Lyr Req: Duncan and Brady

Subject: Lyr. Req. Duncan And Brady
From: Gerard
Date: 18 Jul 03 - 12:58 PM

I realize there are already several versions of Duncan And Brady in the DT. However, I believe there is one from the following work, and I am wondering if it is different from the ones already listed, or if it is the same?

American ballads and folk songs / [compiled by] John A. Lomax and Alan Lomax ; with a foreword by George Lyman Kittredge

Subject: RE: Lyr. Req. Duncan And Brady
From: Amos
Date: 18 Jul 03 - 01:19 PM

Gerard:

THere are a number of earlier threads discussing this song, which may answer your question. Try putting "Brady" into the search box and see what the Forum search brings up.

A

Subject: RE: Lyr. Req. Duncan And Brady
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 19 Jul 03 - 02:06 AM

So far as I can tell, this song does not appear in American Ballads and Folksongs by John A Lomax and Alan Lomax, Dover 1994, ISBN 0-486-28276-7, which claims to be an "unabridged and unaltered republication of the work originally published by The Macmillan Company, New York, in 1934."

The Dover edition has no index, but the song isn't in the Table of Contents - or in my own index of songs, in which I included the songs from this book.

Perhaps under another name?

John

Subject: RE: Lyr. Req. Duncan And Brady
From: masato sakurai
Date: 19 Jul 03 - 09:53 AM

"Duncan and Brady" is in John A. Lomax and Alan Lomax's, Our Singing Country (1941; Dover, 200, pp. 333-35). It's similar to DUNCAN AND BRADY (2) in the DT. The Lomaxes say in the note, "It seems to be a close relative of 'Bad Man Ballad' in American Ballads and Folksongs." That version of "Bad Man Ballad" has been posted HERE.

~Masato

Subject: RE: Lyr. Req. Duncan And Brady
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 19 Jul 03 - 10:15 AM

The Lomax crew published too many books. (Like Mozart used too many notes?) I suspected it might be in one of the other Lomax books, - should have checked the other couple I have, instead of waiting for clarification; but the forward by Kittredge matched the book cited.

Gerard will have to let us know whether "Bad Man Ballad" is the one wanted.(?)

John

Subject: RE: Lyr. Req. Duncan And Brady
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 19 Jul 03 - 10:53 AM

[To Ballad-L, March, 2002]

Brady was a white police officer in St. Louis. Harry Duncan was a
well-known black singer. When a fracas broke out in a downtown
saloon, Brady came running in off the street. Duncan had taken
refuge under/behind a counter, and when Brady leaned over the
counter, Duncan shot him. This, at least, is the official story,
which was accepted by a jury and which resulted in Duncan's being
hung. The unofficial story is that it is suspected that Brady was
actually shot by the owner of the saloon. This happened in the
1890s.

All of this is covered in great detail in the dissertation Tragedy
in Ragtime, by the late John Russell David. Copies can be had from
U Microfilms.

--
john garst

Subject: RE: Lyr. Req. Duncan And Brady
From: Gerard
Date: 19 Jul 03 - 01:06 PM

My mistake in the book, it is "Our Singing Country", not the one I referred to previously. Thank you.