|
|
This Double Album CD combines The Falls of Richmond and Little Rose is Gone. That’s over 70 minutes of great old-time music! I’ve included all the historical notes from both cassettes in one 12-page booklet. Every tune is given historical context in these notes, many with some great stories to go along with them. For example, the tune, Little Rose is Gone,
...was composed by a Civil War soldier named Harmon Carpenter from western Virginia. The story goes that when Harmon went off to fight in the war he left behind the girl he intended to marry, whose name was Rose. While he was gone a band of Jayhawkers murdered Rose. (Jayhawkers were unionist bushwackers who roamed the southern mountains terrorizing families who were known to have Confederate sympathies. As one Jayhawker explained, “when we are travelling through secesh [Confederate] country and we come to the home of some leading secesh, we take his horses and property, burn his house, etc., or, as we say, clean them out”). When Harmon Carpenter returned home and found that Rose had been killed, he took up his fiddle and composed this mournful tune.
New tunes and stories straight out of the archives and campfires of the Civil War. I’m back once again on Hammered Dulcimer, Bruce Greene returns with his uneaqualled fiddle playing, Sheila contributes her smooth, clean, drop-thumb banjo, and Carl Jones adds his creative, sensitive, accomplished guitar accompaniment.
“A rare treat for lovers of string band music and a treasure trove for students of the War Between the States”—Neal Hellman
Old 1812; Wagoner; Hog Eyed Man; Old Liza Jane / Buffalo Gals; Colonel Crockett / Jenny on the Railroad; Getting Out of the War of the Federals / Run, Rebel, Run / Gunboat; Stacked Them Up In Piles / Abe’s Retreat / Who’s Been Here Since I’ve Been Gone; Rickett’s Horpipe / Fisher’s Hornpipe; Scott’s Return; Old Virginia / Granny Will Your Dog Bite (two versions); Old Dan Tucker / Step to the Music, Johnny; Speed the Plough / Grey Eagle / Speed the Plow / The Devil’s Dream; The 22nd of February
Songs from the Civil War era abound, but mostly what we hear these days are old stand-bys like Dixie and Battle Hymn of the Republic. But, there exists a whole other body of songs from that period that have been languishing in folklorist’s notebooks and forgotten library shelves. Songs like: Paddy’s Lamentation, about an Irish immigrant who gets drafted as he’s getting off the boat and reluctantly goes on to fight with the famed Irish Brigade; the haunting Battle of Pea Ridge as told by a Confederate soldier in the aftermath of a bitter defeat; The Bright Sunny South paints the picture of a young man leaving his family to fight for his new country “…ere the days of my boyhood I scarcely had spent;” and an early war song of Southern defiance, The Red, White, and Red, celebrating the colors of the first National Flag and early Southern victories. There are more, of course, and some fine period instrumental pieces to round things out. Historical notes included.
Battle of Pea Ridge; Going Across the Mountain; Lakes of Sligo; Bright Sunny South; General Lee; Shiloh’s Hill; Coronation; Cumberland Gap; Paddy’s Lamentation; Jefferson & Liberty/Mrs. McLeod’s Reel; Red, White, & Red; Battle of Antietam
A sequel to The Bright Sunny South, this is my second collection of great old songs that have been culled from collectors and archives. Some of my favorites include The Last Fierce Charge, a ballad about two Confederate comrades in arms just before they make their final charge together at Gettysburg. You’ll also hear the defiant postwar anthem of the South, The Rebel Soldier, and a wonderful description of The Battle of Stones River from the viewpoint of the common Federal soldier. Booth Shot Lincoln is a rare ballad from western North Carolina describing the events surrounding the President’s asassination. I’ve also included a couple of better known selections like The Yellow Rose of Texas, the favorite marching song of Southern troops from the Lone Star State; and Home Sweet Home,THE favorite song of soldiers on both sides. Extensive descriptive notes are included.
The Rebel Soldier, Home Sweet Home, Yellow Rose of Texas, The Battle of Stones River, Brave Tennessee Boys, Poor Soldier, Come All Ye Southern Soldiers, The Last Fierce Charge, Wonderous Love, Booth Shot Lincoln, Running Rhymes (air—Dixie)
The same band from The Falls of Richmond plays more favorite music from the Civil War era:
Little Rose is Gone / Billy in the Lowground; Bragg’s Retreat / Leather Britches; Last of Sizemore; Money Musk #1 / Money Musk #2; Soldier’s Joy; Natchez Under the Hill #1  / Turkey in the Straw; Hell Broke Loose In Georgia; John Brown’s March / John Brown’s Dream; Republican Spirit / Mississippi Sawyer; Rickett’s Hornpipe / Fisher’s Hornpipe; Quince Dillon’s High D / Richmond Blues; Seneca Square Dance; Boneparte’s Retreat/ Boneparte’s Charge/ Boneparte’s March
(Cassette only)
In the middle of the 1800s, if you wanted to hear music, you pretty much had to play it yourself. The Civil War armies brought together musicians from all over the country and when they needed entertainment, they took out their fiddles and banjos and let loose. The tunes I pulled together for this recording is the music that they actually played. I wanted to recreate the experience of what it was like as these men played for dances or just for the fun of it. And, this music is fun. In addition to my hammered dulcimer, famed old-time fiddler Bruce Greene lends his considerable talents. Sheila Kay Adams adds her driving clawhammer banjo, and Tom Draughon rounds out the band with his fine guitar work. Also making guest appearances are Pat Sky on Irish pipes and Tim Abell on concertina.
Booth Shot Lincoln/I’ll Learn You How To Rock Andy; Three Forks of Hell/Arkansas Traveler/Pop Goes the Weasel; Camp Chase; Sally Goodin; The Rebel Raid /Abe’s Retreat; They Swung John Brown to a Sour Apple Tree; Dixie/Come Dance and Sing; McClanahan’s March; St. Patrick’s Day in the Morning / Gary Owen / Haste to the Wedding; Stony Point; The Falls of Richmond; There is a Fountain