Captain Pearl Nye canal songs website

Subject: RE: Captain Pearl Nye canal songs website
From: Anglo
Date: 04 Apr 07 - 01:25 AM

Well of course after a little bit of research I find Little Sally Waters, with pretty much the same chorus, is a traditional kid's singing game in Britain and America, so probably lots of people wrote verses for it. Interesting though, none the less.

Subject: RE: Captain Pearl Nye canal songs website
From: Anglo
Date: 04 Apr 07 - 01:15 AM

A _very_ quick trip to the archive revealed a recording of Little Sally Waters, with totally different verses - but the same chorus - as Mick Moloney recently recorded on McNally's Row Of Flats, his collection of the late Victorian songs of Harrigan and Braham.

(Can I call them "Victorian" when they were of course all about New York?)

Anyway, I wondered if Harrigan took a traditional song and wrote new verses, or Pearl took the Harrigan song and wrote new verses, or maybe - and possibly most likely - each one took an old song and wrote new verses.

So Dave, thanks for posting the link.

Subject: RE: Captain Pearl Nye canal songs website
From: georgeward
Date: 03 Apr 07 - 02:06 PM

Remember it, Burl ? Vaughn would never let me forget it! Good to hear from you.

Dave, it is a long time since I've read any of Cap'n Pearl, but his songs and tales are perhaps better called "memory art" than "folklore" (although those categories intertwine a lot). Perfectly valid category. One that folkies often make use of (and create). I don't think it was as common a term when Schroeder wrote her essay as it is now.

He might have *enjoyed* being infamous. I'm sure he was that to Lomax, and others whose attention he sought.

My own favorite Nye song is "Last Trip in the Fall", FWIW.

Subject: RE: Captain Pearl Nye canal songs website
From: RoyH (Burl)
Date: 03 Apr 07 - 01:05 PM

Dave, well done mate. I'm delighted to have this site bookmarked thanks to you. George Ward......hello George, how are you? Do you remember the time you and I stood watching a plane take off and then realised I should have been on it?   Burl.

Subject: RE: Captain Pearl Nye canal songs website
From: Dave Ruch
Date: 03 Apr 07 - 07:51 AM

Well, OK George, so my world is very small....but in that tiny place that I live, yes, he's infamous!

Actually, perhaps "controversial" would have been a better word to use. There seem to be strong feelings about him from those I've talked with who are familiar with his singing &/or his story (Dick Swain, Bill Hullfish, Jeff Warner).

Anyways, I had a bit more time to use the site last night, and the sound clips are more than just clips - it appears that the LOC has digitized dozens of his songs in their entirety. What a great resource.

Subject: RE: Captain Pearl Nye canal songs website
From: georgeward
Date: 03 Apr 07 - 03:50 AM

Nice catch Dave! Thanks for posting it. But...infamous ?   - George

Subject: RE: Captain Pearl Nye canal songs website
From: Barry Finn
Date: 03 Apr 07 - 02:26 AM

Great, thanks Dave

Barry

Subject: Captain Pearl Nye canal songs website
From: Dave Ruch
Date: 02 Apr 07 - 04:52 PM

The Library of Congress has developed a new website focused on the infamous Lomax (and Ivan Walton) informant Captain Pearl R Nye of Ohio. It's got 75 song samples, manuscripts, etc! I just saw it this afternoon and haven't had much chance to look it over yet, but thought others would like to know.


http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/nye/index.html