Old Songs Newly Found

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 28 Aug 25 - 10:44 AM

As a child I heard Joan Baez sing Matty Groves on an early LP and later on encountered fine versions by Doc Watson and Fairport Convention, among others. Much later I came across Billy Ross doing this old ballad on his South Street CD and it captivated me all over again. Matty Groves

Billy Ross has become a favorite though he doesn't seem to have a lot of recorded output available. My introduction to his artistry was on the first Ossian LP where he did an excellent rendition of The Echo Mocks the Corncrake, providing the vocal and dulcimer (followed by very intense jig). The Echo Mocks the Corncrake/I Hae a Wife O Ma Ain

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 22 Aug 25 - 01:31 PM

Looks like a pay wall on the NY Times obit so here's one from NPR-
https://www.npr.org/2025/03/18/nx-s1-5331329/jesse-colin-young-obituary

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 22 Aug 25 - 10:17 AM

Yep, Beer, Lightfoot was a gift.

Sunlight, Jesse Colin Young passed away in March and in remembering him I came across this lovely song from the Hippie Dippie days that he did with the Youngbloods. I used to sing this long ago but now it's a bit of a challenge for my limited vocal range. I also fished out the Soul of a City Boy LP, his first solo album with just him and his acoustic which really showcases his unique, and I'd say beautiful, singing voice. My younger brother and I spent months dropping and lifting the needle trying to learn his guitar part on this one Four in the Morning.
NY Times obit here.

I also happened on Hippie From Olema , Lowell Levinger's (aka Banana, Youngbloods guitarist) response to Merle Haggard's Okie From Muskogee, remade in a Bluegrass setting off his Get Together: Banana Recalls Youngbloods Classics album, released in 2015 and featuring JCY on harmony vocal. I saw them perform this one at a Youngblood's concert in the early '70's and don't think I've heard it since.

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: Beer
Date: 20 Aug 25 - 09:07 AM

Love your find with "It's Worth Believing". Been a Lightfoot fan from his very beginnings. Thanks
Adrien

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 18 Aug 25 - 10:12 AM

I have to admit I missed out on a number of Lightfoot songs until I heard Tony Rice sing them, TR was a big Lightfoot fan and there is even a collection of his GL covers on CD. I think Song For a Winter's Night was one of the best. Listen to this through a decent quality audio device if you can, it's a lovely recording.

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 18 Aug 25 - 09:27 AM

It's Worth Believing written by the late Gordon Lightfoot is a song released in 1972 that I was unfamiliar with until I heard Herb Pedersen sing it on his Lonesome Feeling album. Mr. Pedersen's been around for a long time as a Bluegrass banjo player, Country Music band member (Desert Rose Band), harmony singer and songwriter (Wait a Minute, Old Train) but I found I really liked his understated lead vocal style after hearing this song. With stellar pedal steel by JayDee Maness.

More of my favorites from Lightfoot (the guy could really put together a song):
Home From the Forest from Tony Rice's landmark Manzanita LP and one from GL himself, an early song that he rerecorded in the '70's (and much improved, IMO)
Steel Rail Blues, with tasteful guitar work by Red Shea and Lightfoot.

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 15 Aug 25 - 07:28 AM

While leafing through a notebook recently looking for something to sing I came across Keep Your Distance , off of Richard Thompson's Rumor and Sigh album. I was captivated by this song when I first heard it, the lyrics, the music, all the vocals, just the entire production got to me on a personal level. It's one of my favorite "Country Music" songs though I lost track of it for quite awhile. Buddy Miller did a fine job with it and I can imagine the late George Jones covering it as well.
It's hard to believe but Rumor and Sigh was released 34 years ago so I guess this one does qualify as an old song. Another one from that album, a send up of Margaret Thatcher, called Mother Knows Best, also has elements of Country Music, including some red hot guitar work by RT.

