HI L L I NO IUNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

PRODUCTION NOTE

University of Illinois atUrbana-Champaign Library

Large-scale Digitization Project, 2007.

FIRST TWO CONCERTS ANNOUNCED: BLUE SKY BOYS AND SEAMUS ENNIS TO PERFORM HERE

The Campus Folksong Club has announced the first two concerts in its1964-1965 program of traditional music presentations.

The initial public concert, to be held October 17, 8 p.m., Lincoln HallTheater, will feature the famous Blue Sky Boys of North Carolina in their firstcollege engagement, and one of their few professional appearances since thegroup quit playing country music back in 1950.

From 1935 until well after the War the Blue Sky Boys found widespread famein the South with their guitar-and-mandolin duets featuring old-time ballads oftheir native Piedmont country. After the War (in which both of the two brothersserved with distinction) the group disbanded and both Bill and Earl Bolick, asthey are known in private life, went into industrial jobs. Their music, thoughnot out of favor, found increasing competition from the newborn Bluegrass idiomand the hoked-up Nashville variety of Western Swing.

Popular interest in the group revived when Starday Records released a reissueof the Blue Sky Boys two years ago. Northern college people, dazzled by thesweet and intricate harmony of the brothers, began wondering whether they couldbe persuaded to come out of retirement. The wondering paid off when the CampusFolksong Club convinced the Bolicks that they should play a concert at theUniversity of Illinois. If the concert is successful the brothers plan to revivetheir duo and present their music at other universities in the North.

A group's forte is clearly found in their perfectly arranged renditions ofsome of the oldest and some of the newest of the Appalachian ballads. With anunobtrusive guitar and a soft mandolin in the background the team goes througheach number in a difficult but exceedingly sweet harmony that has never beenattained by any other group.

This concert will be a public affair, with tickets on sale at the IlliniUnion box office at $1.50. Members are requested not to miss this very importantevent--the return of two of America's finest traditional singers to the concertstage.

On October 8, 8 p.m., the Campus Folksong Club will present itsfirst membership concert of the semester: a collection of Irishsongs, lore, and the music of the traditional Irish bagpipes--allhandled by Seamus Ennis, star of the 1964 Newport Folk Festivaland a genuine Irishman. Ennis' concert is free to all members ofthe Club; non-members may enroll at the concert.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17thLincoln Hall Theater

8:00 PM

Tickets at Illini Union Boxoffice

$1.50

Notes on a country fiddle...

Don't look now, but there's a good deal of disorganization, ignorance, and--God help us -- lack of taste in the traditional music recording business.

And I don't mean commercialism. No one in the Campus Folksong Club needs tobe told that a fat percentage of the national huckster crowd has tried to exploitthe folk-boom by bastardizing its material and palming off folk-derived songs anddiscs for the sake of a buck. That this has happened is true, of course, but toeven mention it in these pages--much less comment seriously upon it, would con-stitute a classic case of beating a dead horse. Who is not familiar with the evil?Merely to join the Club requires the showing of credentials, and the easiest andquickest way to establish oneself is to give a short tirade on the evils ofcommercialism.

Hucksterism from Nashville, Hollywood, and Madison Avenue is to be taken forgranted. It is also to be taken for granted that such interlopers will betraythemselves first of all by poor taste. But it is also taken for granted, andwrongly so, that those who spurn Mammon will, as a result, be rewarded with InstantGoodtaste. The conclusion to this somewhat creaky syllogism is that if one buysnothing but Folkways albums and the offerings of other even smaller firms one willstay out of the woods and soon develop good taste in traditional music.

Alas, Alas . The decision to thumb one's nose at commercialism does notmagically purify the soul and free it from tastelessness; it merely turns the soulloose to chase other values, any one of which may turn out to be equally false.There is a lot of good music on records today, but the listener interested in find-ing a good disc, solidly packed with first-rate music, will have to do some search-ing. A few good tunes get put on this album; a few on that; the rest of the spaceis filled up with songs of undisputed ancestry--and undistinguished musicalattraction. The records put out by the more kosher companies, those supposedlyon the side of the serious students of folk music, are the biggest sinners in thisrespect. In their desire to be "objective" they turn out discs which, were it notfor their historical and anthropological value, would be worthless as music.Actually, some of the commercial firms have done better when they wanted to; themuch-sneered-at Starday has put some fine anthologies of fiddle and square-dancemusic together, and if the company's taste does not lean toward the archaic, neitherdoes it incline toward the commercial gimmickry we are led to believe dominatesNashville.

But the confusion of the small companies can hardly be ascribed to the turmoilsof economics. These companies are merely following the lead of the academics andthe collectors. Indeed, it is from these latter that they get their material. Theacademics and collectors--despite their obvious value to the whole field--oftendisplay abominable musical taste for the simple reason that they are using therecordings not as sources of musical enjoyment, but as tools for studying history,culture, or sociology. None of these motives is bad, of course; but none of themis very musical either. And if you're like me (poverty-stricken) you tend to bemighty tight with your record-buying dollar, spending it not for sociologicaldocuments and historical treatises on wax--but for records of music that you canlisten to with pleasure and even joy. This is why, after eight years of listeningto music seriously I own a grand total of thirty records.

