Obit: Buddy Tabor, Singer/Songwriter/Poet-Feb 2012

Subject: Obit: Buddy Tabor, Singer/Songwriter/Poet
From: Ebbie
Date: 06 Feb 12 - 02:44 AM

Tonight Juneau, Alaska's Buddy died, peacefully and with his wife and friends at his side. He was 63.

Subject: RE: Obit: Buddy Tabor, Singer/Songwriter/Poet
From: KT
Date: 06 Feb 12 - 02:53 AM

Farewell, Buddy.

Subject: RE: Obit: Buddy Tabor, Singer/Songwriter/Poet-Feb 2012
From: Joe Offer
Date: 06 Feb 12 - 03:15 AM

KT and Ebbie, can you post a bit about Buddy? I met him only once, when he did a concert in my area with Ray Frank. His songs were sad, and it seemed he had a tough life.
May he rest in peace.
-Joe-

Buddy Tabor MySpace Page (click)

---

Juneau Empire
November 3, 2011 - 04:00am

Fundraiser for Buddy Tabor to be held Sunday

By Amy Fletcher, JUNEAU EMPIRE

If Buddy Tabor’s income as a musician was proportional to the number of people affected by his music, or the number of minds that hold pieces of his lyrics, he would easily be one of the wealthiest men in town.

Tabor, based in Juneau since the early 1960s, has written hundreds of songs and released nine albums, earning the enthusiastic devotion of fans in Alaska and beyond, as well as the enduring respect of his fellow musicians. Many Juneauites can quote Tabor’s lyrics at length; most balk at the restrictive idea of naming a favorite from amidst an overwhelming number of strong choices (see their comments here: http://juneauempire.com/art/2011-11-03/man-music#.TrK3lfSa_mU).

Tabor’s public appearances have been relatively infrequent over the years —in part because he doesn’t enjoy playing in crowded, noisy bars — but he’s been an Alaska Folk Festival staple for decades, and sometimes plays shows at Resurrection Lutheran Church. In years past he’s also played major venues like the Anchorage Center for the Performing Arts, where he opened for Nancy Griffith. Even further afield, one of his songs, “Get Up Dogs” was featured on ABC’s Wide World of Sports, as well as in several documentaries.

Still, most have probably developed their connection to his music while listening to his albums in the privacy of their living rooms, or by hearing him play in someone else’s living room. The relationship to his music many of his fans describe reflects that direct, personal familiarity.

Chances to give back to someone who has given so much to so many through his music don’t often present themselves, but one will be offered this Sunday.

A fundraiser will be held at the JACC for Tabor, recently diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. In an interview Wednesday, Tabor, 63, said he is “just trying to buy some time with chemo.” Stage four refers to cancer that has spread from its source into other areas of the body. All proceeds from the fundraiser will go to help Tabor pay for medical care during his treatment. He plans to attend.

Sunday’s event isn’t set up as a tribute concert, it’s a blues concert and dance. Musical acts will include the once-prominent-now-rarely-seen Cook County Blues Band; this iteration features Adrian Minne, Clay Good, Steve Nelson and Justin Smith, in from Gustavus for the event. As fans of the band know, Cook County isn’t a traditional blues band, rather they use the blues as a foundation for more free-form, funk-infused music that tends to get a room moving pretty quickly.

Also performing will be Honky Honk Habit and Kari Groven and the Wristrockets — and there’s a rumor that the Bobb Family Band, also a former staple of the Juneau music scene, may have a reunion set in the works; so far its been confirmed that singer Jane Roodenburg is on her way to town.

Also on the docket for Sunday’s event: a silent and an outcry auction, featuring items such as a guitar, music lessons, Studio A studio recording time, artwork, desserts and more. Food will also be available on a donation basis, and a bar will be provided by the Rendezvous. A minimum donation of $10 is encouraged. The whole shebang gets started about 5 p.m. Sunday at the JACC.

Cook County Blues Band member Smith said he’s honored to play for Tabor’s fundraiser; he’s been a fan since he first came to Alaska in 1994.

“I’ve always loved his music, he’s one of my favorite song-writers, one of my favorite musicians,” Smith said. “To me he’s really one of the greats of our time. And he lives right here.”

Smith said one of the reasons Tabor is such a great songwriter is that it’s clear he’s spent a lot of time listening.

