Sarah Wood Kentucky Ballad Singer

Subject: Kentucky Ballad Singer
From: GUEST,Sarah Wood
Date: 07 Jan 14 - 05:25 PM

I'm a ballad singer from Kentucky and teach at the Kentucky Center for Traditional Music, I've used the information here at Mudcat many a time while learning songs or trying to figure out lyrics. I'm putting out an album of Appalachian ballads and songs. I'm fundraising through Kickstarter and the video has a version of Barbara Allen, which is one I put together listening to Banjo Bill Cornett's and Jean Ritchie's versions, and The Lady of Carlisle, which I put together listening to Jackie Helton in Hazel Green, KY along with some more popular lyrics.

I thought I'd share about the album on here with you all having such an interest in ballads. Jesse Wells has helped with the recording and will be playing fiddle and guitar on a few, some of the ones we've recorded so far are The Brown Girl, Bed of Primroses, The Soldier Traveling from the North, As I Was Walking, The Kentucky Waltz, The Little Girl and the Dreadful Snake, The Old German War, I Would Not Live Always, and some fiddle and banjo tunes. If you'd like to check it out, here is the link:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sarahwood/old-time-banjo-and-ballads-from-kentucky-artist-sa


http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sarahwood/old-time-banjo-and-ballads-from-kentucky-artist-sa

Subject: RE: Sarah Wood Kentucky Ballad Singer
From: maeve
Date: 07 Jan 14 - 05:36 PM

Lovely singing, Sarah. Best of luck to you.

Maeve

Subject: RE: Sarah Wood Kentucky Ballad Singer
From: maeve
Date: 07 Jan 14 - 05:39 PM

I intended to also say I enjoyed your banjo picking. Thanks for letting us know!

Subject: RE: Sarah Wood Kentucky Ballad Singer
From: GUEST,Sarah W.
Date: 07 Jan 14 - 06:38 PM

Thanks Maeve! I'm absolutely thrilled to be getting this CD made, it's nice to have a product after the hours and hours a person logs learning this kind of music.

Subject: RE: Sarah Wood Kentucky Ballad Singer
From: GUEST,Bob Coltman
Date: 07 Jan 14 - 06:51 PM

Sarah, you have really drawn from the fine old traditions of a cappella singing. I wish you all possible success with the album, hope it comes out soon.

Best wishes, Bob

Subject: RE: Sarah Wood Kentucky Ballad Singer
From: GUEST,Mike Yates
Date: 08 Jan 14 - 04:08 AM

Wow! Sounds like a young Jean Ritchie! I really like the "Barbara Allen" track. As Bob says, all success with the album when it come out.

Subject: RE: Sarah Wood Kentucky Ballad Singer
From: Elmore
Date: 08 Jan 14 - 09:35 PM

Sarah: A suggestion. Contact Concert Window. Do a 30 minute concert by way of your computer for them. Give the audience your pitch, and they'll contribute some money to the cause. Regards, Elmore.

Subject: RE: Sarah Wood Kentucky Ballad Singer
From: GUEST,Sarah Wood
Date: 09 Jan 14 - 08:11 PM

I've never heard of Concert Window, but I'm off to read up on it! This site is such a wealth of information, just going off on one thread of the forum reveals so many lyrics and facts. I don't even know where to begin!

Subject: RE: Sarah Wood Kentucky Ballad Singer
From: GUEST
Date: 09 Jan 14 - 10:30 PM

Start at the beginning and when you get to the end, stop ;-)

Subject: RE: Sarah Wood Kentucky Ballad Singer
From: Elmore
Date: 13 Jan 14 - 11:42 AM

Sarah will be doing a one hour show live on line via Concert Window on Friday, Jan 17 at 10 p.m., EST .

Subject: RE: Sarah Wood Kentucky Ballad Singer
From: maeve
Date: 13 Jan 14 - 11:59 AM

Great! Good for Elmore for that nudge!

Subject: RE: Sarah Wood Kentucky Ballad Singer
From: Elmore
Date: 13 Jan 14 - 05:17 PM

My pleasure. Thanks Maeve.

