Certainly there is great interest in Afro-American shanties..and people who are in the shanty community so to speak are probably pretty aware of contributions...I remember a Seattle Public Library record that had a wonderful group of African American men doing at least one shanty I listened to over and over..maybe Don's sister in law Ph. could resurrect it..it was so great...a roll song...not rolling home..not ...well, I might think of it. I was unaware of the "cunjine???sp??" songs that required a special step for muscling bags of sugar up or down the gangplank. Lots of the rivershanties.

Then we get into the railroad songs...but if we have several generations now of people who think "it is not black enough" and ridicule each other if they sing "I've been working on the railroad"...we have a problem. Let people like what they like. I love lots of music from the African heritage..sppirituals, the South African group singing..the Jamacain..oh I guess not African...but lots and lots..even I don't mind non-nasty rap music..I will say I can not listen to jazz without getting into a nervous feeling like I am about to have an epileptic fit..it jangles my nerves something awful...but to each his/her own. mg