Dear Folks,

I happen to know Peter Blood and Annie Patterson, who put RUS together. They happen to live down near West Chester, and maybe sometime I can get them to come to Mudcat Radio. I can remember being at sings at Peter's house aorund 20 years ago, where we used mimeographed song sheets, before they published the predecessor to RUS, Winds of the People (skinny, with light green cover). If you thought RUS had a lot of pc lyric changes, they're nothin' compared to WotP!

But these books, and the songsheets that came before 'em, have made it possible for people who never would have been able to spend an evening singing together to to do so, to learn new songs, and to have a great time! Believe me, I LOVE Getaway-style singing with a variety of leaders who know all the words, and a group of people who can pick up a chorus and fill a large room with it. But not everybody is ready for that. Some people can freeze up if they don't have the words in front of 'em. And using the book is better than using just ONE leader, who picks and leads ALL the songs. In that situation, folks feel that if it weren't for fearless leader, they wouldn't be able to sing at all. RUS gets the gift of song spread out among more people.

I know many people have complained about the chords. To my knowledge, Peter worked out a lot of those chords himself with a guitar, in his SPARE time-he must have a lot of it-he's a nurse/therapist and a father of 2 kids, last I heard! They're also putting together a second volume, from what I hear. I agree with what Mark wrote-it's a damn sight better than any book I ever published!!!

I know some people love it and some hate it, but I would just ask those who find it useful to refrain from one thing: please don't cut, paste, add to it, xerox it, and hand it out or sell it, and call it Your OWN Group Songbook. I have seen this done, and it irks me no end. Where you get the material in your OWN personal notebook is up to you, but please don't steal from RUS and then pass it off to others as your own work, as someone in NJ has done.

McGrath, there are really very few sings or sessions in bars or public places in the US, so most people are totally unaware that this is a possible form of amusement. I am fortunate to have one of the few near me, a wonderful bar called the Mermaid, that has Open Circles twice a month.

There ARE concerts and coffeehouses that have singers and musicians perform. There are open stages at bars at that musicians can sign up to appear at, in the hope of gaining a following of fans. There are folk song societies that sponsor sings in private homes, but you don't hear about them if you're not already a member. Sometimes at the performances there are songs that the audience is encouraged to sing along with.

But there is precious little opportunity to get together and sing with other folks, where the FOLKS, and not the musicians, are in charge of what gets sung. RUS is a tool to use to encourage that kind of participation. For some folks, it's a good tickler to remind them of what they already know. For others, it can be a confidence builder. I know most Mudcatters don't NEED it, but for some other folks, it can make the difference as to whether or not they can get a group of folks together for an evening of singing. In MY book, an evening of singing, even "out of the BOOK" beats an evening of tv watching all to hell anytime!

Yours for more singing,

Mary McCaffrey