Frank Proffitt Reese, North Carolina FSA-1

This review has been sitting in the "blog hopper" for a while now waiting to go. I keep adding a sentence here and there...but I suppose it's time I press the publish button...

Since discovering Frank Proffitt (June 1, 1913 – November 24, 1965) I have always placed him as the spark on the folk boom powder keg. Forget anything you've ever read about Bob Dylan. Proffitt is it. Proffitt is generally sited as the author of the murder ballad "Tom Dooley." The song was passed down to Frank from his grandmother who knew Tom Dula and Laura Foster personally. I've read conflicting information stating both Frank's father and aunt taught him the song. In either instance his grandmother is still the direct lineage. It is credited on the album to "Lomax, Warner, Proffitt."

The Kingston Trio recorded "Tom Dooley" in 1958 after learning it from Frank Warner, who learned it from Proffitt in 1938. Warner's version can be heard on the Elektra 10 inch record, American Folk Songs and Ballads (EKLP-3 1952). In a conversation I had with Caroline Paton she mentioned Warner added the famous pause to the song.

Reese, North Carolina was the first record released on the Folk Legacy label. According to Sandy Paton's booklet notes the album was recorded in Proffitt's home in Reese North Carolina sometime in the winter of 1961. The liner notes state the record has been "proudly offered as the first in Folk-Legacy Records' series of authentic field recordings." The "A" in the in catalog number denotes "America" we do see it crop up a few more times on different titles in the catalog before it was phased out.

Reese, North Carolina holds a special place in my collection. It feels organic, authentic, and captures the spirit of the folk tradition. At times the songs come to a jarring halt with Proffitt taking in a very audible breath of air. These are true field recordings. Recorded directly from the source. Not a single hint of polish applied.

My suggested cuts from side one are "Trifling Woman," "Handsome Molly," and "Tom Dooley." Side two kicks off if what I refer to as the "drunkard trilogy," which contains the tracks "Moonshine," "Rye Whiskey," "I'll Never Get Drunk No More." The tracks take the listener through the ups and downs, and finally the bottoming out of alcohol. It's hard to say if these three tracks were sequenced together for this purpose. The album closes with "Going Across the Mountain," which is the epitaph written on Frank's headstone. The song was also performed by Pete Seeger on Dangerous Songs!? (CL 2505/CS 9303 1966). 

A1. Trifling Woman
A2. Cluck Old Hen
A3. Morning Fair
A4. Bonnie James Campbell (Child 210)
A5. Lord Randall (Child 12)
A6. Handsome Molly
A7. Reuben Train
A8. Tom Dooley
A9. I'm Going Back to North Carolina
B1. Moonshine
B2. Rye Whiskey
B3. I'll Never Get Drunk No More
B4. Wild Bill Jones
B5. Gyps of David (Child 200)
B6. Song of a Lost Hunter (Child 68)
B7. Sourwood Mountain
B8. Going Across the Mountain

(In efforts to increase progress to the Folk Legacy Project, label scans and sound clips will be added at a later date.) The CD of this recording is available through Folk-Legacy directly here.

Progress Update #4

Ok friends, so it's been a while since my last post...

In the last month I cobbled together about 58 titles, a little over 50% of the vinyl releases. I have been shooting all the pictures to get good shots of the jackets, labels, inserts, etc. It's all a bit tedious but worth it since the information is not well documented elsewhere on the interwebs. (Believe me I've looked.)

In addition to the basic project will be "Folk Legacy Family" titles. In simple terms, reviews of vinyl albums on other labels by Folk Legacy artists. While combing through the folk section at my favorite local haunt I came across Gordon Bok's debut on Verve Folkways, Howard Bursen & Sally Rogers Satisfied Customers, and two titles Michael Cooney released on other labels. It would be foolish to pass over the chance to review these titles. So look for that to be the direction I steer RV FLP once all the titles are accumulated. 




   

Progress Update #3

Hey fellow folkie friends!

Ok, an update is coming I promise! I haven't picked up any new titles since the last check in, but I've been listening to quite a few records. I'm currently enjoying Howard Bursen's Cider in the Kitchen (#74) at the moment and collecting some back story on him.

On a side note I have been spinning The Art of Field Recording Vol. I and II after discovering it recently. Even though not produced by Folk Legacy I think it is important to mention it here. It does travel parallel to that same familiar dirt road many of the Folk Legacy titles do. The first volume won a Grammy in 2008 for Best Historical Album.

Available directly from the folks that produced it at Dust to Digital here.
      

Progress Update #2

Hey Friends,

I just took delivery of 10 more titles today. Big thanks to Wes in adding fuel to the fire. Hopefully I can squeeze another review in by the end of the week. I've been listening to Michael Cooney's The Cheese Stands Alone (#35) quite a bit lately. More than likely this will be review #3 followed by a Gordon Bok title. I won't give away all the details yet. Talk to you all soon!

