The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #10197   Message #69192
Posted By: Sandy Paton
08-Apr-99 - 01:47 PM
Thread Name: Riverboat Songs?
Subject: RE: Riverboat Songs?
You're right, Art. Mary Wheeler was an amateur, collecting fragments from the perhaps failing memories of old roustabouts, but she was there, and she did what she knew how to do. Dillon Bustin certainly added to some of the texts Wheeler collected, as I also did, fleshing out the songs. I generally took verses from other songs in the book, adding them to those that I wanted to sing. Harpgirl could surely do the same, making use of the book as we have done. Despite its shortcomings, it's still an important primary source.

Sandy