Home Roots Music Safari Americana Archive by category "Folk"

Category: Folk

New Folk Music from Old Friends

So over the last few years, I’ve drifted away from my musical roots. Between the 1975 and 2014 I listened to primarily music that falls broadly under the umbrella of Americana. I listened to Folk, Blues, bluegrass and Texas music. After about 2014, my musical listening shifted and I found myself listening to more Jazz and New Age with some Prog Rock thrown in the mix. It seemed every time I looked at the Roots Music Report Chart or New Releases Now, I never saw music from the Americana artists I listened to. The only Americana I continued to listen to regularly was Blues.
However, today’s Roots Music Folk Chart contained new albums from some of my favorites! So let’s what new Americana music I can put into my music rotation. Read More

Ballad of William Worthy – Phil Ochs

“Ballad of William Worthy” – A Glimpse at the 60s

So last weekend, we went to the Antique Emporium in Burlington NJ and I browsed through some of the vinyl albums they had for sale. I ended up buying two albums. One was the album =&0=& from Savoy Brown. The other was =&1=&from Phil Ochs. Of the two albums I am way more familiar with the Phil Ochs album.

I discovered Phil’s music several years after the release of All the News… Through the years have heard most of the songs on the album,  it  ever owned it. Phil from the beginning wrote topical songs better than anyone else! So if you want to study the 60s listen to the songs of Phil Ochs.

“ Ballad of William Worthy” is one of those songs.
Here’s some background about William Worthy….

From Wikipedia…

=&2=& (July 7, 1921 – May 4, 2014) was an African-American journalist, civil rights activist, and dissident who pressed his right to travel regardless of U.S. State Department regulations.

About William Worthy’s Travels and Troubles Read More

A New Idea leads to Stevie Ray and Bill Morrissey

In Step - Stevie Ray Vaughan

You know what they say- out of site out of mind. Over the last week or so I do believe they may be right.

Recently, I decided to take the CDs I like out of storage and put them on shelves in my room. Yes I know I can play them all on my iPod or I can stream them on Spotify, but there is something about seeing and holding an album or CD that feels good and right.

I have a five disc CD player and over the last month  I have been randomly picking five CDs putting them in the changer and listening to them. And I’ve enjoyed a lot of music I haven’t heard for a while.

Right now I have around nine or ten shelves with CDs on them. So today I decided to randomly generate a number from one to ten using an on-line random number generator. I then picked an album off of the corresponding shelf. I did that twice and then had the two albums playing while I read and did some other stuff.

The two albums were Stevie Ray Vaughan’s 1989 release =&0=&and =&1=&When that album  was released in 2001 it was Bill’s first album of new songs in five years. I haven’t listened to either album in long long time, particularly the Stevie Ray album!
=&2=&

Doc Watson – Elementary Dr. Watson – Day 12 Folk Music Challenge

Elementary Doctor Watson spinning on my turntable!

Doc Watson is one of the roots of my Folk Music library. The other night, I listened to one of my favorite Doc Watson albums, =&0=&Doc was an important part of the Folk Music revival  of the 60s. From Wikipedia:

Biographical Information

Arthel Lane “Doc” Watson (March 3, 1923 – May 29, 2012) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and singer of country,and gospel music. Watson won seven Grammyawards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Watson’s fingerstyle and flatpicking skills, as well as his knowledge of traditional American music, were highly regarded.

Blind from a young age, he performed with his son, guitarist Merle Watson, for over 15 years until Merle’s death in 1985 in an accident on the family farm.

I forget which I bought first The Essential Doc Watson or  Elementary Doctor =&1=&. It appears that The Essential Doc Watson was released in 1973,  =&2=& was released in 1972. =&3=&was a collection of his recording on the Vanguard label. And =&4=&was his first recording on the Poppy label. And after almost 50 years I don’t think it matters which one I bought first!

Elementary Doctor Watson spinning on my turntable!
Elementary Doctor Watson

Through the years, =&4=&has always been a go to album when I’m feeling a little down. Somehow hearing Doc singing “Going Down the Road Feeling Bad”,which is the opening track of the album, makes me feel better. Then comes a nice cover of Tom Payton’s “The Last Thing on My Mind” and I’m feeling better! Finally I’m ready to do the ”Freight Train Boogie”. And I’m ready to listen to the rest of the album with a smile on my face!

The bottom line is Elementary Doctor Watson is a terrific album. Through the years I have never lost the awe I have whenever I watch Doc play the guitar. I never could manage to play it at all and he does it blind! Simply amazing!!

Two of my other favorite Doc Watson albums are guitar albums with Doc and Merle, Lonesome Road (1977) and Doc and Merle Watson’s Guitar Album. (1983). Note to Self listen to both albums! Read More

John Gorka – Land of the Bottom Line – Day 11 Folk Challenge

John Gorka - Land of the Bottom Line

I often divide my folk music collection into Roots, Branches and Leaves. The roots are artists who I listened to in the 560s and 70s. The branches are folks I discovered in the 80s through 2010. Finally, the leaves are musicians I have discovered since 2010, when I started to write about music. Today I listened to the music from one of those branches,  John Gorka. Read More

Ellis Paul – Day 10 of the Folk Music Challenge – Happy Birthday Ellis!

