Field Work Songs

Subject: Field Work Songs
From: harpgirl
Date: 02 May 99 - 11:44 AM

Hi all,
I would like to have some more field hand or field work songs. Any suggestions? I like Green Sally Up...harpy

Subject: RE: Field Work Songs
From:
Date: 02 May 99 - 05:58 PM

Take your pick from Scotland's bothy ballads! There must be a few in the DT. Some come up when you put 'bothy' in the search box, like 'The Lothian Hairst', but I'm sure there must be more. - Susanne

Subject: RE: Field Work Songs
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 02 May 99 - 06:27 PM

I've performed, "Go Down ol Hannah" and "Link o' Day" both are powerful!

Subject: RE: Field Work Songs
From: Barry Finn
Date: 03 May 99 - 01:05 AM

Hi harpgirl, what type of field/hand work songs are you looking for. Brittish agricultural songs, Irish fair hiring songs, Bothy ballads or waulking song American farming or prison work songs? Narrowing the field for us would make for less work. Barry

Subject: RE: Field Work Songs
From: harpgirl
Date: 03 May 99 - 08:10 AM

Hi Barry,
I was hoping you would share some of your fare...I am particularly interested in songs sung among the Afro-American slaves in the south, while doing agricultural work. Do you have any printed references you could recommend? Abby aka harp .

Subject: RE: Field Work Songs
From: dwditty
Date: 03 May 99 - 08:35 AM

Oscar Brown, Jr. wrote words to Nat Adderly's "Work Song". Check it out on his Sin & Soul Album - circa 1960 but released on CD w/in the last year or two.

DW

Subject: RE: Field Work Songs
From: Barry Finn
Date: 03 May 99 - 05:04 PM

"Wake Up Dead Man" (with CD from rounder) by Bruce Jackson was the last (mid 60's) major collection of prison work songs before the abuse died out. Lomax's is probably the largest & most indebt collection (see "Land Where The Blues Began") of both prison & slave songs. He aquired a large amount of slave songs from the Georgia Sea Island Singers, look from them in Lomax's Southern Journey Collection (Prison Songs vol 1&2) ( Georgia Sea Islands Singers "Earliest Times") & they have a few CD's of there own. A few other LP's: Prison Work Songs on Arhoolie #2021 recorded at Angola State Penn. Louisiana 1959 by Dr. Harry Oster. On Ethnic Folkways Library, "Negro Prison Camp Worksongs" #FE4475, recorded in 1951 by Toshi & Pete Seeger, John Lomax, Chester Bower& Fred Hellerman at Texas State Farms, Ramsey & Retrieve. On Rounder's Library Of Congress Archive of Folk Culture "Afro-American Sprituals, Work Songs & Ballads. New World Records "Georgia Sea Island Singers". On Global Village "Virginia Traditions - Virginia Work Songs.

If you find the Lomax & Jackson collections interesting try comparing the changes brought on in time with the tempo, content, phrasing, etc.

Happy Hunting, Barry

Subject: RE: Field Work Songs
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 03 May 99 - 08:36 PM

Well done, Barry! You leave me little to add but a quick reference to two books: Slave Songs of the Georgia Sea Islands by Lydia Parrish, who first visited the islands in 1912. This was first printed in 1942 and reprinted in about 1965 with an introduction by Bruce Jackson. Also look for Slave Songs of the United States by William Francis Allen, Charles Pickard Ware, and Lucy McKim Garrison. The original copyright was obtained in 1867, making this one of the earliest collections of traditional songs in the U.S. It was reprinted in 1929, and again in 1951. You can probably get these on inter-library loan. Or scan the used book sites on the Web. Good hunting!

Sandy