Folk Legacy count as of 2/6/2012: 21 of 108. (19% complete)

Norman Kennedy Ballads and Songs of Scotland FSS-34

Norman Kennedy's Ballads and Songs of Scotland was released as FSS-34 in 1968. At this writing Ballads and Songs of Scotland is one of the few, if the only, full length studio LP's recorded by Kennedy. The other I found was Scots Songs and Ballads (Topic Records 12T 178, 1968 UK), which seemed to be credited as a "Folk Legacy Recording" with many, but not all, of the same tracks featured here. Kennedy, who hails from Aberdeen, Scotland, was invited to perform at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. Yes, the same year Bob Dylan became "Electric Bob.” From handbills of the day, Kennedy led a workshop of "British Songs & Singing Styles" on Saturday afternoon from 3:00-4:00pm and performed during the evening concert on July 24th. Dylan plugged in for 15 historical minutes on the evening of Sunday, July 25th. In my mind, Kennedy performed on "the last day of the early 60's." (See also: the last day of the late 60's a.k.a Altamont Speedway Free Festival)

Ok, enough with the dates, let's talk about the record. For me this record was a challenging listen. It is the only record in my collection of traditional Scottish folk music. Keeping that in mind, I found it refreshing, and made me focus on the inflection of the singing even more. Kennedy sings each tune unaccompanied either in Gaelic or with a heavy Scottish accent. At times it sounds like it could be a combination of the two. Unfortunately, I do not have the book insert for this album, so following along with the songs was a difficult at times.

The biggest "take away" from me is a deeper understanding of the Gaelic influence in folk music. Any full album of unaccompanied music could seem tedious, but Norman Kennedy executes this album perfectly. It is hard to emphasize how important rhythm and enunciation is to the root of Gaelic folk without listening to this album. A few tracks have brief spoken word introductions to the songs. "Guise O' Tough" ends with quick story about a special chair used to get rid of unwanted guests where local musicians performed. At the start "Kishmul's Galley," Kennedy explains how the song speeds up during a quick ad lib to Sandy Paton (recording engineer and founder of Folk Legacy). The song is a "waulking" song, which is essentially a work song sung while making tweed.

Norman Kennedy currently resides in Vermont. In 1976 he founded the Marshfield School of Weaving in Marshfield, Vermont. Kennedy still performs occasionally, but his recorded output remains fairly limited. Outside of the album on Folk Legacy, a handful of his tracks have popped up on compilations. The sound clip* presented is from the track "Mouth Music." If you liked what you've heard, the CD of this recording is available through Folk-Legacy directly here.

A1. Night Visiting Song

A2. Sixteen Come Sunday

A3. A Student Boy Ca' Courting Me

A4. A Beggarman Cam' O'er Yon Lea

A5. The Fause Knight Upon the Road

A6. Mouth Music

A7. My Highland Soldier

A8. Johnny, My Man, Dae Ye Nae Think O' Rising

B1. Oh, Hae Ye Heard o' the Merchant's Song?

B2. Coarachree

B3. I'm Forester in the Wood

B4. I'll Lay Ye Down, Love, I'll Treat Ye Decent

B5. There Was a Jolly Beggarman

B6. Kishmul's Galley

B7. Guise O' Tough

B8. Drumdelgie

Normankfss34 by Folklegacyproject

*Note about the sound clip. Each clip is sourced from my vinyl copy of the album and is intended for educational purposes. The sound clip is to put my review in context. No copywrite infringement is intended. Entire songs will not be published, or will be available to download through 3rd party links, so don't bother asking. I respect the owners of this recording; any request to remove the sound clip will be honored.

Richard Chase Jack Tales FSA-6

 

Richard Chase tells three "Jack" tales from the Southern Appalachians was released as FSA-6 in 1962. Chase continues the Appalachian tradition of telling stories handed down from previous generations. "Jack" tales are loosely based on English fairy tales. Jack, who is the same Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk, is expected to perform the same chores as Appalachian children. Each story gives a twist where Jack finds himself in a foolish situation, which leads to the moral of the tale.

The liner notes state Chase (1904-1988) performed each of the tracks for a "live" audience of children in a two room school house somewhere in northeastern Tennessee. On first listen I found the content of these recordings somewhat lacking. The second time I digested it with a firm understanding of the historical aspect of the stories. In the ultra digital age we live in, "Jack" tales remain a testament to simpler times. Chase's delivery of these stories is stunning. His ability to weave local flavor and dialect into these century old tales place him at the top of a genre that he created by being the first published source.

Richard Chase has published several books most noted are Jack Tales and Grandfather Tales, both came back in print in 2003. Available from Amazon here. The sound clip* presented is from the track "Jack and the Robbers." If you liked what you've heard, the CD of this recording is available through Folk-Legacy directly here.

A1. Jack and the Robbers (based on the story "The Bremen Town Musicians")

B1. Jack and the King's Girl

B2. Jack and the Three Sillies

Richard Chase Jack Tales by Folklegacyproject

*Note about the sound clip. Each clip is sourced from my vinyl copy of the album and is intended for educational purposes. The sound clip is to put my review in context. No copywrite infringement is intended. Entire songs will not be published, or will be available to download through 3rd party links, so don't bother asking. I respect the owners of this recording; any request to remove the sound clip will be honored.

Progress Update #1

The project is in motion! No turning back now!

Over the last few days I have compiled a master list of all of the vinyl releases on the Folk Legacy label. Based on my research the last LP was Ed Miller's Boarder Background FSI-115. The previous release, FSI-114 Barton, Para & Paton Twas On A Night Like This was released only on compact disc. There are a few missing releases in the catalog. From what I can tell there are not any releases associated with catalog numbers 81, 89, 102, 108, 111, and 113.

From these figures I believe 108 titles were released on vinyl from 1962-1989. Folk Legacy is still releasing titles (at writing the most current release was on catalog number 140) however; no releases have seen the vinyl treatment.

Folk Legacy count as of 1/22/2012: 11 of 108. (10% complete)