“He really has deep reverence for the roots of the music — and he listens,” Smith said. He does this without being a revivalist, Smith added, making whatever he writes his own, especially through his lyrics.

“He’s an amazing man, poet and thinker.”

Smith’s words were echoed by many other musicians and friends contacted for this article. Tabor is revered not only for his songwriting ability, but for his skill as a poet; in fact, fans once published an anthology of his lyrics to be read as poetry. Musicians he often cites as strong influences — Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt — share this emphasis.

In Tabor’s hands, the poetic may bear more resemblance to Bukowski than Wordsworth.

Albert McDonnell, who has recorded all nine of Tabor’s albums beginning with “Meadowlark” in 1995 and performed with him since the early ‘90s, said he aspires to be a songwriter like Tabor, someone who is able to look at life with his eyes wide open.

“He isn’t afraid to talk about serious subjects with his music,” McDonnell said. “When I think of people doing creative work, meaningful stuff to me doesn’t shy away from taking a hard look at the world. And he doesn’t shy away from that. He digs right in there. He is interested in what being human is all about.”

McDonnell said in many cases Tabor’s eyes have fallen on the downtrodden; social justice issues figure prominently in his work. He’s played numerous shows at Folsom Prison for the inmates there, once with McDonnell, who said the experience of watching Tabor interact with the other men, listen to them talk and share their music, was an “incredible experience.”

McDonnell said though many of Tabor’s songs show a rougher side of life, he isn’t limited to that kind of writing.

“He’s kind of famous for songs about people that are down and out... but alot of what he writes too is sweet and beautiful, talking about love. Maybe for him, music is an outlet and maybe a side of him that isn’t always apparent in his spoken interactions.”

Betsy Sims, who has also performed with Tabor for more than 20 years, said she wouldn’t go so far as to say Tabor’s canon includes “happy songs.” Perhaps four or five out of hundreds could earn that title.

“He always says happy songs make him depressed,” she said with a chuckle. “He has some that sound like they’re happy songs, but they’re not, really.”

Sims said one of the things she appreciates most about Tabor is his honestly, whether its expressed in his songs or simply in his everyday interactions.

“He really walks his talk. He’s very real,” she said.

Long-time friend and fellow musician Martha Scott agreed.

“His music is about the lives that people live. A lot of it is about the hard lives that people live. And he has lived a hard life himself. He’s never been shy to share that,” she said. “His music is not always easy, but it’s honest.”

For her, Tabor’s music and lyrics are an extension of the “true person” that he is.

“The most important part of the music and the lyrics is that, like a rainbow, there is a pot of gold,” Scott said. “The person that he is, that’s the jackpot for me.”

For more information about the fundraiser, contact Sims at 209-3202.

 

---

The man in the music

November 2, 2011 - 11:02pm JUNEAU EMPIRE

Juneau musicians and music fans were asked to respond to the frustratingly limiting question: What song always makes you think strongly of Buddy Tabor? Here are the responses. (updated Friday, Nov. 11)

 

"My all-time favorite (Buddy Tabor song) is 'She Walks in Beauty.' Not only is the song pulsatingly rich, but how tender is it that Buddy wrote it for his mother-in-law?

I love the imagery of 'Cannery Lights,' it takes the listener right there to the slime line, iron retort doors — and it feels genuinely joyful. How crazy is that? The ode to the White Pass, with the refrain of 'she...eee ain't coming back / on the tracks ... clickety-clatt.' Buddy's words literally slammed shut the Klondike era once and for all. ('Dividing the Muktuk' 'The Muddy Yukon.')" -- Linda Sylvester

 

"Buddy Tabor's songs resonate with so many because they tell the stories of our lives (or at least parts of them) with rich, evocative images. 'Beat Up Old Truck' is a great example. The opening line: 'There's a beat up old truck, with the fenders smashed in / don't know where I'm going, but I know where I've been.' I imagine the truck in the song sitting in the dry, sun-parched and rust-colored landscape of New Mexico, perhaps the national capital (with the exception of Alaska) of beat up old trucks.

My husband used to pick me up from college in San Francisco in a shiny brand-new Ford Ranger. That rig took us to New Mexico, back to California and up to Southeast Alaska along with our two small children and a black lab. Twenty-five years later, it sat neglected and aging in our front drveway in Douglas until one morning this past summer. We awoke to a wall of orange and our truck engulfed in flames, the apparent victim of arson. All that remained in the driveway was its hulking, fast-rusting carcass.

