I grew up on quite a few folk songs. Apart from the mandatory choir stuff in school, my mom used to play Weavers records and dance around with me in her arms when I was real little. Simon and Garfunkel covered much of these tunes as well. Not only this, but I have a certain respect for them as they tend to be very much a blue-collar, oral-tradition sort of flavor. From hard labor comes great songs.
So let’s hear your favorites! Any culture is fine, sea shanties and the like count, as do slave songs and other gospel-type music.
I love the “St. James Hospital” family of songs. They’re related lyrically very closely to “The Streets of Laredo” and “The Dying Cowboy,” and more distantly to the blues song, “St. James Infirmary”.
Here is Doc Watson singing one version, but my favorite version has a slightly different melody and lyrics and is sung by Alan Lomax on his album, Standing Pat, which is an entire album devoted to the songs in this family.
I also love listening to Alan Lomax’s collection of Southern prison songs. My favorite is No More, My Lawd.
Missed the edit window: Also, these two prison songs – Early in the Morning & Prettiest Train. (Although I have a different version of “Prettiest Train”.) They’re so beautiful and sad.
I listen to a lot of Irish folk - a lot of the Dubliners. Probably not too relevant to real Irish folk music today, but the original line-up in the 60s did more than anyone (apart from maybe the Clancy bros) to popularise Irish traditional music. They played 7 drunken nights on Top of the pops IIRC, sharing the bill with Jimi Hendrix. Some great, great songs. Also a huge influence on The Pogues, one of my favourite bands from recent times.
Of modern folk artists I like Bonnnie Prince Billy a lot - not sure if he’d characterise himself as folk but it’s close enough. He used to be my favourite musician bar none and I’d listen to him all the time, but he’s had a run of weak-ish albums (IMHO) so I’m taking a break. His back catalogue is awesome though.
[ul] Shenandoah Look Away, Over Yandro Banks Of The Ohio Greensleeves Buffalo Gals Dixie Just Before The Battle Mother Daughter of Rosie O’Grady Clementine I’ve Been Working on the Railroad Oh Susannah
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