Seek Early version- I Don't Work for a Living

Subject: Origins: Early version- I Don't Work for a Living
From: Betsey Mullan
Date: 04 Mar 06 - 09:05 AM

I am a grandaughter of Jimmy Mullan, "the Singing Insurance Man". I am looking for any recorded versions of him singing, as my mother, siblings and I do not have any, other than one old 78 that is badly scratched. I read with great pleasure the thread about the song "I Don't Work for a Living", as I have many fond memories of my father singing it. He was also a Jimmy, and looks down from above, along with Grandpop. The other song we all love is "Arrah Come in Out of the Rain, Barney McShane".

Grandpop was well known in the Philadephia area where I grew up. On the day he died in 1964, the news of his passing was kept from me (I was the youngest of 5, and was 7 at the time), and my sisters, brother and I all went to school. One of the nuns approached me at recess and said she had heard on the radio that he had died, and how sorry she was sorry to hear that. I was not sure I believed her, and my second grade teacher and I decided together that there must be another Betsey Mullan in the area whose Granpop had died. When I got home, I solemnly told my mother, "Grandpop might be dead". I had been hoping I was wrong, but she replied "I know, honey, and so it was.

Anyway, we would greatly appreciate finding any collections of his recordings. The band was called The Four Provinces.

Thanks so much for your help!

Betsey