http://www.marinij.com/lifestyles/ci_12684052

Marin Independent Journal
Miller Goes A-courtin' to Prove Folk Songs Endure
by Paul Liberator

The bad economy is good for folk singers.

Just ask Adam Miller, a 48-year-old traditional folk singer and
storyteller who brings his family-oriented show to the Larkspur Library
at 3 p.m. Friday. George Winston calls him "one of the great
autoharpists and folk singers of our times."

"With these changing times and the economy, I promise you these library
shows I do all over the country that are free to the public, I'm going
to have bigger audiences this summer than I've ever had," Miller
predicted.

"Because part of what this economy is doing is driving people back to
the things our parents did before they had money: free shows at the
library, state beaches and parks and playgrounds. This economy is great
for folk singers."

Miller, who sings and plays autoharp and guitar and performs some 300
concerts a year at folk festivals, coffeehouses, schools, public
libraries and museums nationally, is known for his repertoire of more
than 5,000 traditional and contemporary folk songs.

One of his time-tested favorites is "Froggy Went A-Courtin'," which he
says is an example of the eternal nature of folk music.

"'Froggy Went A-Courtin' was first mentioned in a book in 1549 and it
was an old song then," he said from his home in Drain, Ore. "So I'm not
worried about it disappearing. Somehow for 30 generations, through wars
and famines and plagues, it's survived. So I'm not one of those people
who thinks the next generation is going to be without folk songs."

As he travels around, then, Miller isn't trying to keep folk songs
alive.

"What I'm interested in is pointing out to people in America that we
have over 100 different versions of 'Froggy Went A-Courtin'," he
explained. "What is it about a frog and a mouse to want to be husband
and wife? Something about dating outside your species really resonates
through the centuries."

Miller has recorded four CDs - "Bare Fingers - The Solo Autoharp
Artistry of Adam Miller," "The Orphan Train and other Reminiscences,"
"Wild Birds" and "Along Came a Giant - Traditional American Folk Songs
for Young People."

For a complete listing of Miller's concert schedule:
http://folksinging.org/calendar.html

Bay Area Concerts:

Thurs., June 25 - 3:00 p.m., Richmond Library, Richmond, CA 94804
Cowboy Songs and Frontier Ballads

Fri., June 26 - 3:00 p.m., Larkspur Library, Larkspur, CA 94939
Family Concert for all ages

Sat., June 27 - 10:30 a.m., Claremont Library, Berkeley, CA 94705
Children's Concert