Help: Menhaden fisherman chanteys

Subject: Menhaden fisherman chanteys
From: Rev
Date: 06 Dec 00 - 09:19 PM

I've been looking for recordings of the chanteys sung by menhaden fishermen on the southeast coast of North America. I know that there are a couple of groups, one from North Carolina and one from Virginia, who perform publicly, but it seems that their recordings are quite rare. Does anyone know of a store or organization that might carry such music, or if any field recordings of this music might exists in any archives anywhere? Thanks! Rev

Subject: RE: Help: Menhaden fisherman chanteys
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 06 Dec 00 - 09:47 PM

Hi, Rev -

I got the CD of the North Carolina group, called The Menhaden Chanteymen, through Amazon.com. It's called Won't You Help Me To Raise 'em: Authentic Net-Hauling Songs From An African American Fishery.

I'd be interested to know about the Virginia group as well. You might want to send a personal message to Barry Finn. He's pretty knowledgeable about African American sea song/chantey traditions.

Subject: RE: Help: Menhaden fisherman chanteys
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 06 Dec 00 - 10:26 PM

Rev, a search on Amazon's site reveals that they currently carry it, and it can be had for $13. They can have it in your mailbox in a little over a week. When you get Amazon's homepage, go to he search box where it say's "all sources," click on that, and then click "popular music"(they lump all folk/trad under that). Then type in "menhaden chanteymen" and you'll find it. They'll let you play samples fom it before deciding whether to buy.

-chanteyranger

Subject: RE: Help: Menhaden fisherman chanteys
From: Barry Finn
Date: 06 Dec 00 - 10:41 PM

Try this site (http://www.virginia.edu/vfh/vfp/chanteys.html) for a group called the Northern Neck Chantey Singers, they're another group of old timers from the manhaden fisheries. Like Chanteyranger mentioned the cd of the Manhaden Chanteymen is readily available. Another cd is "Virginia Traditions-Virginia Work Songs" put out by Global Village #1007, they have a web site, search globalvillage. A few of these manhaden fishermen doubled as singers for gospel groups. The manhaden shanties are somewhat similar to the shanties from the Georgia Sea Islands & the West Indies in that they were used for work of any sort, rowing, net hauling, log loading, house moving & I suppose for sail handling too. Not very surpising seeing that they they all spring from the same deep well. Barry

Subject: RE: Help: Menhaden fisherman chanteys
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 06 Dec 00 - 11:56 PM

Both the Menhaden Chanteymen CD and the Field Recordings of Virginia Worksongs are available from CAMSCO. How do I convince people that CAMSCO is a good place to start looking for recordings?

Subject: RE: Help: Menhaden fisherman chanteys
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 07 Dec 00 - 12:59 AM

I'm working on it, Dick! Sent a couple of requests that came to Folk-Legacy this week down your way.

Look, folks, Dick Greenhaus, the prime co-mover of the Digital Tradition, has bought Wally Macnow's "Camsco Music" and is now able to supply any folk recording you could ask for at a price competitive with the monster CD purveyers. Why not help him out with your orders, get a good price, and help support the Mudcat at the same time? What has Bezos ever done for you? Support the guy who has given you over eight thousand song texts for the asking!

Subject: RE: Help: Menhaden fisherman chanteys
From: alison
Date: 07 Dec 00 - 02:13 AM

where is there a link to Camsco from the DT? or Folk Legacy?......

I couldn't find one

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Help: Menhaden fisherman chanteys
From: alison
Date: 07 Dec 00 - 02:18 AM

had to go to "google"

Camsco

Folk Legacy

still a few shopping days left 'til Christmas...

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: Help: Menhaden fisherman chanteys
From: Joy Bennett
Date: 07 Dec 00 - 07:47 AM

Though not field recordings and sung by women, there are a few menhaden chanteys on The Johnson Girls' CD - check out the website at www.thejohnsongirls.com -- the CD is also available through Folk Legacy.

Subject: RE: Help: Menhaden fisherman chanteys
From: Abby Sale
Date: 07 Dec 00 - 06:05 PM

I bought this CD last month from a weird little suplier called Camsco. I am quite satisfied.

I know there are many floater verses for both the chantey & gospel sides of the tradition but I really wonder if "Remember Me" is the same song (more or less) as the great "Do, Lord, Remember Me" on the Library of Congress record, Negro Religious Songs & Services. Anyone familiar with both?

Subject: RE: Help: Menhaden fisherman chanteys
From: Rev
Date: 07 Dec 00 - 09:00 PM

Thanks guys for the info, I looked for it on Amazon once before but I used "Menhaden fishermen" as my search term wehich turned up nothing. Then I tried "chanties" and "shanties," and "chanteys" which pulled up lots of stuff, but no menhaden fishermen. I finally got it right thanks to your help. Cheers! Rev

Subject: RE: Help: Menhaden fisherman chanteys
From: radriano
Date: 08 Dec 00 - 11:39 AM

Hey, Rev, welcome to Mudcat.

It was good to see you again at the Festival of the Sea this year.

Richard

Subject: RE: Help: Menhaden fisherman chanteys
From: radriano
Date: 08 Dec 00 - 01:58 PM

I couldn't locate the Virginia Menhaden Fishermen at CAMSCO but I did some surfing and found this link to the Virginia Folklike Program which offers a cassette tape titled "See You When the Sun Goes Down", traditional chanteys of Virginia Menhaden Fishermen as performed by The Northern Neck Chantey Singers. The site also has some good text on Menhaden fishing.

Virginia Menhaden Fishermen

Subject: RE: Help: Menhaden fisherman chanteys
From: radriano
Date: 08 Dec 00 - 03:00 PM

My apologies, Barry. The link in my last post takes you to the same website you mentioned in your post. I didn't mean to duplicate things but I must point out in my defense that my post has a blue clicky thing, making it much easier to use.

All kidding aside, though, I was glad to find this thread because one of the songs on my up-coming CD of shanties and sea songs (shameless plug) is Raise 'Em, a Menhaden chantey which I learned from the English shanty group "Landlocked." I'm looking forward to receiving my copy of the Northern Neck Chantey Singers' tape so I can hear what the more original version sounds like.


Richard

Subject: RE: Help: Menhaden fisherman chanteys
From: Rev
Date: 08 Dec 00 - 03:20 PM

It's nice to be here. I look forward to hearing your new CD Richard. I've been listening to that Out of the Rain (With the Friends I love best) disc constantly. It's great to be in Mudcat, I get to stay in touch with all you frisky Frisco folkies, as well as with folks I know and don't know all over the country. And people are so helpful! I LOVE MUDCAT!!! Cheers, Rev