Frank Hamilton and my musical life.

Subject: Frank Hamilton and my musical life.
From: john f weldon
Date: 19 Dec 07 - 10:19 AM

I don't believe in fate or destiny, but sometimes one is gently wafted down a path by mysterious forces.

In my youth, music was always a problem. My father was committed to classical, which I hated. The schools taught that we should like classical music, too.

(A Long Aside: The tale of Zombie-Bach)

The kids liked pop music, which I found pretty dull, too.

Luckily I had some cousins who played guitars and banjoes, and it was fun to visit them, listen, sing along, and check through their records. Folk Music! Yes!

Unfortunately Folkiness was very uncool and by the time I got to High School, Jazz (Dave Brubeck etc.) was the hip thing to like. I tried. I wore dark suits and narrow ties and stared intently, silently and seriously at the hifi when the music was playing. I wasn't enjoying it, but I felt that the fault lay within me.

One Christmas I decided to improve myself and asked Santa for a Jazz LP; one by the Chico Hamilton quintet.

On Christmas morn I ripped open a large square package and found... ...Frank Hamilton Sings Folk Songs!

My father had been looking in the wrong section of the record store, and had only remembered the name Hamilton. (To him, if it wasn't classical, it was all equally junk.)   I mentioned his error and he replied "You asked for Hamilton. Hamilton's Hamilton!"

Ah, well. I put on Frank Hamilton, and enjoyed it much more than I would have enjoyed Chico. And I understood the message from the gods. I was to abandon coolness. From thence forth I have been folky and uncool. Which is cool.

Thanks, Frank.

Subject: RE: Frank Hamilton and my musical life.
From: Amos
Date: 19 Dec 07 - 10:38 AM

A beautiful tale with Cosmic overtones. Frank should love that part! :D



A

Subject: RE: Frank Hamilton and my musical life.
From: Chris in Portland
Date: 19 Dec 07 - 10:40 AM

My favorite of Frank's is "Blue Mountain" - since it recalls the cowboy life that was so much of my imagination growing up in the wilds of Chicago.
Lots of thanks to Frank and the Old Town School for keeping the music going, long after the fad was over.
Chris

Subject: RE: Frank Hamilton and my musical life.
From: bobad
Date: 19 Dec 07 - 10:46 AM

A Fairytale of Montreal, very touching John.

Subject: RE: Frank Hamilton and my musical life.
From: catspaw49
Date: 19 Dec 07 - 10:46 AM

And thank you john for reminding me why I still love this place. I look forward to hearing from Frank.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Frank Hamilton and my musical life.
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Dec 07 - 11:05 AM

Great story! We had a fairly eclectic household musically when I was a child, though there were a few artists identified non-starters as far as my father was concerned. Of course we gravitated towards them immediately! :)

SRS

Subject: RE: Frank Hamilton and my musical life.
From: Stringsinger
Date: 19 Dec 07 - 12:49 PM

John, I was very touched and moved by your story. You can't imagine how much that means to me.

If I had any influence on anyone coming to discover folk music, I consider myself a lucky man. And I thank you for that enormous compliment.

At the Old Town School of Folk Music, we felt the same way you did. Folk music was different from classical music and jazz because it was something in which anyone could participate. That's the essential reason for the School. Why shouldn't everyone have the
delight of being able to play and sing? Classical and jazz have an important place but the most accessible music is folk. We can all connect.

Chris, "Blue Mountain" was written by Fred Price (I think I have his name right) from Monticello,Utah. He was known in that town as a distinguished citizen. I always loved the imagery in the song and it sounded so honest because the writer wrote so well what he knew. I am grateful that you liked my interpetation.

Thank you all so much for making my day a happy one.

Frank

Subject: RE: Frank Hamilton and my musical life.
From: Barry Finn
Date: 19 Dec 07 - 01:57 PM

Frank does "Blue Mountain"? I was just trying to sing that on the way home from a session last night & couldn't even get part way through it. I only have one recording of it by Skip Gorman, I'll have to get Frank's take on this. Love that song.

