The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #8916   Message #176844
Posted By: Sandy Paton
11-Feb-00 - 05:22 PM
Thread Name: Songs of the American Civil War
Subject: RE: Songs of the American Civil War
For reenactors in Blue uniforms who desire a bit of infantryman's authenticity, check out "Marching On" in the DT. I recorded this from Frank Proffitt in 1960 and put it on the Folkways album I made of his songs the year before I started Folk-Legacy. (Frank Warner wrote the notes that accompanied that album.) Frank Proffitt had the song from his grandfather, who left his North Carolina home, walked over the mountain to the west, and joined the Union volunteers in Tennessee. Frank explains: "He was an admirer of Abraham Lincoln, and he had no truck with slavery."

And I must correct Joan's memory a bit: "Going Across the Mountain," the story of the grandfather's venture, also learned by Frank Proffitt from his worthy grandfather, is sung by Frank himself on Folk-Legacy's very first release: Frank Proffitt of Reese, North Carolina. Frank accompanies the song on his home-made fretless banjo. I plan to have this recording available as a compact disc within a few months. In the meantime, however, it's available as one of our "custom cassettes." Sara Grey does sing the song, but it isn't on her Folk-Legacy album, which is also available as a custom cassette.

Sandy (resident folk fogey)