Having established myself as a mean man with a dollar, I can now proceed torecommend the following disc with the full assurance that it will not be a wasteof anyone's money, and that its value is musical--not sociological or historical:

County 501/A COLLECTION OF MOUNTAIN FIDDLE MUSIC/ORIGINAL RECORDINGS BY GREATOLD-TIME BANDS

Due to the title's length, the disc will hereinafter be referred to simplyas "County 501." Incidentally, I do not know if this means that there are alreadyfour other discs out on the "County" label; small record companies with dreams ofglory often number their records rather puffishly--like those small switchingrailroads that own two locomotives and a caboose and then finally break down andorder a boxcar, which they immediately number "100008."

Whatever the case--first record or fifth--County 501 deserves a good deal ofpraise. It is, in my opinion, one of the few collections of mountain string bandmusic which sounds as if its compilers had any musical sense. Certainly therecord is a valuable document of a past period. But more important is its pre-sentation of what can only be called good, interesting, exciting, and infectiousmusic. I regret only that I cannot praise the compilers by name; the syndicatewhich produced the disc must remain underground, for the record is a bootlegedition, i.e., the original 78 rpm masters from which such a collection would betaped have never been released by the original recording companies holding thecopyrights, and the disc was, of necessity, recorded straight off of discs salvagedfrom junk shops and collectors. Such niggling on the part of the record companiesis, of course, a thing to be damned at all times and in all places. The big boyshold the tickets to many a great old fiddler and banjo picker, and they continueto hold them and withhold reissues, even though it is to no one's benefit to do so.How many arguments and disputes have raged among undergraduates simply becausethey had not yet had the opportunity to hear enough of this old-timey music to makeartistic decision about it? Well, a murrain and a pox on the record companies, whoinsult us and injure us with a two-edged sword: they hold back on the authenticmusic locked in their vaults, then turn around and flood the market with commercial-ized junk. Bad cess to the lot of them.

And to the editors of County 501: Congratulations on a fine achievement. Mayyour records sell by the gross and their music fill the land and the profits fillyour pockets, and may you yourself roll in money like pigs in clover for the restof your days. (You see, gentle reader, I do not spurn Mammon wholesale; I justwant him used with discretion--in this case to reward a valiant artistic act.)

Below is a list of the selections on the disc, including the number and labelof the original 78 rpm record and the recording date, if such was obtainable (weare indebted to the indefatigable Preston Martin for digging up all this arcana).Afficionados of old-timey music will immediately recognize many of the names of thegroups.

Little Rabbit by Crockett Mountaineers, Varsity 5049, middle 1930's.

Old Molly Hare by Riley Puckett and Clayton McMichen, Columbia 15295-D, April 1928.

Billy in the Low Ground by Burnett and Rutherford, Columbia 15209-D, November 3, 1927,

Johnson City Rag by the Roane County Ramblers, Columbia 15498-D, October 1929.

Shootin' Creek by Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers, Columbia 15286-D,July 23, 1928.

Ragtime Annie by Solomon and Hughes, Victor h0244 (released), May 1930.

Darneo by the Blue Ridge Highballers, Columbia 15132-D, March 23, 1926.

Greenback Dollar by the Weems String Band, Columbia 15300-D, December 9, 1927.

Sally Johnson by Lowe Stokes and Riley Puckett, Columbia 15620-D, April 12, 1930.

Forked Deer by Taylor's Kentucky Boys, Gennet 6130 (released), July 1927.

Wednesday Night Waltz by the Leake County Revelers, Columbia 15189-D, April 1927.

Cluck Old Hen by the Hillbillies, Vocalion 5179, May 1927.

Now let us get to work and analyze, disposing, first of all, of the fewclinkers that sneaked into the basket. It is difficult to explain the presenceof Solomon and Hughes doing Ragtime Annie on this disc. A serious rhythm problemcripples the beginning of the selection (the fiddle and guitar cannot seem to gettogether), and by the time the beat is resolved, the ensuing sounds remind me ofsomeone stepping on a cat's tail and wringing a wet dishrag into its eyes at thesame time. Ragtime Annie, ordinarily a jumpy and slightly raunchy-sounding dancenumber, is a good fiddler's show-off piece when played properly; played improperlyit sounds awful. To rectify matters, get hold of Starday's SLP 182 (Opry OldTimers) where Gerry Rivers joins the Crook Brothers to show what this number cansound like when played by old-time musicians who really treasure their professionalexperience.

Two more numbers that are hard to account for are Shootin' Creek by the vauntedNorth Carolina Ramblers and Sally Johnson, done by Lowe Stokes on the fiddle withRiley Pucketton the guitar. These numbers are not bad in the way Ragtime Anniewas bad, but they are rather undistinguished and do not represent the best work ofwhich these groups are capable. In the case of Shootin' Creek we have the ironicsituation of a good, tune's being kicked out by a tune of less noble birth. Beforethe opening of Shootin' Creek proper there is a short introductory passage featuringanother, unnamed tune, better played and more interestingly arranged than thealleged piece de resistance. As you probably guessed, Shootin' Creek is actuallythe tune we all know as Cripple Creek, but it is handled in a manner shabbier thanthat to which we are accustomed. Compare with the Philo Glee and Mandolin Society'sversion (CFC 101) or with any other recording you have. Sally Johnson is done bytwo members of Gid Tanner's Skillet-Lickers, who certainly produced a lot of goodmusic in their time, but this selection is not up to standard. It is actuallySally Goodin, and almost any back-porch fiddler in Southern Illinois can play itbetter than Lowe Stokes did on this band.