I accepted it as a symbol of our lives moving from one significant chapter to the next; until Buddy Tabor's last concert in August. He sang 'Beat Up Old Truck' and I wept through the whole song. Through the image of the shell of an old truck, the lyrics span the scope of many relationships; intital falling in love, getting mixed up and at times lost over the years, then arriving at a new, albeit ambiguous place.

'I heard a song on the radio, won't you play it again. Don't know where I'm going, but I know where I've been.'" -- Katie Bausler

 

My 'Buddy moment' was when he first sang 'Mr. Basketball Shoes' at the Alaska Folk Festival. I had been telling friends, both in person and online, to stop buying Nike athetic shoes and gear, as well as those from other manufacturers who had moved their production out of the US to overseas sweatshops in Vietnam and Cambodia. Buddy's song just ripped my heart out. It said everything I had been telling folks, but so directly, and with so much more impact. I stopped haranguing folks, and just sent them the song, asking them to listen. Looking online, I see that it's one of his most downloaded songs, and with good reason." — Dennis Harris

 

“‘Abandoned Cars and Broken Hearts.’ When Buddy wrote “‘Abandoned Cars and Broken Hearts,’ I was still living out in Bethel and was grieving my way through the sad unexpected end of a relationship. Buddy called and wanted to sing me his new song, not knowing of my sadness. ‘Abandoned Cars’ went straight through my ears and right to my heart, and in that moment, I knew that Buddy was my friend and fellow human being on a deep, unexplainable level. I’ve always felt that Buddy unknowingly wrote that song just for me, and it helped me out of a dark place and back into life. Thank God for Buddy Tabor.” – Martha Scott

 

“I think my favorite Buddy song is ‘Barefoot Boy,’ it is such a beautiful song, and such a great example of Buddy’s talent for dealing with painful subjects, with love and beauty in this case, or with humor in others... dark humor such as ‘Mr. Basketball Shoes’ and ‘Brand New Jesus.’ And of course I love ‘If Not the Dress You Wore,’ because though it’s not about me, it’s my dress that is featured! I once argued with someone because I called Buddy the poet laureate of Juneau. I still say he is worthy of that title. He has created such amazing poetry over the years, and made it accessible to everyone through his musical gift. I’m sure many more people have listened to Buddy than have ever opened a book of poetry.”— Jane Roodenburg

 

“There are so many of Buddy’s songs that I love. But the one that stunned me when the most when I first heard it is ‘Brand New Jesus.’ It is such a sad, beautiful, powerful song. I think that in this one Buddy found the perfect expression for the way he feels and thinks about these times — and gave it to us in a way that is so stark and arresting that you have to think about what he has to say. It belongs in the company of the best works of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen.” – Justin Smith

 

“As far as songs Buddy’s written, it is impossible to choose one, but I can narrow it down to three: ‘Scratchin’ Fleas,’ his evocative ode to futile, seemingly endless, southern days (‘Help me Jesus, I’m sinkin’ down, won’t you plant my feet on southern ground? I stand before you a humble, broken man. Years of my life are slidin’, right through my hands’); the perfect ironic righteousness of ‘Jesus Loves Me More Than He Loves You’; and — in my opinion — the finest song he’s written, ‘Wait For Me.’

But I can never hear Bob Dylan without thinking of Buddy, in particular the song ‘Only A Pawn In Their Game,’ which he says slapped him in the face as a teenager the first time he heard these lines: “A South politician preaches to the poor white man, / You got more than the blacks, don’t complain. / You’re better than them, you been born with white skin,’ they explain. / And the Negro’s name / Is used it is plain / For the politician’s gain / As he rises to fame / And the poor white remains / On the caboose of the train / But it ain’t him to blame / He’s only a pawn in their game.” — Collette Costa

 

“At first when I thought about the question ‘What song always makes you think of Buddy,’ I was thinking along the lines of one by Townes Van Zandt, or something from ‘Diamonds in the Rough,’ the favorite John Prine record for both Buddy and myself ... but then I thought, now it would have to be ‘Jesus Loves Me.’ Who cannot think of Buddy now, hearing that traditional song, after what he did for us with it?! Otherwise, a deep fave of mine in Buddy’s large canon of great songs is ‘Barefoot Boy.’ It’s in my sacred pile of redemption songs. The last lines always get smoke in my eyes — “ ‘Sometimes the light burns a hole in the dark, and through that hole flies a Meadowlark.’” — Tony Tengs

