BS: Folk Singers/Musicians ?

Subject: Folk Singers/Musicians ?
From: wildlone
Date: 22 Jan 00 - 09:09 AM

Recently I was given an album called "English Rebel Songs 1381~1914 by the Band Chumbawamba.
It contains The Cutty Wren, Chartist Anthem, and others sung accapella, a fine album in all.
I was thinking of others who had sung or played folk but who are not usually known for it.
ie:Mick Jagger in the film Ned Kelly.
Any more anyone?

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Singers/Musicians ?
From: Mbo
Date: 22 Jan 00 - 10:27 AM

Mike Ness, from the punk band "Social Distortion" does a driving electric version of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice," on his new album "Cheating At Solitaire." But in a special live performance on MTV's "120 Minutes" he did a solo acoustic version. I wish the 120 Minutes version would come out on an album. It ruled! Mike Ness is also a confirmed Hank Williams junkie.

Also Jeff Lynne (my favorite person in music),former leader of The Electric Light Orchestra, did a short but beautiful little song called "Save Me Now." It's a musical portrait of the earth, and how he feels about global warming and deforestation (in was done in 1990, after all!) from Jeff's album "Armchair Theater." Jeff's close work with Bob Dylan in The Traveling Wilburys highly influenced the song.

--Mbo

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Singers/Musicians ?
From: wildlone
Date: 22 Jan 00 - 12:41 PM

Chartist Anthem

A hundred years, a thousand years, we're marching on the road
The going isn't easy yet, we've got a heavy load, oh we've got a heavy load
The way is blind with blood and sweat, and death sings in our ears
But time is marching on our side, we will defeat the years, oh we will defeat the years

We men of bone of shrunken shank, our only treasure doth,
Women who carry at their breast heirs to the hungry earth, oh heirs to the
hungry earth Speak with one voice, we march, we rest, and march again upon the years
Sons of our sons are listening to hear the Chartist cheers
Oh, to hear the Chartists cheers

Chumbawamba lyrics Church of Chumbawamba

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Singers/Musicians ?
From: Mary G
Date: 22 Jan 00 - 01:45 PM

Tom Jones...I saw him on a special once with a Welsh male choir leading them in all through the night...it was absolutely beautiful...

also Al Gore...they had something on t.v. where various government people sang snippets of Christmas carols...he had a really beautiful voice..

mg

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Singers/Musicians ?
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 22 Jan 00 - 05:40 PM

Harry H. Corbett, usually known as an actor; Roddy MacMillan, ditto; and Barbara Dickson started out in folk music, singing with Archie Fisher. - Susanne

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Singers/Musicians ?
From: Mbo
Date: 22 Jan 00 - 06:21 PM

Wait...no one has mentioned Van Morrison's superb work with the Chieftains the "Irish Heartbeat" album. Brilliant stuff right there!

--Mbo

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Singers/Musicians ?
From: Troll
Date: 22 Jan 00 - 06:36 PM

James Galway and The Chieftans.

troll

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Singers/Musicians ?
From: honestfrankie
Date: 22 Jan 00 - 08:17 PM

One of the most memorable non-folk singer folks song of sorts has to be William Shatner(Cap'n Kirk)performing Bob Dylan's Mr. Tambourine Man. Beam him up Scotty!

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Singers/Musicians ?
From: wildlone
Date: 22 Jan 00 - 08:23 PM

Anyone who watched the Jules Holland show 29th dec wuold have seen the part with Lonnie Donegan,Van Morrison,I think Ronnie Wood,Travis,Skin and a lot more doing an old skiffle number.
Anymore in the UK see it?.

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Singers/Musicians ?
From: Troll
Date: 22 Jan 00 - 10:12 PM

Speaking of William Shatner, have you heard him doing "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds"? Strange.

troll

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Singers/Musicians ?
From: wildlone
Date: 23 Jan 00 - 05:03 PM

David Bowie playing Sax on Steeleye Spans To Know Him is to Love Him.

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Singers/Musicians ?
From: Bev and Jerry
Date: 23 Jan 00 - 05:24 PM

When we're doing our school programs, we often finish with "This Land is Your Land". We introduce it by saying: A lot of you know that song but you didn't learn it on MTV. Chumbawamba never made a video of it as far as we know. But you know it anyway. That's because it's a folk song and you've heard other people sing it.

We had no idea! Maybe we need to revise that introduction.

Bev and Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Singers/Musicians ?
From: GUEST,Sean
Date: 23 Jan 00 - 06:09 PM

I don't really want to start a debate about Van Morrison but I think his album with the Chieftains is evidence that rockers should think twice about trying to do folk.