Darneo, played by the Blue Ridge Highballers, is simply another Sally who gother name changed, in this case, Sally Ann. To hear it as it should sound listento Clarence Ashley's boys do it on Old Time Music at Clarence Ashley's (Folkways)or on the recording of the old time fiddler's convention at Union Grove, NorthCarolina, where two different bands used this tune.

Aside from these perfectly forgivable lapses we have a pretty spectaculargroup of string bands. A study of the following selections can tell us quite alot about the string-band aesthetic:

Little Rabbit, done by the Crockett Mountaineers, is an old-fashioned dazzler,with its brisk dancing pace, near flawless fiddle work, and the taste with whichthe instruments are balanced. The introduction of the Jew's Harp at criticalmoments (and its consequent withdrawal when one begins to tire of it) indicates aserious concern for the listener on the part of the musicians. The unknownfiddler explores several possibilities of bow working, including something veryclose to a figure-8 elbow bounce and a long, sweeping draught of horsehair acrossthe A- and E-strings simultaneously in the middle of the piece. The tune isessentially the same as that of John Brown, as done by Hobart Smith on the AtlanticSouthern Folk Heritage Series. The Crockett Mountaineers, however, explore moreof the number's potential than Hobart did, and they use accompaniment to bringabout a more subdued and gentle set of feelings, as opposed to Hobe's wide-openstyle.

Old Molly Hare is a shining example of what the Skillet-Lickers could do whenthey really wanted to. Vibrance, vitality, and a light but fast dancing rhythm,distinguish this piece on first listening, and upon subsequent study the listenerwill discover some magnificent bowing and fingering by Clayton McMichen and themarvelous guitar runs which made Rily Puckett's name a household word wherevercountry musicians gathered. Despite the frenetic pace of the music and the enormousdemands made upon the fifth finger, the fiddle never loses rhythm or pitch, andeven finds time to play a few tricks by jiggling the bow and double-stopping inthe old-timey fancy style.

I cannot decide if Burnett and Rutherford's Billy in the Low Ground should bein this august group or in the clinker category above; actually, it's quite goodfor rhythm (flawless) and vitality, but I have hesitated to give it full creditbecause it does not include the high, minor-key portion which I have becomeaccustomed to in listening to Stelle Elam of Brownstown, Illinoiswho does thisnumber as well as anyone I've ever heard. The minor is not essential, I suppose,but it does add a good deal of interest. In listening to this one, try to makeup for the loss of the minor by concentrating on the fine banjo accompaniment.

Johnson City Rag comes highly recommended; it is a wild and woolly piece, asone expects a rag to be, with James McCarroll tearing up the fiddle and assortedRoane County Ramblers furnishing a dance rhythm which is practically irresistableto anyone not paralyzed from the waist down. Though devoid of subtle highlightsthis tune achives success by appealing to the human instinct for jumping, stomping,and whooping in rhythm. The band lasts long enough so that it can be used fordancing, as are all the tunes of this disc.

Greenback Dollar is just the opposit of the rag--a slower, more introspectivenumber, suitable for slower dancing and for wistful contemplation. The use ofguitar base runs and a ringing banjo which imitates the fiddle note-for-note makethis a strange, compelling piece of music, made more so by the fact that it isplayed by a masochistic fiddler with a lust for working in the key of B. Thedescending scales are a triumph for the whole Weems String Band, which successfullycommunicated the mingled joy and sadness inherent in this tune. On the whole,thispiece is comparable to Clarence Ashley's Coo-coo Bird for its ability to unitethe two poles of feeling which constitute the essence of the Appalachian musicalaesthetic.

Forked Deer is a hornpipe, a statement which leaves almost nothing to be said,except that Taylor's Kentucky Boys successfully milk this number for all the wildand bouncy hornpipe spirit which has delighted so many generations of Anglo-Celticdancers. The runs on the E string are particularly delightful; again, as in thecase of Johnson City Rag, see how long you can listen to this one and still stayseated.

Wednesday Night Waltz, despite its slow tempo, proves the talents of FiddlerWill Gillmer, who plays this one steadily and with feeling, with nary a trace ofthe squeaking which so often intrudes when the mountain fiddler attempts slow-paced bowing. You can dance to this one and enjoy it.

Cluck Old Hen is not only a wild and raunchy fiddle tune; it is fully com-plemented by the instruments backing it up, including a ukelele I Don't laugh.The Hillbillies (the first band ever to use that word in its name) were dis-tinguished above all by their never-failing good taste and by the zesty virousityof their fiddler, Elvis Alderman. See if this number isn't a perfect example ofboth. Again, see if you can keep your feet still when you listen to it.

There you have it: good taste and fancy fiddling, interspersed with momentsof awesome and strange beauty. There is no finer introduction to the beauties ofAppalachian string band music. All these collections may have great value toanthropologists and historians, but sooner or later American traditional music willhave to sink or swim as music--nothing else; this stuff swims.

If this sort of thing is to your taste, contact Jont Allen (if you live inChampaign-Urbana) and get a copy of this disc. Those living out-of-state maywrite to Disc Collector, P.O. Box 169, Cheswold, Delaware, for a copy.

--F. K. Plous, Jr.