 

“Other than the 200 or 300 songs that Buddy wrote and sings, one song by Townes Van Zandt that he sings a lot is ‘Snowing’ on Raton.’ I think that he feels a real musical kinship with Van Zandt, and he loves to take road trips ... it’s kind of a road song. It also serves as a good example of the kind of poetry and lyrics he likes. He is such a poetry fan — he likes to think of music as poetry or as poetry set to music. Also, Kim Barlow in Whitehorse wrote a song about Buddy (‘Child of America’). It was kind of rock and roll song, and it was a great character interpretation.” — Albert McDonnell

 

“One song that reminds me forcibly of Buddy is his ‘Miles to Go,’ where the recurring line is: ‘Between the Earth and the Sky and the moment we die, we still have miles to go.’ Always gives me chills. — Elva Bontrager

 

“The tunes of Buddy’s that stop me for a second are numerous, but two that stand out are ‘She Walked in Beauty’ and ‘Get up Dogs.’ ‘Get up Dogs’ drives with the single mindedness I associate with dogs and dog mushing. I get such great images from the song and it always reminds me of my times spent up north. The Iditarod race organizers missed the boat by not adopting the song as the race anthem. As for, ‘She Walked in Beauty,’ I do not possess the skill to define in words the reason or reasons the song has captured me..maybe the Navajo prayer ‘Walk in Beauty’ and the similar timelessness of Buddy’s piece. I have not really questioned the connection until now... I think many would agree that Buddy has the skill as a songwriter to craft a tune that stays in the moment, which in turn gives his work its ability to reach you each time you listen.” —Bob Banghart

 

“A song that makes me think of Buddy? I was trying to think of my favorite ‘Buddy’ song. And had to say that it’s whatever he’s singing at the moment. But I love ‘Canyon DeChelly’ for the sheer poetry. ‘Wild Horses’ touches me because I’ve seen them in the same part of the country he wrote about. My favorite CD is ‘Earth & the Sky.’ Buddy’s music touches us all. He takes our thoughts, our soul, and puts them to words and music. He is a true poet.” — Sandy Warner

 

“One of my favorite Buddy songs is ‘If Not the Dress That You Wore’ but the first time I heard it Jane Roodenberg was singing it with the Bobbs. I hadn’t met or maybe even heard of Buddy yet as I was still new in town. The tune got stuck in my head right away and I always looked forward to hearing Jane perform it. I can’t remember when, sometime later though, I went to Buddy concert and he sang the song and I was like wow – that Buddy Tabor is singing a Bobbs song! Well of course I soon learned it was his song, I think he wrote it about Jane (not totally sure on that!), and it is still one of my favorites. Since then I’ve come to have many favorite Buddy songs and been fortunate enough to have sung with him in concert and on his albums. He’s an amazing singer and songwriter and I always look forward to his new releases. And, he even painted my house once!” — Maridon Boario

 

“I guess the song that comes most strongly to mind is ‘I Am a Pilgrim,’ done by many artists; my favorite version is by the Byrds. It’s a sweet old country spiritual and a classic ‘wayfaring stranger/gospel tune.’ When I think of Buddy I think of his good heart, sincere and beautiful music, inquiring mind and restless, searching nature. This song for me brings it all together. As Buddy spent some time as a traveler spreading the Gospel , this tune to me speaks to the many facets of Buddy’s life and work. — Rob Cohen

 

“To tell the truth, I was never a fan of Buddy’s, even with all his CDs of songs, his practicing in the living room, on the front porch, back porch and garden, with his quirky sense of humor. I wasn’t a fan until years later in 2007(?) when I walked into my kitchen and he was sitting on a high stool playing this song: “Box of Pain.” He had his eyes closed; the lyrics, tune and guitar picking bowled me over. I was stunned. I burst into tears. I’ve been bowled over since. How is it that it took almost 30 years of hearing his music that I couldn’t really HEAR his music? — Clarissa Rizal (used with permission from clarissarizal.com/blog)

 

