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Friday, April 26, 2013

Who's Roscoe Holcomb?

who's Roscoe Holcomb?

let's start with this...
have you ever heard the phrase
"high, lonesome sound"?

Roscoe is the man that was first described
as having it, by John Cohen

Why was it you stopped playing music for a while?

They (Baptists) seemed to think it was wrong. I used
to think it was too. I get disgusted with it yet, cause I try
and try and it don’t seem I’m doing good at it, and get
disgusted and think sometimes I’ll quit anyway. I like it
and I don’t like it; I love to hear it and I love to play
sometimes, but after so long a time I get burned out
with it.
Long as I’m able to work and do, it ain’t so bad – been
used to it all my life. When I can’t do nothing it worries
me and you don’t feel like playing anymore.

read the rest of this interview
with Mr. Holcomb here:

http://oldtimecrossroads.wordpress.com/2010/04/03/roscoe-holcomb-banjo-guitar-vocals-april-1964-interview-part-one/

learn why John Cohen, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton
(and i) think he's amazing here...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roscoe_Holcomb

- 30 -

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

100 Essential Folk Songs

... now here's a more-interesting-than-many kind of a list...
at least for someone like me who often thinks that the
current plague of originality is a a dubious blessing
in zone of roots/folk/global/whatever acoustic music.

It comes from the radio show Folk Alley, their suggestions
of the 100 essential folk songs. Here's the first 50- if you
want to see the rest, head over to their site

How many of these have you heard performed live
in the past year*?

1. This Land is Your Land - Woody Guthrie

   2. Blowin’ in the Wind - Bob Dylan

   3. City of New Orleans - Steve Goodman

   4. If I Had a Hammer - Pete Seeger

   5. Where Have All The Flowers Gone
         - The Kingston Trio

    6. Early Morning Rain - Gordon Lightfoot

   7. Suzanne - Leonard Cohen

   8. We Shall Overcome - Pete Seeger

   9. Four Strong Winds - Ian and Sylvia

10. Last Thing On My Mind - Tom Paxton

11. The Circle Game - Joni Mitchell
12. Tom Dooley - The Kingston Trio (Trad)
13. Both Sides Now - Joni Mitchell
14. Who Knows Where The Time Goes
        - Sandy Denny
15. Goodnight Irene - The Weavers (trad)
16. Universal Soldier - Buffy St Marie
17. Don’t Think Twice - Bob Dylan
18. Diamonds and Rust - Joan Baez
19. Sounds of Silence - Simon & Garfunkel
20. The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
         - Gordon Lightfoot

21. Alice’s Restaurant - Arlo Guthrie
22. Turn, Turn, Turn
       - The Byrds (Pete Seeger)
23. Puff The Magic Dragon
        - Peter, Paul and Mary
24. Thirsty Boots - Eric Andersen
25. There But For Fortune - Phil Ochs
26. Across The Great Divide - Kate Wolf
27. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
        - The Band

28. The Dutchman - Steve Goodman
29. Matty Groves
        - Fairport Convention (Trad)

30. Pastures of Plenty - Woody Guthrie
31. Canadian Railroad Trilogy
       - Gordon Lightfoot
32. Ramblin’ Boy - Tom Paxton
33. Hello In There - John Prine
34. The Mary Ellen Carter - Stan Rogers
35. Scarborough Fair
       - Martin Carthy (Trad)
36. Freight Train - Elizabeth Cotton
37. Like a Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan
38. Paradise - John Prine

39. Northwest Passage - Stan Rogers
40. And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda
- Eric Bogle
41. Changes - Phil Ochs
42. Streets of London - Ralph McTell
43. Gentle On My Mind - John Hartford
44. Barbara Allen - Shirley Collins (Trad)

45. Little Boxes - Malvina Reynolds
46. The Water is Wide - Traditional
47. Blue Moon of Kentucky - Bill Monroe
48. No Regrets - Tom Rush
49. Amazing Grace - Odetta (Trad)
50. Catch The Wind - Donovan

* which poses an interesting (to me) question...
if a folk song isn't sung anymore,is it still a folk song?

to be continued....

-30-

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Roscoe Holcomb

who's Roscoe Holcomb?

let's start with this...
have you ever heard the phrase
"high, lonesome sound"?

Roscoe is the man that was first described
as having it, by John Cohen

Why was it you stopped playing music for a while?

They (Baptists) seemed to think it was wrong. I used to think it was too. I get disgusted with it yet, cause I try and try and it don’t seem I’m doing good at it, and get disgusted and think sometimes I’ll quit anyway. I like it and I don’t like it; I love to hear it and I love to play sometimes, but after so long a time I get burned out with it. Long as I’m able to work and do, it ain’t so bad – been used to it all my life. When I can’t do nothing it worries me and you don’t feel like playing anymore.