- -

AMERICO PAREDES

by Spurgeon W. Baldwin

Dr. Baldwin, assistant professor of Spanish and Italian at the University ofIllinois, is like Professor John Black, who reviewed the A. L. Lloyd concert lastspring, a man who mixes work with pleasure. He has performed on-stage for ourClub (in company with Larry Crowley) and works as advisor to the Spanish Club. Hereceived his degree from the University of North Carolina, where he pursued medievalstudies, a subject in which he still finds pleasure as well as acadmic gratifi-cation. His interest in Spanish-American culture provides the same mixture ofacademia and entertainment, as is evident in his appreciation of Americo Paredesand the concert he performed here in the spring.

Americo Paredes brought the strident tenor and raucous guitar of the Mexicanborder to Gregory Hall on May 16; the rich history of the Spanish folksong mustaccept only the English tradition as a rival (the two certainly stand alone, faroutdistancing their rivals in other European cultures), and the appearance ofMr. Paredes marked an important milestone for the Campus Folksong Club.

He is unmistakeably border Mexican, Texan, and educated American all at thesame time. The delightful melodic quality of the language of northern Mexico iscombined with a homey Texas drawl, imparting to him an air of unpretense whichbelies his rank as a leading authority on the Mexican "corrido." The blend oftrue folksinger with accomplished folklorist makes him truly unique among ourguests, and we would have been hard pressed to find someone to give us a betterintroduction to an important area of the world's folk music.

While the poetically simple ballad became the folksong in the English tradition,and the Mexican "corrido" is a ballad, the most popular form of the folksong inMexico (and in Latin America generally) is the ten-line stanza called the "decima,"a poetic form whose considerable intricacy is a little incongruous in folk art(a rough parallel would be the use of the sonnet as the poetic form of the Englishfolksong); Mr. Paredes presented several "decimas." The length of the stanza goeshand in hand with the characteristic use of the guitar in the Spanish tradition.In an example of the "decima" called "cubanitas," we heard an instrumental intro-duction of some length; the words of the song proper were punctuated by the guitarwith an effect not unlike that of a chorus, the instrument serving to underline indramatic fashion the words of the song, with a total effect similar to that of ourblues guitar, emerging from the musical background to make its comments on the textof the song.

The U.S.-Mexican border "corrido" resembles in some ways the ballad of theEnglish-Scottish border, and likewise is given life by nationalistic forces. TheRobin Hood of the Mexican border ballad, Pancho Villa, led all his adversaries amerry chase, and professional competition at a more humdrum level between the cow-boy and the "vaquero" is abundantly evident; obviously the "vaquero" always won,and this is how we heard it in the "Corrido de Kansas."

The border situation naturally gave rise to bilingual songs, mostly comicalones. One such song served the particular purpose of securing a full cup froma negligent host (who had extended the invitation in the first place with theprovision that the musician sing for his supper). Mr. Paredes managed to communi-cate a feeling of hunger and thirst, singing the song as I imagined it could besung only by someone who had actually suffered the necessity of having to reminda host of his promiss. I mean that the song seemed authentic to me, and everythingour guest did for us had an unmistakeable ring of authenticity, demonstrating forus once again the love of the true folk musician for his art--an emotion whichmust be translated into "respect for material" for all of us who are not authenticfolk musicians. This love extended the performances of both evenings to well pastmidnight, the warm reception of the audience easily surpassed by the generosity ofthe performer. Under such circumstances I come closest to respecting the material,despairing of ever doing justice to any folksong. (I am most discouraged alongthese lines when I hear Doris Mayfield sing something like "The Letter Edged inBlack;" "popular" folksingers would either croon that song or drive through itlike a freight train: I wouldn't dare try to sing it.)

Nowhere did Mr. Paredes show that he is a true folksinger more than in thechildren's songs with which he ended his program. One of my most beautifulmemories is of sitting within ten feet of John Jacob Niles as he devoted at leasthalf of a three hour program to children's songs, to my great surprise (a realartistic experience always involves surprise). I felt much the same as I listenedto our guest sing about the owls, songs perfectly suited for children; suited insubject, suited in words through much repetition, suited in music through thenarrow range and simplicity of the melodies. I'm tempted to say that performingfor children is the real test for a singer; they know in a minute whether or notyou love the song, and will not accept a self-conscious, fake performance.Americo Paredes need not be afraid of an audience of children.

The Spring 1964 concert by Dr. Americo Paredes was the second in a series ofClub concerts by academic folklorists. (1963 saw Dr. Roger Abrahams, Universityof Texas, as our guest for a concert-lecture weekend.) The Club plans a similarevent for Spring 1965.

Students who wish to pursue reading in the area of the Mexican-United Statesborder corrido may consult the following sources by Americo Paredes:

"The Ancestry of Mexico's Corridos: A Matter of Definitions." Journal ofAmerican Folklore, Vol. 76 (July, 1963), 231-235.

"The Mexican Corrido: Its Rise and Fall." Publications of the Texas FolkloreSociety, Vol. 28 (1958), 91-105.

With His Pistol In His Hand: A Border Ballad and Its Hero. Austin: Universityof Texas Press, 1958.

Edward Larocque Tinker and Americo Paredes. Corridos and Calaveras. Austin:University of Texas Press, 1961.

The above books and articles, in turn, will lead to further crrido reading inbooks by Vicente T. Mendoza, Mexico City, and Merle E. Simmons, Indiana University.

