Ritchie & Orr: Wayfaring Strangers

Subject: Ritchie & Orr: Wayfaring Strangers
From: Janie
Date: 23 Oct 14 - 11:03 PM

Have been hearing about and reading blurps (some called reviews), but no discriminating review yet about the book or cd recently published by Fiona Ritchie and Doug Orr. UNC Press Wayfaring Strangers

Getting a lot of press locally and many book signing engagements in the region - not surprising since Fiona Ritchie's NPR "Thistle & Shamrock" originated during her tenure in Charlotte, NC, and Doug Orr founded the Swannanoa Gathering workshops.

Any folks on Mudcat who have taken a looksee yet? I'm just a hillbilly with eclectic tastes and not much knowledge - a non-musician, and rooted in WV not NC, but I am very intrigued and would like to hear from folks here on Mudcat who have had a chance to read and listen to know if this is a book worth having.

Subject: RE: Ritchie & Orr: Wayfaring Strangers
From: maeve
Date: 23 Oct 14 - 11:20 PM

Janie, you sell yourself short.

I cannot imagine anything involving Fiona Ritchie and Doug Orr would be less than well-done and interesting. The list of musicians involved in the accompanying cd would clinch the deal: "includes a CD featuring 20 songs by musicians profiled in the book, including Dolly Parton, Dougie MacLean, Cara Dillon, John Doyle, Pete Seeger, Sheila Kay Adams, Jean Ritchie, Doc Watson, David Holt, Anais Mitchell, Al Petteway, and Amy White."

Subject: RE: Ritchie & Orr: Wayfaring Strangers
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 30 Nov 14 - 09:42 AM

There was a really interesting interview with Fiona Ritchie on Cerys Matthews BBC 6Music show this morning regarding the book and the historical background concerned.

Well worth a listen in my opinion. The piece starts at about 34 minutes into the programme. I'm not certain if it's available outside the UK, but I imagine that it probably is.

Subject: RE: Ritchie & Orr: Wayfaring Strangers
From: GUEST,Derek Schofield
Date: 30 Nov 14 - 03:29 PM

Here's an authoritative review by Mike Yates, who has, of course, undertaken fieldwork in both the Appalachians and England and written about - in particular - Sharp's collecting in the Appalachians.
http://www.mustrad.org.uk/reviews/wayfare.htm

Derek

Subject: RE: Ritchie & Orr: Wayfaring Strangers
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 30 Nov 14 - 05:21 PM

Despite Mike Yates' undoubted qualifications to comment, I can't see how you can describe his review as being authoritative?

A review, by it's very nature, is a personal opinion. I trust that you're not so shoddy in your EFDSS editorial work?

Subject: RE: Ritchie & Orr: Wayfaring Strangers
From: GUEST,Derek Schofield
Date: 01 Dec 14 - 07:06 AM

My apologies ... I should have written it was a review by the authoritative Mike Yates .... slap wrist for me!!
Derek

Subject: RE: Ritchie & Orr: Wayfaring Strangers
From: Brian Peters
Date: 01 Dec 14 - 07:41 AM

Nitpicking aside (Derek's editorship 'shoddy'?? Perish the thought!), I think we can agree that Mike Yates is defintely an authoritative figure in the field of Appalachian traditional song, and his review is interesting and provocative. He's quite right to stress that the history of those ballads is complex, and that it's a mistake to ignore the English dimension, even though Sharp certainly muddied the picture with his insistence on describing the material as 'English Folk Song'.

A significant number of the 'Scots-Irish' had their ancestry in Northern England, and people from other parts of England found their way to the mountains as well. The current Mudcat thread on 'Lord Thomas and Fair Ellender' presents evidence that the ballad travelled to Appalachia from England, not Scotland, and I think the same will be shown for some of the other songs, even though many of them (possibly the majority) are more characteristic of lowland Scotland than England. Though, given the lack of orally-collected English material in Child, even that can't be said with certainty.

Subject: RE: Ritchie & Orr: Wayfaring Strangers
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 01 Dec 14 - 03:10 PM

My apologies, Derek if I appeared a little tetchy. No offensive intented.

What I do find odd, is that Mudcat users (I refuse to say 'Catters), appear far more interested in rowing about the use of aide memoirs, than considering the actual songs and their history.

So be it, I guess...