The Womenfolk - Joyce James

Subject: The Womenfolk - Joyce James
From: Thomas Stern
Date: 14 Jul 15 - 05:27 PM

There are a number of threads on The Womenfolk - group recorded
5 albums for RCA Victor between 1963 and 1966.

In searching for information about The Tarrytown Trio (which later became The Floyd County Boys with members Todd Grant, Phil Pritchard. Chuck FLannery, and Doug Sherwoodt), I came across a different Tarry Town Trio, one of whose members
is Joyce James

The Tarry Town Trio - Rich Dehr, Frank Miller, Joyce James

MAJESTIC F-102 The Folk Tree             LP 1959???
Producer: Roy Ames
liner: Ronnie Levinson
A1 Rovin' Gambler
A2 Bleeding Heart
A3 goodbye Roseanna
A4 Long John
A5 Sorrow
A6 Jika Jing
B1 John Hardy
B2 Darling Joe
B3 This Is Love
B4 ammer
B5 Mary DOn't You Weep
B6 In Tarry Town


Edison International 411             45rpm 1959
The Tarry Town Trio
This Is Love
John Hardy

and the following recordings with Joyce James:

MERCURY MG-20781/SR-60781             LP 1963
Ernie Sheldon and Joyce James sing of laughter, beauty and compassion
with Ira Westley, bass, George Smith, tenor banjo and mandolin, and Jerry Yester, 12-string guitar and 5-string banjo.
Recorded at United Recording Studios, Hollywood, Calif.
The day after tomorrow (The maybe song) (3:20) --
Dunia (2:17) --
Phyllis (2:31) --
The raven (The French partisan song) (3:08) --
Lo issa goy (2:03) --
Round and rounder (2:57) --
Que bonita bandera = What a beautiful flag (1:28) --
Cleopatra (3:17) --
When you smoke tobacco (2:43) --
Sowing on the mountain (2:57) --
Mighty Joe Magarac (2:22) --
It's hard to be two (2:40) --
Turn around (2:52) --
The quilting bee (2:15).


CASSANDRA CS-50                           7"-45rpm 1969
MALVINA REYNOLDS
Like the miller grinds the wheat
It isn't nice
Malvina Reynolds, vocals, guitar ; Eric Weissberg, lead guitar ; Bill Lee, bass.
Produced by JOYCE JAMES


ALCAZAR ALC-102                               LP 1987
HOOTENANNY!
American Folk Theater
Recorded May 24, 1986 at Portsmouth Music Hall, Portsmouth, N.H.
2 tracks
The Midnight Special / arr. & add. by Joyce James (3:49) --
La llorona / arr. & add. by Joyce James --


The notes to the MERCURY album indicate Joyce James attended WAYNE University
in Detroit, and had been a member of the Clarions and Tarry Town Trio.

Her partner on the Mercury album, Ernie Sheldon also appears with The Gateway Singers on WARNER, The Limeliters on RCA replacing Glenn Yarbrough, Ernie Sheldon and the Villagers on Columbia.


ADDITIONS, CORRECTIONS and information about other activities appreciated.
Thanks!
Best wishes, Thomas.

Subject: RE: The Womenfolk - Joyce James
From: Joe Offer
Date: 14 Jul 15 - 06:03 PM

Gee, I wish there were an easy way to listen to all these wonderful recordings. Many of them, I'd like to hear only once, so I hate to shell out big bucks for a reissue album. There must be a better way.

The Elektra Catalogue is particularly interesting to me. I think some of the best U.S. Folk Revival stuff came out of Elektra and Jac Holzman.

Thomas, since I was a kid in Detroit in the 1950s, the university has been known as "Wayne State University." I used to ride past the campus on the 6 Mile Road bus every time my grandma and I went downtown.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: The Womenfolk - Joyce James
From: MAG
Date: 15 Jul 15 - 11:29 AM

5?? they had 5?? why do i have only 3 ...

Subject: RE: The Womenfolk - Joyce James
From: Thomas Stern
Date: 15 Jul 15 - 02:54 PM

Other Womenfolk threads:
Where are the Womenfolk
http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=39836#613340
Seeking Womenfolk recordings
http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=31230#406109
Womenfolk discography
http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=39836#613340:

summary: (details in discography thread)
1963 - WE GIVE A HOOT (A LIVE HOTTENANNY AT THE ICE HOUSE IN PASADENA)
1964 - THE WOMENFOLK
1964 - NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF THE WOMENFOLK
1965 - THE WOMENFOLK AT THE HUNGRY I
1966 - MAN oh MAN


Does anyone have any information about THE CLARIONS group which
Joyce James was in. I haven't found any recordings so they may not have recorded, or they are obscure.


JOE,
I am not a fan of downloaded music (I love the album art and annotations), but recognize the value of being able to "sample" performances which may not be of long term interest.
One of the things which intrigues me about the more "pop" oriented
performers is the way people moved among groups - perhaps characteristic of people who love to make music - keep trying until something good happens. There were many potential members of what
became Peter Paul & Mary who were tried, The Weavers had a string of
alternates after Pete Seeger left, there is a rich back-history of groups prior to Mamas & Papas success, and many other similar.
Elektra had some excellent albums early on, notable Jean Ritchie, Frank Warner, Cynthia Gooding, Hally Wood, Tom Paley,
I suspect that some of these will make their appearance on CDs from Europe where they are out of copyright, and there seems to be an appreciative audience which still buys music.
IIRC Collectors Choice tried to sell a CD-r of Jean Ritchie's first 10-inch Elektra album. Seems to have been a marketing failure, since it is no longer available and few seem to know about it.
Stinson, Riverside and Prestige also had many excellent albums - many the work of Kenny Goldstein. A few have appeared on CD in Japan, but go out of print rapidly.
Cheers, Thomas.