Frank it was by Fred Keller (cowboy turned Judge) of Price, Utah. The song is of M0onticello, Utah.

Thanks Frank, for all the music you've brought to so many of over all these long yrs.

Barry

Subject: RE: Frank Hamilton and my musical life.
From: Art Thieme
Date: 19 Dec 07 - 02:56 PM

I learned "Blue Mountain" from Frank's LP titled "Folksinger's Folksinger" on the Concert Disc record label---early 1960s.
Then I included it on my very first LP that was recorded live at the Old Town School Of FOLK Music. (Frank, nothing fake about it. ;-)

That was an LP called 'Outright Boldface Lies' on Kicking Mule Records (KM-150) Out of print and now owned by Fantasy Records.

I just want to put in my 2 cents and give a huge thank you to Mr. Hamilton---not Chico or Alexander, but..

****FRANK HAMILTON****

You and Mary have a great holiday!!!

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: Frank Hamilton and my musical life.
From: C. Ham
Date: 19 Dec 07 - 05:47 PM

I remember a night many years ago at the Golem, Mike Regenstreif's folk house in Montreal, when I'd gone to see Ramblin' Jack Elliott perform. Jack did that long talking song about his trip south with Frank Hamiliton and Guy Carawan that talks about learning "South Coast" from Frank. After he did it, Frank Hamilton stepped out of the audience and they did some songs together. It was great. Frank seemed to take Jack by surprise, I don't think Jack knew that Frank was in the house.

Subject: RE: Frank Hamilton and my musical life.
From: GUEST,Carter
Date: 20 Dec 07 - 12:57 AM

Jody Stecher and Kate Brislin do a fine Blue Mtn also, which owes summat to Frank and to Bruce Phillips too, I imagine, but the reason I was moved to contribute was that a stunning 12 string and 6 string contrapuntal-jazzy blues duet by Frank and Pete Seeger was one of the signal events of MY mid teens - I think the album was Nonesuch and Other Tunes. I must have listened to it 1000 times. Ruined my life! It's nice to be able to thank Frank directly for that, since I haven't seen him in the flesh since a Weavers concert at Duke in 1960 or '61. Thanks, Frank!
Carter Bannerman

Subject: RE: Frank Hamilton and my musical life.
From: GUEST,Ken Brock
Date: 20 Dec 07 - 09:14 AM

Speaking of Frank's Concert-Disc lp A Folksinger's Folksinger, does anyone know who currently has rights to it and location of the master tapes (if they exist)?   Much of the Concert-Disc discography rights went to Everest, and Everest was split between Vanguard and Omega. Vanguard knows nothing about the lp and Fred Hellerman (who put together a 2 CD collection of Weavers concerts on Omega) knows nothing about Omega rights. It would be great to see a legit reissue of this lp. I have a 7" original reel to reel but do not know how many generations it is from the master. Frank H. was not happy with the compression on the lp version.

Subject: RE: Frank Hamilton and my musical life.
From: Art Thieme
Date: 15 Mar 09 - 12:59 PM

I never knew nothin' bout no compression, but I loved that Concert Disc record--everything on it.

And the "San Francisco Bay Blues" duet rendition by Frank and the late Eric Darling on the Weavers Reunion album was just wonderful. It was quite different from Jack Elliott's "extraordinary rendition" of it. ;-) But it was, as I said, wonderful.

Art

Subject: RE: Frank Hamilton and my musical life.
From: Stringsinger
Date: 15 Mar 09 - 03:22 PM

Thank you Art. We have a mutual appreciation. I think your recordings are priceless.

That Concertdisc is long gone. Haven't a clue where it went. It might be my best solo recording so far.

Maybe I can change that in the future. Who knows?

