DBT #324 Civil War(s)
Ah... a good playlist always has the generator of the idea, and in this case it was Kelly Hunt's CD I bought at the concert I saw her play at the Big River Theatre in Alma.
1) Men of the Blue & Grey - Kelly Hunt
Her banjo picking just fits the era too.
2) Ashokan Farewell - Jay Ungar and Molly Mason
Three albums will dominate this playlist, and I'm good with that because I love them. The first one is a 1991 release "Songs of the Civil War" This song is a must and harkens back to Ken Burns selecting it for his theme song on the Civil War documentary.
3) Join Us Around the Flag - John Dillon
"White Mansions - A Tale from the Civil War" a 1978 release that was a Paul Kennerley dream heavily pushed into existence by Waylon Jennings will get the next three songs, and three different perspectives. John Dillon of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils is first. I love the fact that I found this used record deep in the south in Florida.
4) The Union Mare & The Confederate Grey - Waylon Jennings & Jessie Colter
A tale of two horses, and a nice video with pictures.
5) Dixie Hold on - Waylon Jennings
Guess what they failed.
6) Civil War - Joan Baez
Not all the songs are about the American civil war, thus the (s) in the title. Here's a great tune from Joan's 2018 release, "Whistle Down the Wind"
7) My Own Civil War - Kelly Hunt
Kelly's second appearance, and this one like Joan's has two people unyeilding.
It’s the same blood that’s flowing to my head and my heart
Each needs the other, each plays its part
Each is dead set against what the other one wants
Neither one’s yielding
Each needs the other, each plays its part
Each is dead set against what the other one wants
Neither one’s yielding
8) Safe & Sound - Taylor Swift with the Civil Wars
A song about fighting and finding peace and shelter the next day, and one of my first and all time favorite Taylor Swift song... of course I passed on putting a bunch of The Civil Wars songs in the playlist. Another time.
9) The Southern Soldier Boy - Kathy Mattea
I love the hammer dulcimer on this song.
10) The Battle Cry Of Freedom (Rallying Song) - Rhonda Rucker and Sparky Rucker
Two cuts from "The Blue & Gray in Black and White" .. and oh boy this could have been like the other two albums highlighted... the whole playlist. It's such a great album.
11) Battle Hymn of the Republic - Judy Collins
You might find other covers of this song by Judy, but this a cappella version is haunting in the setting of the Civil War collections.
12) Tenting On The Old Camp Ground- Rhonda Rucker and Sparky Rucker
I'm sure someone tenting might have sung Dixie, Battle Hymn, or Lorena as they gathered around a fire.
13) Lorena - John Hartford
Thanks to Wikipedia (dang I even gave them money because I refer to them all the time) :
"Lorena" is an American antebellum song with Ohio origins. The lyrics were written in 1856 by Rev. Henry D. L. Webster, after a broken engagement. He wrote a long poem about his fiancée Ella Blocksom, but changed her name at first to "Bertha" and later to "Lorena", perhaps an adaptation of "Lenore" from Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven." Henry Webster's friend Joseph Philbrick Webster wrote the music, and the song was first published in Chicago in 1857. It became a favorite of soldiers of both sides during the American Civil War. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.[1]
14) Hard Times Come Again No More - Kate & Anna McGarrigle
Another haunting song that I was sure I was going to end the playlist with, but then I found a gem.
"Hard Times Come Again No More" (sometimes, "Hard Times") is an American parlor song written by Stephen Foster. It was published in New York City by Firth, Pond & Co. in 1854 as Foster's Melodies No. 28. Well-known and popular in its day,[1] both in the United States and Europe,[2][3] the song asks the fortunate to consider the plight of the less fortunate and includes one of Foster's favorite images: "a pale drooping maiden".
The first audio recording was a wax cylinder by the Edison Manufacturing Company (Edison Gold Moulded 9120) in 1905.[4] It has been recorded and performed numerous times since. The song is Roud Folk Song Index #2659.
Released seven years before the American Civil War, it gained great popularity during that conflict as an expression of suffering and hardship, to the point that a satirical version about soldiers' food became widely circulated as well, "Hard Tack Come Again No More".
I put the above some in the YouTube Playlist, but I had to watch this TransAtlantic session one too, only with these legends : The McGarrigles, Emmylou. Rufus Wainwright, Mary Black, Karen Mattheson
15) Lorena - Steve Gillette
I found I had this classy instrumental of Lorena by the incredible Steve Gillette. That last song was too painful to end the playlist on that song. Be careful, this video will start on the song, but it's the whole album.
I already know this playlist will get a ton of spins. Here's your One-Click YouTube Playlist.
Next steps:
- Stop over to the Review page to my other most spinned and loved albums.
- Browse the rest of the blogs by stopping at this "Theme Page."
- Enjoy Tune Tuesday which brings you one song from a past blog post.
- See what other post have been most popular recently with our Stats Page.
- Find out who in the world thinks he has the authority to write this blog in the About.
- Let me answer why you won't find the playlists on Spotify here.
- Finally, the Mission page explains why there is no advertising cluttering the page.
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