“I have this incredibly strong memory of having Buddy as a guest musician on my morning radio show in the 80’s. He calmly sat down with his guitar and when the microphone came on, Buddy started singing ‘Barefoot Boy’ with more power and clarity than anyone should possess at that hour of the morning. More than anything else, that inner strength helps define Buddy’s strength of conviction, whether Buddy’s singing about Texas radio, love or basketball shoes.”— Jeff Brown

 

 

“‘Water Over Stones’ is my favorite Buddy Tabor song!” — John Unzicker

 

“‘New Fallen Snow,’ ‘Get Up Dogs,’ ‘Ice Is Too Thin’ are songs we think of right off the bat. — Paul Zahasky and family

 

“Buddy often writes about specific people, and he evokes them vividly. ‘Wait for Me’ is a favorite, and although that’s first person, he wrote it about someone else. ‘Meadowlark’ is the song that always makes me think of Buddy himself.” --  Riley Woodford

 

“Buddy’s song ‘Meadowlark’ is the one that I’d choose. Buddy’s songs are usually quite dark, but they’re never without hope. It’s not a bubbly or jolly sort of hope—it’s not even always a feel-good hope. It’s bruised and rough around the edges, but it endures.” — Kathy Hocker

 

“I have two answers: 1. Any Buddy song because he fills each with his pure self. 2. Kim Barlow’s ‘Child of America,’ which I think she wrote for Buddy, though I may have made that up. A quote from it might explain why, ‘He is a little bit of cowboy, brought his blues all the way from Texas to Alaska, stopped along the way proved that cowboys and indians can love one another.’”— Jason Caputo

 

“‘VooDoo Doll’ - I think of how passionate Buddy is about the political events in our country and in the world. The song is about fighting the power of hatred by leaving room for love (at least that’s what I hear!). Buddy (and everyone else) describes his writing as depressing, but I think it takes a lot of -dare I say-optimism and faith in our ability to change to care that much.” — Terry Hoskinson

 

“As a singer, Buddy is better than average and as a musician and guitarist, he’s pretty good- but so are many others. As a songwriter, I think he’s in the top group nationally. He’s written over a hundred songs, most of which appeal to me in a way that other favorite, well known writers just can’t match. If a have to select one of them, it would be ‘Temple of Mass Consumption.’ There are alot of famous singers who would be doing well if they covered Buddy’s music.— Frederick Hoskinson

 

“‘If Not the Dress You Wore’: ‘Stained glass shatters in mid-air; Falling colors everywhere. Ah, it’s the way she wore that dress.... and a whole lot more.’ At an early performance of the Bobb Family Band, our singer, Jane Roodenburg, high-stepped across the stage in a stunning dress custom made for gig by a beloved friend. Dazzling in its design, festooned with bold geometric colors and sequins, the dress was a thing of beauty, made only more lovely by the way Jane wore the dress and pranced about the stage. The spectacle didn’t go unnoticed by Buddy as he captured the scene in his song. And ever since, the Bobb Family Band has performed the song at every gig alongside every Patsy Kline, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and Bob Wills tune in our book. That’s how good Buddy Tabor is. That’s how lucky we are.” – Clay Good

 

“(We) enjoy all of Buddy’s music however our favorite album is ‘Meadowlark’ and the special song is ‘She Walks in Beauty.’— Sherrie Chrysler and Dale Lanegan

 

“I don’t know that I could identify a single song that makes me think of Buddy, but I do have something to say about many of his songs - they contain messages about life, injustice, destruction of our natural world and our mistreatment of fellow human beings that effectively caused me to pause and ‘listen to an inner voice.’” — Eldon Dennis

 

“I think of all my songs Buddy always asks for ‘Your still gonna die’ by Shel Silverstein.” — Mike Truax

 

“One song which always makes me think of Buddy? So many songs do... ‘Earth and The Sky,’ ‘Father’s Grave,’ ‘She Walked in Beauty,’ ‘Texas Blues Radio,’ ‘Corporate Domination,’ ‘Jesus Loves Me More Than You’... ‘Cold Dark Eyes,’ ‘Fetal Position,’ ‘New Fallen Snow,’ the song for Nils ... We talked recently about whether there are any dangerous (effective) poets left in America. We decided Adrian C. Louis is dangerous. Buddy didn’t want to hear it but I think he’s dangerous too. Sometimes very dangerous.” — Terry Toon

 

“‘Waiting on a Miracle’!” — Sally Donaldson

 