(record order form) Date

Campus Folksong Club286 Illini Union, Urbana, Illinois

I enclose $ __ for CFC 301 at (check one) member's price, $3.50

otherts, $.00O

Name

Address

BOOKS AND RECORDS

that you should know... Preston K. Martin

ODDS, ENDS, AUID MORE REISSUES

During the 1920's and 1930's, many record companies produced a large numberof 78 's featuring Southern string band music. These were two, three, four or morepiece groups bearing funny, odd, and occasionally unbelievable names. Since theseold records are no longer available even in junk or antique shops (unless one makesa lucky find), this music has been lost for the present. There are a few diligentpeople who have collected a large number of these old hillbilly discs, but themajority of people who love this music have little access to it. Now, the recordcompanies still have the original masters of these old records locked away intheir deepest vaults, and at the present time very little of the music has seenthe light of day in form of LP reissues. The companies have reissued a few of thebest known--old groups to some extent, but appear to be unwilling to gamble on thegenerally unknown groups. I was informed recently, via the grapevine, that aCharlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers, and a Poole and Gid Tanner combinatio.will be coming out in the future, but don't hold your breath. Because of generalapathy on the part of the big companies, private individuals and small companieshave, to some extent, taken matters into their own hands and issued LP's of earlystring bands without permission of the company owning the rights to the 78's. TheFolksong Society of Minnesota pirated such a record of Gid Tanner and the SkilletLickers in 1962. This album is no longer available due to certain efforts of awell known large record company.

Just recently a new private LP (Mountain Fiddle Music-County 501) of stringband music has been reissued from old 76ts, and this album is the best such privateproduction yet (see Editor Plous' review article elsewhere in this issue). Theone bad feature of this disc is the almost complete lack of notes, but I have beenable to obtain a list of the recording dates and record numbers for each of the12 selections. This data appears in Plous' article.

Harmony HL 7250, Flatt and Scruggs with the Foggy Mountain Boys.

The importance of this group is now known to readers of this section (seeAutoharp, Vol. h, No. h). After breaking away from Monroe's band Flatt andScruggs formed their own band and have become the most successful bluegrass groupin the world. They continued to record for Columbia, and in August, 1960, thisHarmony reissue of ten of their 78's from the 1951-1957 period was released. Thenumbers and pertinent information are as follows. Jimmie Brown, the Newsboy,May 9, 1951, Scruggs (guitar), E. Lilly (mandolin), Chubby Hise (fiddle); RandyLynn Rag, September 1955, P. Warren (fiddle); On My Mind, September 1955;Shuckin' the Corn, January 27, 1957, P. Warren (fiddle); Before I Met You,January 1, 1955, P. Tarren (fiddle); Foggy Mountain Special, May 27, 1954,Chubby Wise (fiddle); Let Those Brown Eyes Smile at Me, July 11, 1957, P. Warren

(fiddle); Earl's Breakdown, October 24, 1951, E. Lilly (mandolin), Howdy Forrester(fiddle); I Won't Be Hanging Around, July 11, 1957, P. 'Tarren (fiddle); Don'tLet Your Deal Go Down, March 24, 1957.

I consider this disc to be a must for collectors since it is the only LPdocumenting the early Flatt and Scruggs group. Besides, the music is great andthe cost low, $1.98 (plus 4% sales tax in Illinois).

Vocalion VL 3702, Bill Monroe Sings Country Songs (April 1964).

This album completes the Monroe cycle as it presents, in part, a samplingof the last 78's he made before the LP era. After leaving Columbia in the early50's Monroe went with Decca, where he has been ever since. Six of the twelve songson this album are from the Decca 78 masters, two are from Bill's first LP withDecca, and the other four are probably experimental stuff that was never released'till now. Contents: I'm on My Way Back Home (78), The Sailor's Plea (78), Whenthe Cactus is in Bloom (76), The Little Girl and the Dreadful Snake (78), PeachPickin' Time in Georgia (exp.), Used to Be (exp.), Out in the Cold World (firstLP), Close By (76), New John Henry Blues (exp.), A Lonesome Road (to travel) (LP),When the Phone Rang (exp.), No One But My Darlin' (78).

The 78 songs and the two LP numbers are good old Bill Monroe bluegrass. Ofthe three so called experimental numbers, two are bluegrass, while Peach Pickin'Time in Georgia has drums and an electric guitar backing up Monroe's voice. For$1.98 this album is a good buy. There is a nice cover with a full length colorpicture of Bill and his mandolin. The worst feature, as usual, is the lack ofnotes of any kind.

Monument MLP 8006, Voice of the People, Jimmie Driftwood (1963).

This album marks Driftwood's debut with the Monument label where artisticfreedom is the key word as is evident from this fine album. This pleasingcollection of 12 new songs all composed by the artist ranges from inspirationfrom the past to profound thought on the situation in our world today, as can berealized from the song titles themselves. What is the Color of the Soul of Man.The Voice of the People. The Lonesome Ape. Standing on the Left Hand Side of God.Battle Hymn of Peace. My Church. Mixed-Up Family. I Remember Her Still.Straighten Out My Laig. (My Mammy's Miss America) My Daddy's Uncle Sam. Equality.My Get Up and Go Just Got Up and Went.

Jimmie once remarked that this was his philosophical album, songs about thingswhich he liked and loved. For the readers who have not had the opportunity tomeet and become acquainted with Jimmie Driftwood this album is the best introductionI can offer.

For the collector who is always looking for the abscure and unusual album Ifeel that the next item will be of definite interest.

Ultra-Sonic LP-52, Sacred Songs of the Virginia Trio, James and Jessie McReynoldswith Larry Roll.