Also Simon and Garfunkel, who are known for their folky songs aren't known for doing trad tunes, with the exception of Scarborough Fair, a Child ballad.

Sean

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Singers/Musicians ?
From: GUEST,Victoria
Date: 23 Jan 00 - 07:43 PM

How bout those folk recordings by actor David Soul, way back when?

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Singers/Musicians ?
From: Brakn
Date: 23 Jan 00 - 07:49 PM

Mbo, I remeber when Jeff Lynn was with the Idle Race.

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Singers/Musicians ?
From: GUEST,Mbo
Date: 23 Jan 00 - 08:15 PM

Wow, REALLY? I've heard so much about Jeff Lynne and the Idle Race, though I've never actually heard any of their songs. I wish I could, though! Man, I love Jeff.

--Mbo

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Singers/Musicians ?
From: Brakn
Date: 23 Jan 00 - 08:30 PM

I sang in a band then, I must've been about 16, and we were the support group, it was at Malmsebury Town Hall, Wiltshire, England, I think about mid 1969!!

Mick Bracken

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Singers/Musicians ?
From: GUEST,Mbo
Date: 23 Jan 00 - 09:03 PM

Your band was the support group for The Idle Race?! WHOA! That is so cool! What kind of music did your band play? Was it similar the Idle Race, or not? I'm a British Invasion Junkie, and am trying to go back and listen to early Jeff stuff, like The Idle Race, and The Move. Speaking of The Move, they did this hilarious song called "The Ben Crawley Steel Company." Very folky, with Roy Wood doing his best Johhny Cash impersonation. A great song with lots o' laughs!

--Mbo

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Singers/Musicians ?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 23 Jan 00 - 10:33 PM

Just had a look at the Chieftan's CD, The Long Black Veil:

The guest list is: Sting, Mick Jagger, Sinead O'Connor, Van Morrison, Mark Knopfler, Ry Cooder, Marinne Faithful, Tom Jones and the Rolling Stones (all of them).

Just a personal opion but I don't like this CD.

It is difficult to say with some people as they in fact moved on from Folk music to something else and I have seen Barbra Dickson mentioned here. Max Boyce is another example as I guess he would normally be thought of as a comedian but he did "return" to folk for one album called "The Roads and the Miles". Just trying to think who else coems into that sort of category... maybe Mike Harding (althoug I think is introducing a radio Folk music program), Billy Colonely? Jasper Carrot?

Jon

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Singers/Musicians ?
From: Callie
Date: 24 Jan 00 - 02:39 AM

Van's Irish Heartbeat is one of my alltime favourite albums. People I know who don't like it don't like ANY Van Morrison and don't really dig his tradition.

Definitions are so arbitrary: I hear Indigo Girls described as 'folk' but they're really removed from what I consider to be folk.

But as to why The Chieftains get into collaborating with popular singers: it's pretty obvious that it's about getting a wider exposure and also ensuring that people who would otherwise only listen to - say - Mick Jagger get to hear a different musical perspective.

Callie

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Singers/Musicians ?
From: Peg
Date: 24 Jan 00 - 11:07 AM

Omigod someone remembers that David Soul album??? My sister bought that when we were teenagers...there was that one poppy tune, Don't Give Up On Us Baby, but one kinda nice folky song on there that I remember was "Black Bean Soup..."

speaking of non-folk singers singing folk,I for one would love to hear Sting do something like this; when he has approached it in the past with simple acoustic versions of earlier hits, or romantic/pastoral songs like "Fields of Gold" it does seem he would do well in this genre...

I am a Jethro Tull fan and my favorite stuff of Ian Anderson's is the medieval-influenced progressive stuff; but also the folky stuff from their early blues-rock period (This Was, Stand Up, etc)--I have never been a fan of the harder rock songs that so many of the audiences at their shows seem to love (Aqualung, Locomotive Breath, etc.)

peg

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Singers/Musicians ?
From: Ringer
Date: 24 Jan 00 - 01:17 PM

Somewhat off-thread: My teenage son is really into the music of late 60s (eg Bonzo Dog, Jethro Tull, CSN&Y, etc). He's got a CD of Nick Drake, and wants to know if the Danny Thompson credited with playing bass is any relation to Richard Thompson, whom he knows from Fairport & Henry the Human Fly, also on that CD.

Anyone know?