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 12 Aug 25 - 08:07 AM

Midnight on the Water, I'd been playing this old Texas fiddle tune on the mandolin quite awhile before discovering that someone had put words to it. That someone was John Croizat, who is listed as one of the fiddlers on this Kate Wolf recording from her Lines on the Paper LP. The tune is credited here to Luke Thomasson, father of another Texas fiddler, Benny Thomasson.

While on the subject of the late, great Kate, might as well link to one of her best-known songs, Across the Great Divide.

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: Beer
Date: 09 Aug 25 - 06:21 PM

As a youngster, Whispering Pines by my singing idol Johnny Horton was a favorite of his. But to hear Iris Dement with her haunting voice sing this is also very very special.

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: pattyClink
Date: 09 Aug 25 - 03:52 PM

That's a great nugget about Katie Lee, she certainly did march to her own drummer. Might have backfired though, as far as publicizing her causes, would have been nice if the book came out a lot sooner!

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 09 Aug 25 - 08:56 AM

That's nice to hear, Beer.

Whispering Pines is one that slipped through the net for me, I wasn't familiar with it until I heard someone sing it a few years back. This Iris Dement cover version was apparently used in The Horse Whisperer and contains some lovely guitar and mandolin work. Written by Howard Crockett it was a B side for Johnny Horton, the "Honky Tonk Man" guy, in 1958.

That got me thinking about another beautiful song also named Whispering Pines . The Band cut it on their seminal, eponymously named album released in 1969. With music by Richard Manuel and lyrics by Robbie Robertson it's sung here by Doug Paisley with accompaniment by The Band's keyboard genius, Garth Hudson.

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: Rex
Date: 08 Aug 25 - 11:50 AM

Many thanks to Patty for remembering Katie Lee. And Steven Fromholz, his Texas Trilogy alone is worth looking into. But back to Katie, yes her book, Ten Thousand Goddam Cattle is a fine view into the old cowboy songs done in her own way. All through it is her search for the source of Old Dolores which she found, along with its maker, James Grafton Rogers. Her book was ready to go in 1960 along with the LP but with a different title, "Songs the Cowboys Taught Me". I think that title was chosen by an unnamed publisher. Katie wanted the former, it being the name of an actual cowboy song and I think she dug in her heels. The book and LP emerged 16 years later from a less known Arizona publisher but it had the title she wanted. Katie followed her own path.

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: GerryM
Date: 06 Aug 25 - 06:58 PM

Rough and Rocky has been done several times at the Mudcat Worldwide Zoom singarounds.

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: Beer
Date: 06 Aug 25 - 12:06 PM

Really enjoying this thread and the music you have posted gillymor.
Adrien

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 06 Aug 25 - 11:23 AM

Don't This Road Look Rough and Rocky has been around as a Bluegrass standard for a long time. Flatt and Scruggs released it in 1954 and put their names on it but it seems the song goes back a lot farther. When I heard Meghan Dudle sing it recently it dawned on me that it is a truly wonderful song. Lovely vocals and sweet mandolin. It's on her 2010 You Are Always In My Dreams CD. She's also a heck of an old time fiddler.

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 05 Aug 25 - 08:38 AM

In the 80's I saw Peter Rowan play a bar in Blanco, TX and to my surprise FJ was there. One of the tunes they performed was The Free Mexican Air Force. Magical.

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: pattyClink
Date: 04 Aug 25 - 10:47 PM

Here's a good look at Mr. Jimenez, without the cheezy-sleazy cover art on that Cooder thing.

La Bamba

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 04 Aug 25 - 09:20 AM

This may not jive with the theme of this thread, such as it is, but the accordion player Flaco Jimenez passed on the other day so I thought I'd link to a couple of songs that might demostrate the range this master musician had.

He'll Have to Go , from Ry Cooder's excellent Chicken Skin Music LP, it was a hit for Jim Reeves 1960.

Streets of Bakersfield , sung by Dwight Yoakam and Buck Owens. Buck made a fine recording of this Homer Joy song back in 1972, with a Don Rich harmony vocal, that didn't do much on the charts

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 01 Aug 25 - 05:56 AM

Nice, I haven't heard that one in a long while.