Working with Erik was quite an experience. He was Mister polish-to-perfection and had
more of a pulse on the popular music then I ever did. I was always interested in jazz and
jamming. He said that my inclinations jarred him a little into being more spontaneous.
He was nervous, that night at Carnegie and this gave our duo a little more edge I think.

I think that nerves can either serve performers or inhibit them. The worst thing to me
is that performers are so calm and cool that they become complacent and uncaring about their audience. It's so important to me never to take an audience for granted.

Not that Erik did that. His antidote for nerves was to rehearse...rehearse..rehearse.
He added another dimension to the Weavers, I think. They did not like to rehearse that much. Especially Lee.

Frank

Subject: RE: Frank Hamilton and my musical life.
From: GUEST,Ken Brock
Date: 15 Mar 09 - 04:07 PM

I just looked at Ebay and there are currently 4 copies of Frank Hamilton's wonderful album of duets with Valucha on the Philips label. It's easier to find searching for Valucha - searching for Fank Hamilton turns up a lot of Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds such as "Don't Pull Your Love".

Subject: RE: Frank Hamilton and my musical life.
From: GUEST,Banjopicker
Date: 30 Nov 11 - 05:50 PM

Excuse my ignorance as I may be a bit foggy I cant remember i may have my years mixed up and location but my grandfather seen you ( Frank) play with the weavers at brandise university I think it was is 62 or 63 please correct me if i am wrong it may have been with bernie krauss

Subject: RE: Frank Hamilton and my musical life.
From: Joe Offer
Date: 30 Nov 11 - 06:09 PM

I have two friends here in the Sacramento area who took guitar lessons from Frank in Chicago, Way Back When - Marge Lev and Alisa (Alice) Greenhill. Both are very proud to have learned guitar from Frank, and I feel I have just "one degree of separation" from Frank because of my friends.
And I'm quite pleased to have been able to chat back and forth with Frank on Mudcat for these many years.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Frank Hamilton and my musical life.
From: Nancy King
Date: 30 Nov 11 - 06:38 PM

Missed this thread when it was new...

Frank, as a member of the Weavers, you influenced thousands, if not millions, of folkies, me included. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

--Nancy

Subject: RE: Frank Hamilton and my musical life.
From: Elmore
Date: 30 Nov 11 - 07:42 PM

Frank, Was Banjopicker disrespecting you? It's hard to tell because he can't write in English.

Subject: RE: Frank Hamilton and my musical life.
From: katlaughing
Date: 30 Nov 11 - 07:45 PM

I missed it, too. So nice to see it up here. Frank has always been one of my fav. Mudcatters, my having been too young to have known much about them all, way back when.**BG**

I learned Blue Mtn., from Art and listened to him sing it on the tape player as we actually drove by the real Blue Mtn. when visiting my dad in his later years. Thanks, Art and, thanks Frank. The folk process is alive and well, thank goodness!

luvyakat

Subject: RE: Frank Hamilton and my musical life.
From: GUEST,banjopicker
Date: 30 Nov 11 - 08:41 PM

Please excuse me I'm french. I didnt mean no disrespect.

Subject: RE: Frank Hamilton and my musical life.
From: EBarnacle
Date: 30 Nov 11 - 11:01 PM

Nice to see you getting a bit of appreciation. We may head down your way in the not too distant future. OOur couch is always ready.

Subject: RE: Frank Hamilton and my musical life.
From: katlaughing
Date: 01 Dec 11 - 12:00 AM

I didn't read anything wrong in Banjopicker's posting. It's a lot better effort than my posting in French would be!:-)

all the best,

kat

Subject: RE: Frank Hamilton and my musical life.
From: Elmore
Date: 01 Dec 11 - 02:16 PM

Moi Aussi

Subject: RE: Frank Hamilton and my musical life.
From: Stringsinger
Date: 01 Dec 11 - 07:08 PM

Thank you all so much! I am grateful to be part of the Mudcat family.

Frank