I also saw one of these performances

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Personality of the Year
From: Bobert
Date: 06 Dec 11 - 08:13 PM

Mighty fine claw-hammer picker, Bill...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Personality of the Year
From: Little Hawk
Date: 07 Dec 11 - 01:27 AM

I just watched Elizabeth LaPrelle do "Hills of Mexico" in that link you posted, Bill. Great trad sound! I don't think a person could sound much more traditional than that. She's got the perfect voice for it, and she even looks the part.

It's not the kind of music that I'm generally out looking for, though. I prefer contemporary singer-songwriter stuff with really fine lyrics and really good music and singing too, because it's about people, things, and situations of my own historical time, and I can relate to that directly.

Don't get me wrong. I also like the old trad stuff like "Hills of Mexico"...I like it a lot...but it's sort of a sideline to what I like the best, which is the more modern songs such as have been written by Mary Chapin Carpenter, Bob Dylan, Lynn Miles, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, and so many others.

Folk music to me is not primarily the stuff out of the distant past (although that's certainly a significant part of it)...but the stuff that's unfolding in our lives right now.

So I guess you and I are following a somewhat different path in our approach to folk music, and that explains why you haven't paid much attention to Joan Baez, Mary Chapin Carpenter or Lynn Miles...whereas for me, they are the main event, and the old trad stuff such as Elizabeth LaPrelle is doing is definitely enjoyable...it's interesting...it's good to hear...but it's not the main event.

It's just a matter of having different areas of interest.

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Personality of the Year
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 07 Dec 11 - 05:37 AM

I say! none of you foreign Johnnies in our English Folk Music Hall of Fame. After all we must draw the line somewhere.

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Personality of the Year
From: GUEST,I Don't Know
Date: 07 Dec 11 - 06:58 AM

I think it would be a lovely idea, nominations from me would include
Joan Baez, Kate Rusby, Martin Carthy, Richard Thompson & Christy Moore.
for a band
Oysterband, Fairport, Levellers, Pentangle & Incredible String Band.

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Personality of the Year
From: Mr Happy
Date: 07 Dec 11 - 07:53 AM

What's a folksinger?

I'll get me mac!

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Personality of the Year
From: GUEST,I Don't Know
Date: 07 Dec 11 - 08:39 AM

@what's a folk singer@ Fred Jordon

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Personality of the Year
From: Elmore
Date: 07 Dec 11 - 10:19 PM

This thread is totally screwed up. If you're talking about current singer/songwriters I pick James Keelaghan, Richard Thompson, David Francey, Tom Russell, Bob Franke, John Doyle, Cheryl Wheeler, Anne Lister, Norah Jones, all still writing, all still working. If you're talking about all time best singer/songwriters, I would have to mention Tom Paxton, James Taylor, Dick Gaughan,Pete Seeger, Joni Mitchell, Eric Bogle, Randy Newman, Jean Ritchie. If you're talking about dead singer/songwriters, Then There's Woody, Ochs, Lee hays, Jack Hardy, Ewan Maccoll, Bill Morrissey, Kate Wolf, Steve Goodman,Stan Rogers, Bob Beers, I don't understand why younger performers need to be in the hall of fame. I thought that was reserved for old geezers.

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Personality of the Year
From: Little Hawk
Date: 13 Dec 11 - 11:53 AM

What? No mention of Howlin' Eddie Cranshaw??? For shame!

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Personality of the Year
From: Young Buchan
Date: 13 Dec 11 - 02:16 PM

Jock Duncan.
Let's worship whilst we still have him.

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Personality of the Year
From: kendall
Date: 13 Dec 11 - 07:29 PM

I know too many of them personally to vote.