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: pattyClink
Date: 31 Jul 25 - 10:28 PM

Ran across a copy of Ten Thousand Goddam Cattle, a worthy book on the American West and its cowboys and songs, written by Katie Lee. She was a unique singer who was a great defender of the Colorado River, and she recorded and researched Old Dolores, a favorite song of some mudcatters.

Anyway, when she mentioned Steve Fromholz, who was struggling to make it in the music business in 1968, I went over to youtube and found this pretty great song and recording.

The Man With the Big Hat

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: GUEST,keberoxu
Date: 31 Jul 25 - 08:46 AM

I know "Enjoy Yourself" from the recordings of Louis Prima.

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 31 Jul 25 - 06:40 AM

Once again, that's me. Oops I did it...

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: GUEST
Date: 31 Jul 25 - 06:38 AM

That was a monumental project by RT and he deserves props for having the hutzpah to cover Oops I Did it Again. :^)

Craigie Hills is an Irish emigration song that Caladh Nua does on their Happy Days CD in a more uptempo manner than what I'm familiar with. I'm not sure I've ever heard a song where the tune and bittersweet lyrics were so well suited to one another. A lovely arrangement with some outstanding mandolin and bouzouki work.

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 29 Jul 25 - 06:49 AM

Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think) is a pop song from the '50's that I was unaware of until I heard Jim Kweskin, of jug band fame, perform it as the title cut on a solo CD . It's a fun song to sing with a great singalong chorus and it totally jives with my philosophy.

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Jul 25 - 12:34 PM

I'm enjoying your selections. Keep it up!

(I liked Richard Thompson's 1000 Years of Popular Music for some of the old songs he brings up and puts in a context.)

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Jul 25 - 08:25 AM

I love that guitar intro on Tennessee Blues. Small Town Talk is another good one from that album.

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: GUEST,PHJim
Date: 27 Jul 25 - 07:49 AM

I'll admit that I don't consider a 1972 song to be an "Old Song" I learned it in 1975 from a Geoff Muldaur LP and much of my repertoire was from the thirties and earlier.

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: GUEST,PHJim
Date: 27 Jul 25 - 07:43 AM

Tennessee Blues, written by Bobby Charles in 1972, is a song I've always enjoyed performing.

Tennessee Blue - Bobby Charles - 1972

Geoff Muldaur also does a fine job on this song.

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 27 Jul 25 - 07:34 AM

That was me.

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Jul 25 - 07:09 AM

Here's an Old Timey/Bluegrassy version of the old sailor's song that I came across a few years back, Shenandoah. Trampled by Turtles gets my vote as one of the best band names of all time.

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 26 Jul 25 - 12:47 PM

There's more on the way.

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: Fred
Date: 26 Jul 25 - 11:07 AM

Great selection so far, Gilly, can't wait to see what's next :)

-F

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: GUEST,pattyClink
Date: 26 Jul 25 - 10:25 AM

Well, if you're going to keep on displaying great taste like this, keep 'em coming!

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 24 Jul 25 - 11:30 AM

Here's one I recently discovered through the singing of the fabulous Sierra Farrell- A Man Like Me. Written by Roger Miller circa 1957-1960, as best as I can determine.
Due to overwhelmingly popular demand I'm going to make this a regular thing. If you've discovered any older songs that you wish to share, please do.

Subject: RE: Old Songs Newly Found
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 20 Jul 25 - 10:39 AM

This one's not so old but I just recently heard it for the first time and had to learn it. Poor Boys Delight by The Infamous Stringdusters from their first album Fork in the Road, released in 2007.

Subject: Old Songs Newly Found
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 18 Jul 25 - 10:10 AM

I've been singing this one lately, Hearts Overflowing by Rice Rice Hillman and Pedersen. This was written by Mike Brewer of Brewer and Shipley and released in 1975 though it's new to me. Lovely singing and instrumental work with a brief guitar solo by the late, great Tony Rice.