Been a while since I logged anything here. Are the chanteys drying up? ;-0

Title: Walkalong, You Sally Brown

Print: Hugill SfSS
Performers: Craig Edwards; Johnson Girls; Pat Sheridan and Brasy

A variant on the "Sally Brown" theme but as a halyard chantey, this has probably West Indian origins. Hugill learned it from "Tobago" Smith. He is the only author I know to have published it.

By any account it is now a "rare" chantey; the actual performance style of it is surely lost. And it does not help that the notation is Hugill's text has clear irregularities. As I've noted before, I think these regularities suggest either that the chantey was sung non-metrically or in an unexpected meter...or was highly syncopated...or the lead and chorus voices overlapped a lot...or a combination of those things -- thus foiling Hugill's efforts to sing it solo and his brother's efforts to try to transcribe it.

Has anyone noted the similarity between this and "Shenandoah"? In fact, versions of "Shenandoah" have used verses of "Sally Brown." The 2 songs, even the names, are closely connected in my mind (mind you, I'm biased towards thinking paradigmatically, I guess).

Past performers are Craig Edwards (since when?), The Johnson Girls (2000), and Pat Sheridan & Brasy (2008). My hunch is that they share a similar rendition, though I've not had the fortune of hearing any of these. It would be good to know who is mainly responsible for reviving it in that vein, and insightful to hear what their process was.

I have imagined what is likely a very different rendition of what it might have sounded like.   Dunno if it makes sense.

My attempt