'William Taylor' at Murder Ballad Monday

Subject: 'William Taylor' at Murder Ballad Monday
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Sep 12 - 09:41 AM

This week at Murder Ballad Monday, we explore "Bold William Taylor" and the intersection of the murder ballad and Female Warrior ballad traditions.

Bold William Taylor : When does murder lead to a promotion? Ken begins a week with the ballad "Bold William Taylor" that tells such a story, beginning with young romance and ending with a revealed Woman Warrior shooting her ex-love. Strange connections abound, and performances by Patrick Street, Martin Carthy, Jo Freya, and Bill Jones are most pleasing to the ear.

Gun and pistol she commanded : In today's excellent post, Ken discovers that "Billy Taylor" and other Female Warrior ballads function quite differently than traditional murder ballads. But now that our heroine is exposed, Ken's not going to argue fine points of categorization - she's got a gun! A wonderful array of performances from Malinky, The Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Nic Jones, John Wesley Harding, Adam McCulloch, and Jo Freya make this post a must read/listen.

To roam all alone on the shore : Join us as we set sail with Ken and "William Taylor" for Canada's Maritime Provinces, in a third and final post on our week with the Female Warrior ballad. We plot a course through themes of love, death, betrayal, sailors, and the sea. Ken does his best to understand what's going on in these tunes, and we're treated to some sparkling performances by Newfoundland's The Once, including a stunning survivor's tale of the 16th century.