“When I first interviewed Buddy for a story in 2008, I never imagined that I would eventually get the chance to play music with him on many occasions. His dedication to correctly delivering songs to his audience was something that struck me initially and continued to impress me as I got to know him better. He told me many times that he wouldn’t play a gig in a noisy bar even if someone paid him a million dollars. People wouldn’t listen to the words, he said. Now he could really use a million dollars, but I don’t think he’d do his songs wrong to get it.” — Libby (Sterling) Stringer

 

“Buddy’s song ‘Jesus Loves me more than he loves you’. The last lines give you a pretty good idea of the core of the song: ‘And you surely cannot punish my success, Just because my way of life has been so blessed. And The reason why you ain’t got no food or any shoes, It’s cause Jesus Loves me more than he loves you’. Love that Buddy’esque irony...” — Kari Groven

 

“My first memory of Buddy is sitting at the Orphieum Theatre on South Franklin Street in the 1980s. Buddy came in a lot and we would talk sometimes — usually about music. He was inspired and spoke with passion about lyrics and bands and songs he was working on. He gave me one of his cassettes and I listened to it and got inspired. In those days I was traveling around Alaska singing and teaching music. On one trip to the North northwest I took a bunch of Buddy’s cassettes and people got real excited about his music. He sang about bush pilots, dog mushers, and Inupiat whale hunters — and all this resonated with people. ‘Dividing the Muktuk’ is probably my favorite. It describes the tradition of dividing and sharing the whale meat and blubber with everyone in the village after a hunt. It still makes me smile. — Teri Tibbett

---

Also see Daily Kos

Subject: RE: Obit: Buddy Tabor, Singer/Songwriter/Poet-Feb 2012
From: Little Hawk
Date: 06 Feb 12 - 04:08 AM

Damn.

He's the same age as me, and he's gone now. He'll sure be missed.

Ebbie, I've been listening a lot lately to the Buddy Tabor CDs you sent me some years back. It's wonderful stuff, deep and honest, powerful songs. The CD I've been listeing to most in the last few weeks is called "Hope", and I can listen to it any number of times. Every song on it is a gem.

Subject: RE: Obit: Buddy Tabor, Singer/Songwriter/Poet-Feb 2012
From: Ebbie
Date: 06 Feb 12 - 12:33 PM

We will miss him. I will miss him.

Subject: RE: Obit: Buddy Tabor, Singer/Songwriter/Poet-Feb 2012
From: GUEST,Cindy
Date: 06 Feb 12 - 01:25 PM

Does anyone know where I can buy a couple of his CDs that I don't own yet?

Subject: RE: Obit: Buddy Tabor, Singer/Songwriter/Poet-Feb 2012
From: Ebbie
Date: 06 Feb 12 - 02:47 PM

Cindy, what I have done is to buy the three-volume Anthology. I have all of his recordings but the anthologies are very satisfying.

Not all of his songs are on the anthologies; he has a lot of later songs. I don't know whether someone will make a final recording.

This last month two mutual friends transcribed all of the lyrics on all three volumes- meant lots of listening because Buddy never made the lyrics available - but we put them in a book of 72 pages and we're selling the books for $10- all of the proceeds plus last Sunday's tribute concert will go to the scholarship fund that is being set up. Buddy wants a kid or two to be able each year to attend a music camp.

In answer to your question, though, pm me and I'm sure I can find a way to send you the CDs that you want.

You'll have to register as a member before you can pm anybody, of course.

Subject: RE: Obit: Buddy Tabor, Singer/Songwriter/Poet-Feb 2012
From: Bobert
Date: 06 Feb 12 - 03:30 PM

Wow!!!

I've been reorganizing my CD collection and just came upon the one that Ebbie sent me about 5 years ago and thought, "I need to listen to this CD again"... That was on Saturday afternoon...

Strange...

I am so sorry to read of his passing...

Sniff...

B:~(

Subject: RE: Obit: Buddy Tabor, Singer/Songwriter/Poet-Feb 2012
From: Ebbie
Date: 06 Feb 12 - 11:58 PM

To give an idea of the output of this prolific talented man:

Excerpt from 'Medioated Family'- this song is the one that first influenced Folsom Prison to invite him to Folsom to do a show.

