Review: 'Cowboy Celtic' CD by David Wilkie

Subject: Review: 'Cowboy Celtic' CD by David Wilkie
From: Cruiser
Date: 01 Dec 03 - 07:52 PM

One of the best, mostly instrumental, CD's around. The Fiddle, Mandocello, Mandola, & Mandolin playing is excellent. Some of my favorite tracks are:

Down by the Brazos
Gary Owen/Custer Died a Runnin'
The Colorado Trail
Goodby, Old Paint/Leavin Cheyenne/The Strawberry Roan/Whoopee Ti Yi
I'd Like to Be in Texas When They Round up in the Spring
The Gal I Left Behind Me
Trail to Mexico/In the Tap Room/The Banshee

Hear sound clips of the tracks @:

Cowboy Celtic

Subject: RE: Review: 'Cowboy Celtic' CD by David Wilkie
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 01 Dec 03 - 08:20 PM

A fine program! On the same tape/disc is
The Maid Behind the Bar
Tempting the Salmon to Come to the Fly
others.
Cowboy Celtic came out in 1995.

A later one by David Wilkie and Cowboy Celtic is "Cowboy Ceilidh," 1997, with 12 tracks including The Cowboy's Lament, Water is Wide, Bucking Bronco (My Love is a Rider), The Black Nag and other favorites, especially A Border Affair (Spanish is a Loving Tongue), Nil Se Ina La, etc.

Clips at: Cowboy Ceilidh

Subject: RE: Review: 'Cowboy Celtic' CD by David Wilkie
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 01 Dec 03 - 08:26 PM

Forgot to mention, Michael Martin Murphey does the vocal on "The Cowboy's Lament."

Subject: RE: Review: 'Cowboy Celtic' CD by David Wilkie
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 01 Dec 03 - 08:47 PM

See also these earlier threads, among others. On Nil Na La:

RE: traditional tunes in Irish gaeilge - An old thread including texts from both tradition and revival, and some good advice (and some fundamental misunderstandings from Microsoft IE users), on the use of html to represent accented characters.

English for Ni'l Na La? - An even earlier thread. Information reproduced in the above.

There's the day' - Cathal McConnell - English translation and Gaelic texts.

Nil 'na La - a Halloween song - Some new details, much duplicated in previous.

Tune Req: It's Not Yet Day - Some new details, further duplication.

Lyr Req: the moon giving light for a rover - Request from someone who had searched the DT but not the Forum. Links to earlier discussions: no substantive information.

Tune add: NIL NA' LA - Tune in miditext format. Links to earlier discussions.

On "Cowboy Celtic" (also various passing references in other discussions):

Cowboy Celtic


Cowboy Celtic came out years ago. Any special reason for suddenly mentioning it now?

Subject: RE: Review: 'Cowboy Celtic' CD by David Wilkie
From: GUEST,Cruiser
Date: 01 Dec 03 - 10:05 PM

I should have done a better search on this site before posting and done a post under the previous threads.
Thanks for all the links.

Subject: RE: Review: 'Cowboy Celtic' CD by David Wilkie
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 01 Dec 03 - 10:15 PM

The record (and associated stage show, which sadly I didn't see; just read reviews) is a nice piece of work, mind, and certainly worth recommending. The Scottish input into "cowboy" songs is still underestimated, I think (as is the English, come to that) while the Irish input, being particularly fashionable at present, is, though certainly significant, probably accorded an exaggerated importance.

Subject: RE: Review: 'Cowboy Celtic' CD by David Wilkie
From: GUEST,Cruiser
Date: 01 Dec 03 - 10:20 PM

Malcolm,

Read my post today about Nil Se Ina La/Border Affair/Spanish Is The Loving Tongue and comment, if you can, on the thread there.

Thanks

Subject: RE: Review: 'Cowboy Celtic' CD by David Wilkie
From: Willie-O
Date: 02 Dec 03 - 09:28 AM

I've seen the live show a few years back. Wilkie takes a leaf from Chuck Berry's book--he travels with his partner/rhythm guitarist Denise and recruits a bunch of local Celtic players to be the rest of the band. The tunes are so familiar, any competent musician can handle it with about one rehearsal.

I am not criticizing. He enlists very good players, and it's a great show--probably keeps him fresh too.

W-O

Subject: RE: Review: 'Cowboy Celtic' CD by David Wilkie
From: Strupag
Date: 03 Dec 03 - 02:25 PM

Not strictly true Willie,
Dave has had more or less the same line up for quite a few years and they tour together. He does, however on some albums, invite guests like Arthur Cormack or Phil Cunningham
Unfortunately they are overdue a visit to Scotland.

Subject: RE: Review: 'Cowboy Celtic' CD by David Wilkie
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 04 Dec 03 - 05:59 AM

I have asked the question elsewhere but never got a definitive answer. So, as I have been reminded, why not ask again here? :-)

I heard some time ago that the preferred instrument of the cowboy was not the guitar, as Hollywood would have us believe, but the concertina!

It does sort of make sense in terms of portability and it fits in with the era. Anyone care to confirm, deny or comment?

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: Review: 'Cowboy Celtic' CD by David Wilkie
From: Strupag
Date: 04 Dec 03 - 10:26 AM

I would immagine that you are right Dave. Just to go sideways on this one, in Hank Wangford's excellent book "The Lost Cowboys" (or it might be "In Search of The Los Cowboys") he tells us that the "typical" Mexican trumpet was another Hollywood invention because the trumpet could be better picked up by the early microphones than fiddles.

I would think that carying a guitar on horseback would be neither good for the cowboy, horse or the guitar.

Subject: RE: Review: 'Cowboy Celtic' CD by David Wilkie
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 04 Dec 03 - 12:18 PM

The mouth organ was carried by an old cowboy friend of my grandfather's. I doubt that the concertina was carried- perhaps some cheap Italian squeeze-box (sailors didn't carry the concertina either- a rather expensive instrument invented by Charles Wheatstone).

The ingenuity of some early travelers by mule and horseback should not be underestimated, however. I have a photograph of some prospectors outside of their lean-to in what is now a ghost site in the mountains of northern New Mexico, dated 1896. Beside one is a viola.

Most long distance drives had a chuck wagon and sometimes a second wagon to haul gear and bedding. I remember reading a book in which one cowboy complained that the wagon with th gear was often a day behind because of breakdowns. Any instrument, however, seems to have been absent-rare on a drive. They are not mentioned in the more factual accounts that I have. Dances were always in some ranch hq or in town.

Cowboys permanently attached to a ranch site would have personal possessions including musical instruments. Those working on some of the large ranches lived in cottages with their families; some today in Texas are the third and fourth generations on the ranch. Fiddle, button accordion and guitar are all present.

The Mexican trumpet? Dunno. Most Mexican villages had (and have) a band with trumpets, etc. All the instruments could have been used at their dances. Some mariachi are all string but the trumpet could have been added quite early since trumpets were everywhere in the bands.