This album consists of 12 gospel songs sung in three parts with guitar andmandolin accompaniment. I'll Fly Away. Got Put a Rainbow in the Cloud. You Goto Your Church I'll Go to Mine. Just a Little Talk with Jesus. Sing Sing Sing.Let Me Travel Alone. Camping in Canaan's. On the Jericho Road. I Like the OldTime Way. I'll Be Listening. When the Redeemed Are Gathering In. I'll MeetYou in the Morning.

The singing by this trio is very smooth and clear. At times, however, thesinging becomes thin and I feel that the group lacks drive. The overall feelingis that of early gospel meeting type singing, simple and sincere. The mandolinplaying is rather unique, and the closest description is that the mandolin isduplicating a bluegrass banjo style as far as tonal pattern is concerned. Sincethe playing speed is not particularly fast, mandolin players should be able topick up this style without too much difficulty. The main objection to this albumis the fact that the record comes without any jacket, just a dust cover. Despitethis fact, it is still well worth the $1.50 purchase price. Copies can be orderedthrough Disc Collector, P.O. Box 169, Cheswold, Delaware.

I would like to mention one book that will be of interest to those who likecowboy songs. This paperback volume was collected and edited by Margaret Larkinand is titled Singing Cowboy, a book of western songs. This 176 page volumecontains words and music for 42 songs, numerous old paintings and etchings.Larkin has included a nice introduction and comments before each song. The songs,of course, range from old cowboy favorites such as I Ride an Old Paint, Get AlongLittle Dogies, and Jesse James to less known songs such as Plantonio, Fair Ladyof the Plains, and Jim the Roper. You can order your copy for $2.95 from OakPublications, 121 West t7th Street, New York 36, New York.

Below is a list of material available from the Campus Folksong Club.

CFC 101 - Philo Glee & Mandoline Society: an LP of old timemusic with mandolin, fiddle, banjo, guitar, andAutoharp

CFC 201 - Green Fields of Illinois: an LP of field recordingsof traditional musicians from central and southernIllinois

CFC 301 - Hell-Bound Train: an LP of traditional cowboy songs

CFC reprint number one: A. Doyle Moore, "The Autoharp: Its Originand Development from a Popular to a FolkInstrument," New York Folklore Quarterly,Vol. 19, 1963

CFC newsletter: "The Autoharp"--six issues a year

CAMPUS FOLKSONG CLUB, ROOM 284, ILLINI UNIONUNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, URBANA, ILLINOIS

LET'S PLAY THE GUITAPR

by Lyle Mayfield

In our first article we discussed buying a guitar, in the second we talkedabout what you can expect from the guitar, and in this one we will begin to dealwith the actual playing of the instrument.

How far you go with your guitar is completely up to you. The possibilitiesof this musical instrument are limitless. It can be a soft background for a folkballad, it can furnish the rythmn for dixie-land, it can be an orchestra withinitself when played in the Atkins style or Flamenco, etc., etc., etc.

Since folk music is the glue that holds most of us together, let's operate onthe assumption that we are going to learn to play in this style. Even here,though, there are many styles and variations to choose from. We will try to showyou ours.

First things first--so, let's tune up.

If you have access to a piano, tuning is reasonably simple. Find the firstE note above middle C. Tune your little E string (1st) to this. Go down the scaleto B and tune your B (2nd) string to this. The third string is tuned to the nextG down the scale, the fourth to the next D, the fifth string to the next A and thesixth and last string to the next E down.

If you do not have a piano or pitch pipe handly start the tuning with theBast E (6th) string. Tighten the string to where it will vibrate freely withouttoo much tension on it. Next place your finger on the fifth fret of the E stringand tune the A (5th) string to it. Now place your finger on the fifth fret of theA string and timune the D (hth) to it. Next place the finger on the fifth fret ofthe D string and tune the G (3rd) to it. Then fret the G string on the Fourthposition and tune the B (2nd) to it. Last, place your finger on the fifth fretof the B string and tune the E (1st) to it. You should be in tune.

Now you need a pick. We recommend a flat pick since this is what we are mostfamiliar with. The medium thickness Nick MIianiloff or Nick Lucas pick is excellentfor a beginner.

With the thumb held straight from the hand, bend the forefinger at the firstjoint until the end of it comes just under the end of the thumb. Place the pickbetween the "print" of the thumb and the "side" of the finger. Do not hold thepick as you would a match. When in proper position, the pick should be betweenthe "print" of your thumb and the side of the first joint of the forefinger.

Place the guitar flat against your body. IWhen playing you should be lookingacross the sound hole, not into it. When reaching for a chord, arch your fingerswell and grasp the neck of the instrument not unlike you would a baseball bat.Don't make the mistake of trying to bring your hand around the finger board andon top of it. Your fingers should reach only far enough to get the chord youneed at the moment. Keep the thumb showing on back of the neck. You'll need itthere for grip.

Now, place your left hand into a chord position, G is a simple one to startwith, and get ready to strum. Start a beat count either in your mind or withyour foot if you prefer. Make it 3/h time, that's the simplest. Count 1, 2, 3,striking the sixth string on the first beat and all six strings on the second andthird beat. UIhen strumming move the "pick" hand as little as possible. Nearlyall the action of the picking should be below the wrist. The wrist must be asrelaxed as possible. Wide swinging motions with your pick hand only serve to useup time between beats and wear out your arm.