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Singers/Musicians ?
From: GUEST,Roots
Date: 24 Jan 00 - 05:34 PM

Who remembers Frank Hennessey, of the BBC Radio and TV. Frank was a very good singer and songwriter with "The Hennesseys" (Including Dave Burns and a "hefty" big lad whose name escapes me right now?) He recorded a few LPs some years ago.All in the Accoustic idiom.

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Singers/Musicians ?
From: lamarca
Date: 24 Jan 00 - 05:49 PM

I don't think Richard and Danny Thompson are related, Bald Eagle, but they have been working together on a lot of RT's albums - "Industry" was a recent album by the two of them. Danny Thompson was also bassist for Pentangle in the late 60's-early 70's - your son may like them, too. I think both Richard and Danny play back-up on Norma Waterson's recent solo album, too.

I am also a Tull fan, peg, but I liked almost all of their incarnations. "Songs From the Wood" was the most folky; my favorite albums are probably "Warchild" or "Minstrel in the Gallery". Dave Pegg, Tull's bassist, was playing in both Jethro Tull and Fairport Convention for awhile.

A question for UK 'Catters - is the Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull the same person as Ian A. Anderson of Folk Roots? If not, which one produced Steeleye Span's albums for Chrysalis Records?

A lot of the English folk revival musicians seem to be very comfortable switching from a traditional music to a rock idiom; moreso than American traditional musicians (Note: I am referring to people who routinely perform tradtional songs and ballads and fiddle and banjo tunes, not singer/songwriters who drift across musical styles with abandon...). Martin Carthy, Ashley Hutchings, Richard Thompson, John Kirkpatrick, Norma Waterson, Shirley Collins - all of them have done wonderful acoustic recordings of traditional songs and tunes, but all of them have also done great rock and/or experimental numbers and albums (listen to Martin Carthy doing "Tortoise From Hell" in the style of "Maltloaf" on Mrs. Ackroyds' "Oranges and Lemmings" if you doubt his ability to play electric guitar as stunningly as acoustic...)

I realize that England has its share of "Purist Snobs" who don't think traditional music and rock should mix, but it seems to be a much more common viewpoint here in the US. Are there any good folk-rock bands in the US doing old-time music? How about American traditional songs? I know there are American bands doing English or Irish material in styles similar to Fairport or Albion Band, but I'm wondering if there are any doing the same for Anglo-American music.

The only American traditional music forms I've heard done well as "rock" are blues, zydeco and conjunto.

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Singers/Musicians ?
From: poet
Date: 24 Jan 00 - 06:59 PM

Jasper Carrot started as a folk singer and club organiser in Birmigham (England)but found comedy more to his liking I think which is just as well he is a great comic but his singing leaves a little to be desired. and I'm his greatest fan.
Graham (Guernsey)

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Singers/Musicians ?
From: Mbo
Date: 24 Jan 00 - 08:56 PM

On Hootie and The Blowfish's latest album "Musical Chairs" they do a song called "Desert Mountain Showdown." A great song. A classic in fact. Lead singer Darius Rucker says he's a big Doc Watson fan, and the song is a tribute to him. The have cool mandolins going on in the song, and even have fiddling by Boyd Tinsley, the Cajun fiddler with The Dave Matthews Band. Ahhh....I love Hootie!

--Mbo

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Singers/Musicians ?
From: GUEST,Sean
Date: 25 Jan 00 - 01:10 AM

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull produced the Steeleye span records.

And you're right, I don't like any Van Morrison.

and I've heard it said that th eChieftains do collaborations because they don't, have a good singer in the band. I'm not sure if I agree or not.

Sean

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Singers/Musicians ?
From: Metchosin
Date: 25 Jan 00 - 02:18 AM

lamarca, not quite what your looking for but the late and I mean late not tardy, Gerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead, who started as a serious folkie, came full circle to doing bluegrass and American folk with David Grisman, in a series of recordings which Grisman has started to release recently.

If you don't like Van Morrison give Camper Van Beethoven a whirl. BG.

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Singers/Musicians ?
From: Roger in Baltimore
Date: 25 Jan 00 - 06:15 AM

I am reminded by another thread of the conversion of Bobby Darin (Splish, Splash I was takin' bath) to folk-based tunes.

Obviously, I'm no purist. I cherish those two albums and sometimes wonder what he would have done if he had lived longer.

Roger in Baltimore

Subject: RE: BS: Folk Singers/Musicians ?
From: Metchosin
Date: 25 Jan 00 - 02:48 PM

Roger, that reminds me of still another thread regarding "good voices" which Garcia's "ain't", in a conventional sense, but a gentleness of soul comes through, so it works.