The first folks to ever record "Simple Gifts" within the American folk revival were my good friends George and Gerry Armstrong. It was included in their great LP for Folkways Records called simply SIMPLE GIFTS. (early 60s) They also recorded the song for Folk Legacy Records. The Armstrongs are the people we all must thank for bringing this obscure Shaker hymn to the fore. It's where Sydney Carter lifted his melody for what I feel is a lesser song---by quite a wide margin.

Art Thieme