Next try a h/h time. Count 1, 2, 3, h. Strike the sixth string on the firstand third beat and all six strings on the second and fourth beat. As you progressto different chords you will find that the "bass beat string" moves around. WithC it is the fifth string you strike--with D7 it alternates between the fourth andfifth...the fourth on beat one, the fifth on beat three.

Practice with one chord for a while. Don't try to move too fast. Playingthe guitar is not something you learn in minutes or hours. After you begin toget the feel of the guitar try another chord---maybe C, followed by D7. Afteryou've mastered these three you will have the "makin's" for a number of simplefolksongs.

For example:

Foggy Mountain Top

G C GIf I was on some Foggy Mountain Top

G D7I'd sail away to the -est

G C GI'd sail all around this whole wide world

G D7 GTo the one I Tove the Eest

From this point on, learning the guitar is mostly up to you. If you havewhat it takes you will learn the chords, develop the beat and begin to find thestyle that suits you best. No two individuals play the guitar alike. A teachershows you the positions in which to place your fingers, how to hold the pick andhow to hold the guitar. You produce the sounds and decide what you like best.

There are some words of advice that were given us by others that we mightpass on to you.

Learn to keep the beat steady. WVithout timing you do not have music.Unsyncopated music is little more than pleasing noise.

Learn the chords...all of them. If a song calls for a minor, learn it.Minors, sixth, sevenths, ninths, diminished and augmented sevenths are no moredifficult to master than majors.

Leave out the fancy runs and "frills" until you know what you're doing withthem. Too many guitarists conflict with, rather than add to, the sound of agroup by "fighting for the lead." Nothing is more distracting to a fiddler,mandolinist or banjo picker than a guitarist who gets so wrapped up in his runsand improvisations he forgets to furnish a good, steady rythmn to follow. Evenif you're performing alone, a steady rythmn behind your voice is better than alot of unnecessary, intricate finger work. A well-played guitar enriches eventhe weakest voice.

Treat your guitar like the fine tuned piece of machinery it is. Keep itaway from moisture. Clean the strings frequently. Wipe them down after eachplaying with a piece of soft cloth. Don't polish the guitar with greasy oils andwaxes. Just keep it clean and dry. Change the strings when they are "dead".While you have the strings off, clean the frets and finger board. Dirt and per-spiration from your fingertips collect behind the frets. This will corrode anddeaden new strings.

In conclusion we would like to point out the three most important requirementsto learning the guitar:

1. A properly tuned, workable guitar.

2. Enough talent and desire to learn.

3. A correct mental attitude and honest appraisal of what to expectfrom the instrument.

Have fun.

(Editor's note)

This concludes Lyle Mayfield's treatise on the guitar and how to play it.Being as we're not in communication with Lyle at this printing (he's moved away toGreenville, Illinois) we have no idea whether he intends to continue his serieswith more detailed instructions for playing some of his fancier specialties. Wehope he will. If any readers are interested in learning more from Lyle (or fromany of the numerous talented instrumentalists in our Club), they can drop a card orletter to Autoharp, care of Campus Folksong Club, Room 28h, Illini Union, Urbana,Illinois. We will then try to assemble the proper advice from either Lyle or oneof our other virtuosi. In the meantime, however, Lyle has left his readers a legacy.Long ago, when he was still operating his own print shop, Lyle used his typographica•equipment to run off some blanks which could be filled in with different guitarchord charts. Wise students of the guitar will find that it is most helpful toremove the charts from Autoharp and stick them up on the wall next to the chair orbed where you sit while practicing. Sorry, we do not at this time have any addition-al copies for the asking, but if demand runs high we will run off another set.

F. K. Plous, Jr.

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A F-T TIPS ON FIELD COLLECTING

by Pat Dunford

There is much more to collecting folk music in the field than just findingan informant, shoving a tape recorder microphone into his face, recording forawhile, and then packing up and leaving. The collector is more likely to get agreater wealth of material if he handles the situation properly.

Although many of the singers and musicians are happy to play and sing for thecollector and need little or no coaxing, some of them, especially the countrypeople, are somewhat suspicious of his intentions. Because of this, it is extremelyimportant to gain the informant's confidence and trust. This is probably mosteasily done first of all by stating your exact purpose in the collecting of themusic. Naturally, you should always be friendly toward the informant and shouldtry to make him feel as comfortable as possible, even more so if he seems a bitnervous. If you plan on tape-recording the music, never take the tape recorderto the informant's house first thing. It is best to talk with him for awhile untilyou get to know each other a little better. If your informant is an instrumental-ist, it is probably wise to ask him to play a few tunes before you ask if he wouldmind being recorded. He not only warms up and will be better later if he o.k.'syour recording, but sometimes musicians are not really sure what type of music youlike, and will be more at ease when they see that you enjoy theirs. With singers,a different approach would probably be better. It would be best not to have thesinger sing a 150 verse ballad and then when he is through and gasping for air askif he'll sing it again so you can record it. Rather, after talking with the singerfor awhile, ask him if he would mind if you tape-recorded a few of his songs.