Subject: RE: Sarah Wood Kentucky Ballad Singer
From: GUEST,Sarah Wood
Date: 13 Jan 14 - 06:14 PM

Yes! Thank you! I was just going to get on here and mention it! Feel free to make any requests on this thread if you're planning on tuning in, it might give me a chance to dust off some old ballads or learn some new ones this week! The show is at 10pm, At 11pm there is a group called Red Molly, they appear to be relatively traditional, so I was thinking we might have similar listeners. 10pm is a nice healthy time to be lulled to sleep by ballads and dream of death and murder : -)

http://www.concertwindow.com/shows/2871-sarah-wood

Subject: RE: Sarah Wood Kentucky Ballads-Concert Window
From: maeve
Date: 15 Jan 14 - 06:08 AM

Reminder-
Sarah's Concert Window appearance is on Friday, Jan 17 at 10 p.m., EST

Subject: RE: Sarah Wood Kentucky Ballad Singer
From: GUEST,nickp (cookieless)
Date: 15 Jan 14 - 06:26 AM

Backed! I think I'll have to skip the appearance as it will be 3am over here! Nick

Subject: RE: Sarah Wood Kentucky Ballad Singer
From: GUEST,Callingbird
Date: 15 Jan 14 - 09:35 AM

Lovely voice and lovely style. I wish you every success, Sarah.

Subject: RE: Sarah Wood Kentucky Ballad Singer
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 15 Jan 14 - 10:45 AM

Ditto.

Subject: RE: Sarah Wood Kentucky Ballad Singer
From: Elmore
Date: 15 Jan 14 - 01:29 PM

There are some great young musicians out there,but just a few young American ballad singers.

Subject: RE: Sarah Wood Kentucky Ballad Singer
From: Matthew Edwards
Date: 16 Jan 14 - 05:21 PM

Really enjoyed listening to your performance of Barbara Allen; good luck with funding your CD.

Matthew

Subject: RE: Sarah Wood Kentucky Ballad Singer
From: GUEST,Sarah Wood
Date: 17 Jan 14 - 12:12 PM

Thank you all! We've crossed the 75% mark with 3 days to go, things are looking pretty good! If this concert is successful I'm going to do another broadcast at a more reasonable time, several folks abroad mentioned the time difference to me, which I hadn't thought about.

As far as American ballad singers go, I think you're right Elmore. I've spent some time thinking about the differences between American and European musical traditions (apart from the length of existence issues). Even in the hollers of Eastern Kentucky where one might expect everyone to pick a banjo and sing Barbry Allen (and some do), most kids grow up with the TV Nanny and don't really assimilate into a regional culture like they might have 100 years ago. A lot of people have to "leave" and "come back" to their roots. When I was in Ireland, it was nice that everybody knew what "Trad" was. Here, even within a region, you'll have a lot of kids who have never heard a banjo before, I brought a mountain dulcimer (you can't get more Appalachian than that) to show my high school students yesterday and none of them knew what it was, one guessed it was a sitar. I should have said "Yes, remember they teach us in school that the Indians used to live here."

Subject: RE: Sarah Wood Kentucky Ballad Singer
From: Elmore
Date: 18 Jan 14 - 09:38 AM

Hope this went well. My wife was taken ill last night, and I missed it.

Subject: RE: Sarah Wood Kentucky Ballad Singer
From: maeve
Date: 18 Jan 14 - 09:50 AM

Comments posted on the Concert Window link:

"Sarah is a true treasure. Money well spent."

"Waiting for next performance"

"The concert was terrific because of the excellent singing and instrumentals, and the experience of being in a home concert with Sarah and Thomas. We want more!"

31 people watched, and the average rating was five stars. Good for you, Sarah!

Subject: RE: Sarah Wood Kentucky Ballad Singer
From: Elmore
Date: 18 Jan 14 - 10:24 AM

Again Maeve, Thanks for the information. Sometimes real life gets in the way of folk music.

Subject: RE: Sarah Wood Kentucky Ballad Singer
From: maeve
Date: 18 Jan 14 - 10:41 AM

Yep. It does indeed. Sorry we both had to miss it.

Subject: RE: Sarah Wood Kentucky Ballad Singer
From: GUEST,marty
Date: 09 Feb 14 - 08:57 PM

Sarah,

I have followed you on myspace in the past. Glad to see you are still going strong and sounding better than ever.

Congrats on achieving your kickstart goal.

Marty x

Subject: RE: Sarah Wood Kentucky Ballad Singer
From: GUEST,matt milton
Date: 10 Feb 14 - 05:32 PM

I've come to this thread late. But please let me know when the album comes out. Very pleased to see you got it funded. Really enjoyed your singing and banjo playing.

Subject: RE: Sarah Wood Kentucky Ballad Singer
From: Matthew Edwards
Date: 08 Jul 14 - 08:38 AM

I'm delighted to report that the CD One May Morning has finally arrived today; and it is a real pleasure to listen to the songs and tunes, performed in wonderful traditional style. It has been great to support this project, and congratulations to Sarah on her achievement.

Matthew