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Captain Swing Lyr Req: The Gypsy's Wedding Day (15) RE: Lyr Req: The Gypsy's Wedding Day 25 Jun 20


Joseph Taylor sang The Gipsy's Wedding Day in 1908, which was recorded on wax cylinders for Percy Grainger and published in 1972 on the Leader LP Unto Brigg Fair and in 1998 on the Topic anthology of songs of courtship and marriage Come Let Us Buy the Licence. (The Voice of the People Volume 1). The original album's sleeve notes say:

This song was in the repertoires of many of the Lincolnshire singers that Grainger obtained songs from. Despite the strictures and suspicions of many of the early collectors connected with the Folk Song Society, the tune (or versions of it) has done great service with many associated texts; among them might be mentioned The Banks of Sweet Dundee, On Board the “Kangaroo” and The Handsome Cabin Boy. Mr O'Shaughnessy notes its resemblance to The Bluebell's of Scotland. See also FSJ No. 5. Sound recordings: BBC 18691, Col 15519, FA 2362.

Shirley Collins sang this song with somewhat different verses as The Little Gypsy Girl. She recorded this in 1971 for her album with the Albion Country Band, No Roses and it was reissued on her anthology A Favourite Garland. Her album's sleeve notes cite Louise Holmes of Hereford as source and comment:

Recorded in the field in the 1950's by Peter Kennedy for the BBC Archives. Peter, along with Alan Lomax, Bob Copper, Hamish Henderson and Sean O'Boyle, was responsible for collecting traditional music from all over the British Isles. All the recordings are lodged in the archives at the BBC. I've done a few radio programmes from them, and a lot of the discs are warped. I hope someone's taking care of them—it's a unique collection and deserves to be treated with a lot more care and respect.

She also sang it live with the Etchingham Steam Band in June 1975 at the 4. Folk-Festival auf der Lenzburg, reissued on Within Sound, and in July 1975 at Lewes Folk Day; the latter recording is available on the CD The Etchingham Steam Band.

The Broadside sang The Gipsy's Wedding Day in 1971 as the title track of their album of Lincolnshire folk songs, The Gipsy's Wedding Day. They noted:

Another Joseph Taylor item, and one of the most attractive in The Broadside's repertoire. Grainger reported that the song was “very generally sung in Lincolnshire”. The tune is a variant of the air to The Blue Bells of Scotland.


from: https://mainlynorfolk.info/joseph.taylor/songs/thegipsysweddingday.html


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