Coaxing a musician or singer is a task which every collector runs into,usually quite frequently. Fine musicians or singers will insist that they can'tplay or sing or that they are not good at it. There are various ways you canattempt to persuade the informant. Many times, a singer will use the excuse "Ionly know a few verses of the song." The collector's reply can be "That's alright,sing them anyway." This remark leaves the singer with little alternative but to'sing. To a person genuinely interested in folk music, a few verses are valuable,but many times, the coaxing of the informant into singing his few verses leads toa more complete version of the song. This has happened to me many a time, but themost rewarding experience was with a Kentucky-born singer named Ella Parker, wholives near Brookville, Indiana. Mrs. Parker claimed that she did not know anycomplete songs anymore, but just a few verses "here and there". One time when Iasked her to sing the verses she knew to a song, she sang a very beautiful andcomplete version of "Young Hunting" (Child #68). Another excuse singers will useis that they can't sing anymore because their voice is gone. A few words of en-couragement here, though, will usually convince the singer to perform. Instrument-alists usually just say that they do not play anymore. If you play an instrument,play a tune or two for the informant as this will nearly always loosen him up.Words of praise after each song or tune will encourage the informant to presentmore material.

There are various methods of field collecting. Unfortunately, a widely usedone is the "I'm here to get all you know; let's get started because I don't havemuch time" method. I personally feel that this method is utterly ridculous. Forone, you as the collector are putting the informant out of his way, and, after all,he did not send for you. The informant is actually doing you a great favor by

singing or playing for you, and many times he is taken from his chores or hiswork. In a rush-vacuum method of collecting, the informant is less likely to doas good a job as he would if he were relaxed, and might become peeved with thepushy collector and stop singing or playing. I have found the best collectingmethod to be the slow, very easy-going one. When visiting an informant, take thingsas they come and do not be frantic to push him into performing for you. When thetime is right, ask the informant if he would mind playing or singing some and thenlater on, inquire about recording. Do not get the informant exhausted becauseyou've kept insisting on recording more songs or tunes. If he shows signs of tiringduring recording or begins to feel somewhat uneasy, then is the time for you toleave. Leaving and then returning at another time has many advantages. If theinformant has not played or sung in a long time, he might be "revived" by yourinterest and may practice before the next visit. He may also think of many othersongs or tunes or possibly verses to songs that he had previously forgotten. Often,a collector must spend a great deal of time with the informant before he can getthe really good material. The old songs and tunes are usually very dear to theinformants and many of them do not want to give them away to just anyone thatcomes along, 'lThen leaving an informant, always be sure to be very gracious inthanking him for his cooperation. It usually proves beneficial to correspond withthe informant between visits. Both these ideas promote better relations betweenthe informant and the collector and may prove quite profitable in a later visit.

One other helpful tip regarding the actual recording. I find it's a goodthing to let the tape machine run on after the song or tune. There is likely tobe some valuable background material lost on the song or tune or possibly on theinformant himself if the recorder is shut off right after the musical performance.Recording some mere talk on the tape gives one a better idea when listening backto the tape of what the informant is like. I have lost more hilarious remarks orvaluable information because I did not let the tape machine run.

Of course, before you collect from an informant, you must find him. Often,informants from whom you've collected will lead you to others. Inquiring amongpeople in an area as to singers or musicians will be likely to lead you to afiddler or banjo picker, but singers are different. Where the instrumentalistsmight play at dances or at local gatherings, singers are more likely just to singin their home and are not as well-known. This is why the collector is more likelyto be led to singers by other singers or musicians in the area. 4When asking some-one at random for singers or musicians, do not ask for "folk music". The majorityof older musicians and singers refer to their music as "old-time". When asking,always make it clear the type of music you're looking for, otherwise you might beled to a saxaphone player in a modern country band. The people you've interrogatedabout informants may be likely to ask you what you want with them. Explain thatyou are merely interested in the old-time music and that you want to hear someoneplay it. It is advisable not to mention recording as many people become suspiciousof big money-making deals with record companies, radio, etc. in which the musicianor singer would get cheated. I made the mistake of mentioning recording once inVirginia while asking an old mountaineer if he knew any banjo pickers around. Hehad already given me the name of one and how to get to his place so, as I laterdiscovered, as soon as I left him and got on my way to find the banjo picker, theold man called him on the phone and said that "there's some boy from the citycomin' up to steal your banjo songs." Fortunately for me, the banjo picker was abit more sensible than the old man, and was more than happy to play for me.

Regarding informants, it is most profitable to collect from an informant whomight just know a few tunes or fragments of a song, rather than ignoring them andcollecting from people who know a wealth of material.

Collecting is a truly enjoyable and rewarding activity, but the music is noteverything. It is equally enjoyable to be with the fine, warm people. Being withand talking to the informants gives the collector a clear picture of the old lifeof yesteryear, and of the fine expressions of the people in the form of music.

The opening song on Glenn Ohrlin's Hell-Bound Train has proven to berather popular. Below is the text.

CHICKENS GROW TALL

Oh, the chickens grow tall in Arkansas,The chickens grow tall in Arkansas,Oh, the chickens they grow tall and the meat tastes just like gall,And they eat 'em guts and all in Arkansas.

Oh, they chew terbakker thin in Arkansas,They chew terbakker thin in Arkansas,Oh, they chew terbakker thin and it runs down on their chin,And they lick it up again in Arkansas.

Oh, I wish I was a geese in Arkansas,I wish I was a geese in Arkansas,Oh, I wish I was a geese, I would live and die in peace,And accumulate some grease in Arkansas.

Oh, they say that drink's a sin in Arkansas,They say that drink's a sin in Arkansas,Oh, they say that drink's a sin, so they guzzle all they kin,Then they throw it up again in Arkansas.

Oh, the people never wed in Arkansas,The people never wed in Arkansas,Oh, the people never wed, or so I've heard it said,They just tumble into bed in Arkansas.