"When Daddy's stressed out he smokes lots of dope
He washes it down with twelve cans of beer
It levels him out and drowns all his fears
We're a medicated family in 2003
Thank God for Ritalin, made a new kid of me
When they give me my pills they think I'm all right
But I get bad dreams and I can't sleep at night
Can't sleep at night. Can't sleep at night..."

From 'Temple of Mas Consumption':

'We've got the Midas touch but we got it in reverse
We buy more at the mall and it only gets worse
While the man on the TV screams you gotta get some more
We bought the hula hoop and the lava lamps
And the exercise equipment that gave us the cramps
While in the meantime millions starve 'cause they got no rice or beans
And there's a hole in our souls and we wonder what the whole thing mean.


From 'She Walked in Beauty':

"When she walked, she walked in beauty
In the footsteps that God himself had laid
When the wind blows, where does it come from
And like the soul of man, where does it go?"

'New Fallen Snow', from Writing on Stone:

'All my tracks are covered by new fallen snow
There's no trace of where I have been
I have turned my back on the snow and cold
And I won't be back again, my friend
No I never shall return here again.'

Subject: RE: Obit: Buddy Tabor, Singer/Songwriter/Poet-Feb 2012
From: Waddon Pete
Date: 07 Feb 12 - 05:08 PM

We have lost another special person. This thread was the first I had heard of Buddy Tabor. He clearly contributed a great deal to the world of music and songwriting.

I have added his name to the Mudcat Memoriam Thread. My condolences to all who miss him.

Best wishes,

Peter

Subject: RE: Obit: Buddy Tabor, Singer/Songwriter/Poet-Feb 2012
From: Little Hawk
Date: 07 Feb 12 - 05:17 PM

Buddy Tabor proves that the era of the great protest songs did not die with the 60s! May his music live on and on and on...

Subject: RE: Obit: Buddy Tabor, Singer/Songwriter/Poet-Feb 2012
From: Ebbie
Date: 07 Feb 12 - 11:15 PM

Thanks, guys. As you can see, I think Buddy is/was a major talent. Not to even mention the quality of human being he was. He was one of those people who actually listened, who was present. I still don't like to sing in large groups but he was the first one to ever get me to sing on a stage. And when my 12+ year of living/hosting a weekly music jam tenure at a house museum was over, he wrote a song for me with the theme of 'Where will we go when the music's gone?'

"There's a big white house on a hill
Where a Judge lived long ago
He's long since dead but his ghost lives on
And every Friday evening we sang some old time tunes
We made sweet music, filled the empty rooms"


Waddon Pete, I will answer your pm very soon. Thanks.

Subject: RE: Obit: Buddy Tabor, Singer/Songwriter/Poet-Feb 2012
From: Ebbie
Date: 08 Feb 12 - 12:22 AM

I've been getting a number of PMs about Buddy's songs and their availability; Here are the titles on his Anthology Vol. I (2007) I will follow up with the other two Anthologies.

Year of Jubilee (for Spoon Jackson at Folsom Prison)
Worried Blue
Jesus Loves Me More(Than He Loves You)
Methamphetamines (for Willie and Rose Ochs of Oregon)
Corporate Domination
Box of Pain
Nothin' But You
Isaiah's Dream (for Sarah E. Hansen, poet)
Man Can Make Anything (Anything but Peace)
Motel Lonely
Medicated Family
9mm
Three Strikes (about Rush Limbaugh)
Wait for Me (written after his first visit to Folsom)
Temple of Mass Consumption
Caribou Song
Scatter My Ashes
One Divided Nation, Under God (for Jim Wallis (Sojourner)
Brand New Jesus (Right-wing Man)
Soldiers Story
Waiting on a Miracle

Subject: RE: Obit: Buddy Tabor, Singer/Songwriter/Poet-Feb 2012
From: Ebbie
Date: 08 Feb 12 - 12:26 AM

Anthology Vol. II

Abandoned Cars & Broken Hearts
Texas Blue Radio (about a local bluesman)
Oklahoma Powwow
Go Ask That Old Cowboy (about a wrangler from Tagish, Yukon Territory)
Valentine
Sweet Liza Jane
Earth and the Sky
Stories Made of Beauty
She Walked in Beauty
Peace Was Just a Dream I Had
Brother Lowdown
It's Not the Dress You Wore
Mr. Basketball Shoes
Black Crow Night (Adrian Louis is a friend of Buddy's; Buddy wrote this about the "rez".
Father's Grave
Canyon De Chelly
Highway Song
Billy the Kid
Beat Up old Truck
Water Over Stones
Cowboy in a Wheelchair
My Baby is Fine
New Fallen Snow

