American group on Tall Ships programme

Subject: American group on Long ships programme
From: Weasel
Date: 05 Apr 09 - 03:07 PM

A few years ago an American group appeared on a television programme featuring songs from the Liverpool Long Ships festival. They seemed to specialise in American Civil War songs and sang a song which I would guess was called "The Alabama" and another which I think started with the words "Our flag is.......". (The same programme featured a Dutch choir (which I think I have identified)

I stupidly recorded over the video I made of it within a matter of days and have since been unable to find either the songs or the group. Could anyone identify either from this scant information?

Cheers

Subject: RE: American group on Long ships programme
From: MartinRyan
Date: 05 Apr 09 - 03:35 PM

Tall Ships, rather than long, maybe?

Regards

Subject: RE: American group on Long ships programme
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 05 Apr 09 - 03:56 PM

More than one "Alabama" song, including one in Afrikaans from South Africa.
Put alabama in the search box and a lot of stuff comes up, including lyrics to some of the songs, and I'm sure the one you want.

"Our Flag Is There," a US Civil War song, may be found at American Memory, several song sheets. Very popular at the time.

Go to- http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/browse/ListSome.php?category=Performing%20Arts,520Music
Type Our Flag is There in the search box.

Subject: RE: American group on Long ships programme
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 05 Apr 09 - 04:05 PM

July 21, 2008, was the date of last year's Liverpool Tall Ships Festival, some 60 ships.

Of course the Confederate ship Alabama is meant; there are several threads and a couple of songs in the DT.

Subject: RE: American group on Tall Ships programme
From: Charley Noble
Date: 05 Apr 09 - 04:42 PM

I wonder if it's the Baltimore group associated with the U.S. Constellation. I met one of their members at the last Getaway in Maryland.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: American group on Tall Ships programme
From: Weasel
Date: 05 Apr 09 - 05:27 PM

Sorry, yes, tall ships (I've just been reading about vikings!)

Thanks for the lead to The Alabama in the archive - the lyrics are there but not the tune but this is further than I got before (using just google)

Charley - your mention of Baltimore rings a bell.

Thanks to all

Subject: RE: American group on Tall Ships programme
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 05 Apr 09 - 05:50 PM

"Alabama" sheet music- try this:
http://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu/levy-cgi/display.cgi?id=093.033.001;pages=4;range=0-3

and "The Last of the Alabama"
http://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu/levy-cgi/display.cgi?id=088.132.001;pages=5;range=0-4

Subject: RE: American group on Tall Ships programme
From: Weasel
Date: 05 Apr 09 - 06:01 PM

Thanks Q but neither of those are the ones I'm seeking.

The "Alabama" in the archive:

"THE ALABAMA
(E. King)

The wind blows off yon rocky shore,
Boys! set your sails all free;"

is the correct one but I could do with the tune.

I still haven't found the song about the flag nor have I found the name of the group.

I wish I'd thought to ask here a long time ago - prayers to St. Google failed me!

Cheers

Subject: RE: American group on Tall Ships programme
From: Marc Bernier
Date: 05 Apr 09 - 06:33 PM

One of the "Chanty" groups from the Baltimore area goes by the name of The Ships Company. I'm not sure they'r in fact attached to the USS Contellation Museum, but they do quite a bit of stuff in the inner harbor and Fells Point area. They might well be a good place to start.

Subject: RE: American group on Tall Ships programme
From: Weasel
Date: 06 Apr 09 - 04:23 PM

Thanks Marc, but they don't look like the right people either, I seem to remember that there were only three or four of them. Their allegiance seemed to very much to the southern side.

Cheers,

Subject: RE: American group on Tall Ships programme
From: Ross Campbell
Date: 06 Apr 09 - 06:58 PM

I suspect the people you are looking for may be Dan Milner and Bob Conroy. They have been regular visitors to shanty festivals in the UK. I've seen them over several years at Liverpool and Lancaster/Glasson, on at least one occasion (the Stan Hugill centenary bash) their wives were singing with them. Dan is Mudcat's Liam's Brother, and might be able to confirm what years they were here.

The Alabama song is likely to be "Roll, Alabama, Roll" (in the DT at
http://www.mudcat.org/@displaysong.cfm?SongID=8496
The Alabama was built for the Confederate Navy in Birkenhead,just across the Mersey from Liverpool's historic Albert Dock where the Tall Ships event was based.

Ross

Subject: RE: American group on Tall Ships programme
From: Weasel
Date: 18 Nov 13 - 10:59 AM

Well I've finally found the music to the song I was seeking. In case anyone is interested, it's here:

http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/hasm_conf0090/

I still don't know for certain who the group singing it was though. On the programme I vaguely remember that they wore what looked like straw sailors' hats.

Cheers,

Weasel

Subject: RE: American group on Tall Ships programme
From: Gibb Sahib
Date: 18 Nov 13 - 03:35 PM

97th Regimental String Band?

http://the97th.com/

If you could say what the composition of the group was like (numbers, genders,...weights!) and if they were playing instruments at all, I'm sure that would help.

Subject: RE: American group on Tall Ships programme
From: Weasel
Date: 19 Nov 13 - 09:15 AM

Thanks for that. The group I'm looking for - there were about three or four of them, all blokes and they were definitely affiliated to the southern cause in the civil war. They played banjos (or banjo-like instruments and I think they also sang a capella.

On the tv programme there was a dutch choir singing too.

It's really frustrating because I recorded the programme, loved it, listened to it a couple of times and then left the cassette in the machine when an automatic recording was scheduled which put a film over the top of it.

Cheers,

Weasel

Subject: RE: American group on Tall Ships programme
From: Gibb Sahib
Date: 19 Nov 13 - 10:52 PM

Hi Weasel,

Thanks for the additional details; I'm sure someone/you will find the info eventually.

Shall I assume that they group I suggested, 97th Regimental String Band, was not the one?

Your description made me think of this:

97th Regimental, Roll, Alabama

Subject: RE: American group on Tall Ships programme
From: Joe Offer
Date: 19 Nov 13 - 11:34 PM

Dan Milner and Bob Conroy could hardly be accused of being on the "Southern side." They's Yankees, through and through...

Subject: RE: American group on Tall Ships programme
From: Anglo
Date: 20 Nov 13 - 01:15 PM

The song identified above by Weasel is not the more common Alabama shanty, Roll Alabama Roll as suggested above. "The Alabama" by E. King was recorded, sung by Jeff Davis and very nicely too, on the CD "Civil War Navy Songs" produced by Dan Milner.

Info and sound samples here:

http://www.folkways.si.edu/dan-milner-david-coffin-jeff-davis/civil-war-naval-songs/american-folk-american-history-historical/music/album/smithsonian

(I tried to make a blue clicky, but the url is too long.)

As far as who sang it at Liverpool I have no idea. I don't think Dan Milner would be seen dead wearing a straw hat, or playing a banjo. But Bob Conroy certainly does play banjo. And they toured together in England several times, and did perform at maritime festivals. I've never heard of the 97th Regimental String Band ever being in England, but that doesn't mean much.

You could ask Dan Directly: He is "Liam's brother" on Mudcat.