Ewan MacColl

Subject: RE: Ewan MacColl
From: GUEST,akenaton
Date: 06 Apr 20 - 04:10 AM

I think what Jim is studiously avoiding, is that like others he thought that a name change might be a good career move. In his case it was partially successful.

Subject: RE: Ewan MacColl
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 06 Apr 20 - 03:55 AM

Sorry Dick - this one's really talked to death and I have no intention of covering it again
Why ask - would you ask Cary Grant ot Judy Garland or Bob Dylan or Johnny Handle..... or the man other artists who cnaged their manes why ?
Ewan was more importantt to our music than all of them yet we never seem to rise above that level
In a way, my first posting said clearly enough why he changed it - that really should be enough but I'm sure some people will make sure it isn't
Your a singer - why not get a discussion on his ideas on singing - I'll be over the moon to contribute to that
Jim

Subject: RE: Ewan MacColl
From: The Sandman
Date: 06 Apr 20 - 03:44 AM

He was a very influential person on the uk folk scene, so any first hand info on him is of interest to me, did he ever discuss it with you ,jim

Subject: RE: Ewan MacColl
From: The Sandman
Date: 06 Apr 20 - 03:42 AM

Why did he adopt a stage name?
I am aware of how he helped others, and I booked both of them at a folk club and did a support for them.
WIKI In 1946 members of Theatre Union and others formed Theatre Workshop and spent the next few years touring, mostly in the north of England. In 1945, Miller changed his name to Ewan MacColl (influenced by the Lallans movement in Scotland)
So it might appear it was more to do with his career as a playright than as a singer?

Subject: RE: Ewan MacColl
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 06 Apr 20 - 03:15 AM

For christ sake Dick - buy the book and go and ask Robert Zimmermann the same (or look up his MI5 record)

Ewan was the most innovative creative artist on the folk scene with a lifetime's work of examining fol song, it's relevance as a progressive thinker and its technique as a performer
He did this with others and, between them, produced a body of work wich offered the possibility of the most inexperienced of us improving our singing - nobody else on the scene came anywhere near to wanting to do that
The fact that we've never been able to get past 'name change' and urban legends that are supposed to have taken place three quarters of a century ago a century ago says what needs to be said about the state of folk song
These records are really scratched beyond playing

For the record, my father found himself in a similar position to Ewan when he returned from Spain - a young man with a good brain and a promising future, he was hounded by the authorities and blacklisted from work - he didn't change his name - he became a navvy
Jim

Subject: Ewan MacColl
From: The Sandman
Date: 06 Apr 20 - 02:43 AM

Does anyone know why he adopted a stage name