One more anthology to go

Subject: RE: Obit: Buddy Tabor, Singer/Songwriter/Poet-Feb 2012
From: Ebbie
Date: 08 Feb 12 - 12:29 AM

Anthology Vol. III

Blinding Flash of Light
River Hymn
Springs of Living Water
Medicine Song
Coyote and the Roadrunner
Get Up Dogs
Scratching Fleas
My Bruised World (Buddy liked the phrase when a reporter wrote that he "gentled her bruised world")
1000 Horses
Miles to Go
Compassion of Job
Weary Blues
Trimmed and Burning (traditional)
Voodoo Doll
Jesus & Lazurus
Fire of Love
Blues for Uncle Bob (written when a close friend of his died suddenly)
Barefoot Boy
Cannery Lights
Fetal Position
Thin Ice
Have You Ever Been Lonely
More Medicine
You're Gonna Leave Me with the Blues

Subject: RE: Obit: Buddy Tabor, Singer/Songwriter/Poet-Feb 2012
From: Ebbie
Date: 08 Feb 12 - 12:41 AM

Those are the anthologies, which I bought after I'd bought all of his CDs. There is a lot of music on the anthologies and I don't have to keep reloading.

Not all of his songs are on the compilation. He wrote a number of songs since then, plus he didn't include some that are favorites of ours but not of his.

These are the separate CDs:

Abandoned Cars and Broken Hearts
Hope
Edge of Despair
Box of Pain
Meadowlark
Blinding Flash of Light
Earth and the Sky
Writing on Stone
Cannery Lights


Several of his songs are on YouTube, including a video I don't care for. :) He can also be found on MySpace. Buddy himself was not computer-literate but he has friends who thought it couldn't be that he wasn't more visible.

As for how one can acquire them, one way is to PM me and I'll see to it.

Subject: RE: Obit: Buddy Tabor, Singer/Songwriter/Poet-Feb 2012
From: GUEST,Cindy
Date: 08 Feb 12 - 01:38 AM

Ebbie,
Can you email me at [e-mail]? I don't really want to join mudcat to PM you. I'm interested in purchasing the anthologies

Subject: RE: Obit: Buddy Tabor, Singer/Songwriter/Poet-Feb 2012
From: Ebbie
Date: 08 Feb 12 - 02:34 AM

OK. I'll email you shortly.

The anthologies, by the way, are $20 each or $50 for three volumes. We also have a book that has all the lyrics of all the songs in the anthologies. It goes for $10.

Subject: RE: Obit: Buddy Tabor, Singer/Songwriter/Poet-Feb 2012
From: GeoffLawes
Date: 08 Feb 12 - 05:06 AM

YouTubes

Subject: RE: Obit: Buddy Tabor, Singer/Songwriter/Poet-Feb 2012
From: Ebbie
Date: 12 Feb 12 - 12:33 PM

What a legacy.

Buddy Tabor, House Painter

Subject: RE: Obit: Buddy Tabor, Singer/Songwriter/Poet-Feb 2012
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Aug 12 - 06:25 PM

buddy's songs are now available on amazon.com thanks to concerted effort by his friends and family! Buying them here is a great way to help promote his music I think.

Subject: RE: Obit: Buddy Tabor, Singer/Songwriter/Poet-Feb 2012
From: YorkshireYankee
Date: 14 Aug 12 - 05:58 PM

bump

Subject: RE: Obit: Buddy Tabor, Singer/Songwriter/Poet-Feb 2012
From: GUEST,Paul
Date: 21 Feb 20 - 06:55 PM

As a 76 yr old who has collected music for over 60 yrs, I just recently heard several Buddy Tabor songs on KPFT (public radio station) in Houston, Texas and was blown away. My Dylan collection (along with others) may have to take a back seat to what I heard from Buddy. I would love to be able to buy anything I can on CD (not MP3) from this artist. Don't wish to join anything to do so if this is possible. I have looked, but have found only two items (Hope and Writing on Stone). Please email me at [e-mail] if you can help. Would love to hear much more of this artist before I die.

Thanks
Paul B.