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.
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.
Too bad you guys bailed on this blog. It was great while it lasted.
ReplyDeleteIt'll be back this is more or less a winter time project. Thanks for readin'!
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