Ellis Paul - The Day After Everything Changed

So last night and this morning I was thinking about what folk musician I was going to listen to today. After thinking that finding the album The Speed of Trees, was an omen. I had pretty much decided I was going to listen to Ellis Paul.

That decision was doubly confirmed, when I received a Facebook notification this morning that today was Ellis’ birthday!

So this morning I cued up and listen to =&0=& the first Ellis Paul album I bought. The album was released in 1998, but I probably picked it up a year or so later. While I liked all of the album it was the title track which really made me a fan.

Here’s some biographical material from Wikipedia…

Ellis Paul (born Paul Plissey; January 14, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter and folk musician. Born in Presque Isle, Aroostook County, Maine, Paul is a key figure in what has become known as the Boston school of songwriting, a literate, provocative, and urbanely romantic folk-pop style that helped ignite the folk revival of the 1990s. His pop music songs have appeared in movies and on television, bridging the gap between the modern folk sound and the populist traditions of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. Read More Read More

Greg Trooper – Day 9 – 30-Day Folk Challenge on his Birthday!

Greg Trooper - Straight Down Rain Day 9 - Folk Music Challenge

Today January 13,2021 would have been singer-songwriter Greg Trooper’s 64th birthday. Unfortunately for the music world he died two days after his 61st birthday in 2017. The cause of the death was pancreatic cancer.

Greg Troop was a fellow New Jerseyian. He was born on January 13 in 1956 iin Neptune Township, New Jersey. He was raised in nearby Little Silver.

I  started today listening Straight Down Rain, which found it’s way into my music collection around 1999. I remember I found the album in the discount bin at Tunes,  which was our go to CD store at the time.

His prior release Popular Demons which had been released  in 1998, quickly was added to my music library. Popular Demons had been released on Koch Records and was produced by Buddy Miller.

All total Greg Trooper released thirteen albums. Three of those albums were live albums.

After I listened  to =&0=&for the first time in a long time, I listened to songs from several of Trooper’s other albums.  Of Trooper’s thirteen albums here are the five that are in my music library….

=&1=&
=&2=&
=&3=&
=&4=&

Here’s a Baker’s Dozen Greg Trooper Playlist

Final Thoughts

So far this 30-day challenge has been  very rewarding. personally. It has given me an opportunity to listen to many albums that I haven’t heard for too long a time! In addition, I have a renewed interest in searching out new Americana, and Folk music.

Likewise, because I was looking for old vinyl albums I have organized those albums by genre, so now I know where all my folk albums can be located, as well as, my jazz and rock albums! so maybe there’s a 30-day classic rock and jazz challenge in the future. Stay Tuned!

Links for Future Explorations of the Music of Greg Trooper

Artist’s Website Read More

Tony Rice -R.I.P. Day 7 of Folk Music Challenge

On Christmas Day last month the Bluegrass world lost a true legend, when Tony Rice passed away. Rice is arguably the best bluegrass guitarist ever!

I confess that through the 70s and 80s I knew who he was , but never listened much to the groups in which he was a member. Progressive bluegrass groups like J D Crowe and the New South and the David Grisman Quintet.

EK Finds Cold on the Shoulder amongst his Vinyl….

I probably became aware of Tony and his fantastic guitar in the mid to late 80s. Most likely it was through Gene Shay’s folk radio show here in Philly. Anyway, I bought two of his solo albums =&0=&and =&1=&at a used record store at the now defunct Pennsauken Mart.

Cold on the Shoulder - Tony Rice

 

I found those two records the other day, when I started to organize my vinyl collection by genre. I am counting listening to =&2=&as day seven of my 30-day Folk Music Challenge.

Needless to say, it sounded great. It is also just a coincidence that it has the same title song as day ones pick.

While reading the back of the album, I discovered  this was the first album Tony recorded consisting of all vocal tracks. While there are no all instrumental tracks on the album, Rice picked songs that allowed space for individual solos.

The  space for solos is filled with a group of outstanding musicians. If I didn’t know who Tony Rice was i would  have bought this album just on the people who play on it.

An Amazing Supporting Cast 

The supporting cast includes:

Vassar Clement – fiddle
Jerry Douglas – dobro
Todd Phillips -bass
Sam Bush – mandolin
Bobby Hicks – fiddle
Larry Rice – mandolin
J D Crowe – banjo
Kate Wolf – harmony vocals
Bela Fleck – banjo

What a fantastic line-up of musicians! And several times while I was listening to this album I stopped what I was doing and said. “Wow”.

Tony Rice in Rice, Rice Hillman and Pederson

Rice, Rice, Hillman and Pederson 

My next contact with Tony Rice’s music was when he became part of the group – Rice,Rice, Hillman and Pederaon. I added their album =&3=&to my music library. The group consisted of: Tony, his brother Larry, Chris Hillman from The Byrds, Manassas, and the Flying Burrito Brothers, and Herb Pederson. The group only released three albums and I need to check out the other two!

The bottom line is that Tony Rice was a great talent and his passing is a great loss for the folk and bluegrass community.

If you’ve never listened to Tony’s music do it. As for me I want to check out some of his earlier solo albums, along with the J.D. Crowe and David Grisman albums!!

Links for Further Explorations

Wikipedia
NPR: Tony Rice Was My Guitar Hero

Rolling Stone: Was Bluegrass Music’s Great Experimentalist Read More