Country Blues > Super Electrical Recordings!
Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music
banjochris:
John, there was a dance called "The Baltimore," which might make that at least a little less mysterious.
Johnm:
Thanks for that information, Chris, it was news to me. So much to learn.
All best,
Johnm
Johnm:
Hi all,
For many listeners, especially between 1950 and 1963, the Anthology of American Folk Music provided the first introduction to the music of Mississippi John Hurt. Indeed, the two cuts of John Hurt included there, "Frankie" and "Spike Driver Blues", were the only readily available versions of his music to anyone who was not a collector or the friend of a collector of the old 78s. It's difficult from our current vantage point, with virtually every early Country Blues recording that has been found re-issued and available, to remember how rare this music once was. I'm just young enough that the first time I heard John Hurt was in person, at the 1963 Philadelphia Folk Festival, but for fans of those recordings on the Anthology, his rediscovery must have been all the more exciting and unbelievable.
Here are the lyrics to those songs. John Hurt played "Frankie" capoed up in Spanish tuning, and played "Spike Driver Blues" out of G position in standard tuning. "Spike Driver Blues" is a formal one-off, by the way, a 10-bar blues, something you don't run into that often. The narrative of "Frankie" is out of sequence in a funny way--it concludes with the bartender telling the story that got Albert killed.
"Frankie"
Frankie was a good girl, everybody knows
She paid one hundred dollars, for Albert, one suit of clothes
He's her man and he done her wrong
Frankie went down to the corner saloon, didn't go to be gone long
She peeped through the keyhole in the door, spied Albert in Alice's arms
"He's my man, and he done me wrong."
Frankie called Albert. Albert says, "I Don't hear."
"If you don't come to the woman you love, gonna haul you out of here,
You's my man, and you done me wrong."
Frankie shot old Albert, and she shot him three or four times
Says, "Throw back, out the smoke of my gun, let me see, is Albert dyin'?
He's my man, and he done me wrong."
Frankie and the judge walked down the stand, they walked out side to side
The judge says to Frankie, "You're gonna be justified,
For killin' a man, and he done you wrong."
Dark was the night, cold was on the ground
The last word I heard Frankie say, "I done laid old Albert down,
He's my man, and he done me wrong."
"I ain't gon' tell no story, and I ain't gon' tell no lie.
Well, Albert passed 'bout an hour ago with a girl they call Alice Prye.
He's your man, and he done you wrong."
"Spike Driver Blues"
Take this hammer and carry it to my captain
Tell him I'm gone
Tell him I'm gone
Tell him I'm gone
Take this hammer and carry it to my captain
Tell him I'm gone
Just tell him I'm gone
I'm sure he's gone
This is the hammer that killed John Henry
But it won't kill me
But it won't kill me
But it won't kill me
This is the hammer that killed John Henry
But it won't kill me
But it won't kill me
Ain't gon' kill me
It's a long ways from East Colorado
Honey, to my home
Honey, to my home
Honey, to my home
It's a long ways to East Colorado
Honey, to my home
Honey, to my home
That's where I'm goin'
John Henry, he left his hammer
Layin' 'side the road
Layin' 'side the road
Layin' 'side the road
John Henry, he left his hammer
All in red
All over in red
That's why I'm gone
John Henry 's a steel-drivin' boy
But he went down
But he went down
But he went down
John Henry was a steel-drivin' boy
But he went down
But he went down
That's why I'm gone
All best,
Johnm
lindy:
I had a real treat today. Last year about this time I posted something about the big 4-day party called Northwest Folklife Festival that’s held every Memorial Day weekend in Seattle, everything from Morris dancing to Hindu kirtan singing to 15-piece Balkan brass bands to the Jelly Rollers playing North Mississippi blues.
The treat was a three-hour tribute to Harry Smith’s anthology, appropriate for many reasons, one being that he would have been 89 tomorrow, another that he was born in Bellingham, WA (though someone claimed that Portland, OR is his birthplace), another that Smith was one of the major inspirations for the small group of folkies who started the festival in 1972.
They dedicated one hour each to the three volumes, with a few songs from volume 4 thrown in. The organizers went to the trouble of recruiting performers to play one song each (with 2-3 exceptions). Purists would not have been pleased, there were a several updated and rearranged renditions, performers in their 20s injecting songs with the styles they grew up with, most of them worked just fine, the spirit was intact. One woman used an electronic looper with her fiddle, her song was preceded by a quote from Harry arguing that the world didn’t need radio stations, record players, or any other kind of technology getting in the way of music being made and shared on a person-to-person basis. One trio did Robert Johnson’s “Last Fair Deal Gone Down” old-timey style.
There was a good crowd at the stage, lots of people who were obviously familiar with the anthology. The master of ceremonies brought along a portable 78 rpm record player and spun a couple of the original discs.
Harry’s memory lives on!
Johnm:
That sounds like it was a lot of fun, Lindy. Thanks for reporting on it.
All best,
Johnm
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version