The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #2852 Message #2167758
Posted By: Janie
10-Oct-07 - 12:36 AM
Thread Name: Origins: Give Me Oil in my Lamp
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: There's oil in my vessel and my lamp is..
Posts, references, and links to this song from Joe Thompson are floating around in about 3 different threads (all linked and referenced above.) After reading through them all numerous times, going back to links, especially the Folk Music Index link of the recording that Joe made on Rounder Records in 1999, viewing KT's links to YouTube, I think it is pretty evident that the melody and chorus to "Oil in My Vessel" originates within Joes Thompson's family, with zipper verses and derivatives from other, earlier hymns. I'm no skilled researcher or music scholar, but the absolute absence of any other references or information about this particular song strongly suggests this is the case.
I suspect the young, white fiddlers who posted performances on YouTube learned it from Joe's recording(s). Serious young students of fiddle are prone to seeking out source recordings, and good on them! Assuming that is the case, it would have been good if they had attributed their source, but I'm glad to see it beginning to circulate.
Joe, BTW, recently was deservedly honored with the National Heritage Award. Dani posted details about that in another thread.
As recently as last summer, Joe was hosting jams once a month at his home in Mebane, (and may still be doing so.) The "Carolina Chocolate Drops" owe their discovery of the Black tradition of Old-Time string music to Joe, and in ways both large and small, he mentors and shares traditional stringband music with many local musicians and stringbands. He is beyond a doubt a treasure to the local music community, and I am very happy that his important influence has been nationally recognized and honored.
Janie