A. L. Lloyd did a causal pose for me at the Smithsonian
Bicentennial Folk Festival on the mall in Washington, DC (USA)
in the summer of 1976. I've now gotten the picture converted to a
somewhat crude JPEG, and you can click on it near the bottom of my home
page.Bruce Olson
--
Roots of Folk: Old British Isles popular and folk songs, tunes,
broadside ballads at my no-spam website - www.erols.com/olsonw
or just <A href="http://www.erols.com/olsonw"> Click </a>Motto: Keep at it; muddling through always works.

Folks:Did any of you, like me, order (and even pay for) the eighth and last
volume (the index and apparatus) of the Grieg-Duncan collection?The distributor has apparently gone bankrupt.  I have queried the
receivers, but must leave town for a few days, and cannot follow up.Does anyone have any more information than is in the message below?Most important, who will fulfill any orders, and how do we contact them?And when can this now overdue volume ship?Ed---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2002 12:37:49 -0000
From: [unmask]
To: [unmask]
Subject: Re: Order 008041, James Thin OnlineDear Mr CrayAs James Thin is now in administration the web operation has been
closed and we regret to inform you that we will be unable to fulfil
any outstanding orders. Any outstanding order has been cancelled.No charge has been made for any outstanding order.Any further infromation regarding the availablilty of books should be
addressed to your local branch or our South Bridge branch on
[unmask]If you have any queries please contact me at the email address
above.Thank you for your custom and please accept our apologies for any
inconvenience this may cause.Yours sincerely
Gail Thomson
>
>
>  1 IS  1  1841830127  Shuldam-SHaw, P. (ED) #       GBP 35.00   GBP
>  35.00
>                       Greig-DUncan Folk Song             JTS
>                       Collection # {Hardback}
>
>
>
>
>
In Administration**********************************************************G I Bennet and Bruce Cartwright have been appointed as
joint administrators of James Thin Limited to manage its
affairs, business and property as its agents.
Iain Bennet is licensed to act as an insolvency
practitioner by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in
England and Wales. Bruce Cartwright is licensed by the
Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland.**********************************************************

This came across the Folklore list, and I (david Engle) thought it would be
also of great interest to many of those on this list, although it is a cd
of fiddle tunes and not ballads.I quote:-------------------
                                   A HENRY REED REUNIONI'm happy to announce the publication of a new CD entitled A HENRY REED
REUNION. It features me on
fiddle, Bertram Levy on banjo and concertina, and James Reed on guitar. We
recorded the CD following our
appearance at the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend,
Washington, last summer.The CD has (if I may say so) attractive fold-out cardboard packaging (no
jewel case). The package includes my
essay describing our relationship to Henry Reed, telling how we came to
make this CD together, and talking about
some of the tunes. There are some photographs, too.THE TUNES. The CD has 21 tracks and 22 tunes, all from Henry Reed:Shoes and Stockings
Jump Jim Crow
Stony Point
Reel in A
Schottische
George Booker
James Reedās Favorite
Georgia Camp Meeting
Shady Grove
High Yellow
Jawbones
Peekaboo Waltz
Ebenezer
Frosty Morning
The Girl I Left behind Me/Iām Going Away to Leave You, Going to Tennessee
Hell among the Yearlings
Santa Annaās Retreat
Quince Dillionās High-D Reel
Betsy
Flop-Eared Mule
Dean Reedās FavoriteTHE PERFORMERS. My mentor Henry Reed (1884-1968) taught me these tunes and
many more when I visited
his home in Glen Lyn, Virginia, in 1966-67. My recordings of him, along
with an accompanying essay,
photographs, and musical analysis, are available on the Library of Congress
website FIDDLE TUNES OF THE
OLD FRONTIER: THE HENRY REED COLLECTION (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/hrhtml/).In the 1960s I taught Henry Reed's tunes to a group of musicians in Durham
and Chapel Hill, NC. Some of us
became the Hollow Rock String Band, which introduced some great Henry Reed
tunes to the world with an
album in 1968, just after Henry Reed passed away. Bertram Levy was a member
of that band and carried the
tunes off to the West Coast in 1968. He is now a doctor in Port Townsend,
Washington, where he founded the
Festival of American Fiddle Tunes in 1977.James Reed learned to accompany his dad on guitar when he was a youngster
in Glen Lyn, and Henry Reed
carefully instructed him about the proper chords. A retired boilermaker, he
now lives in Parkersburg, West
Virginia. He and I have been playing together since the 1990s. We gather
every Labor Day weekend at Dean
Reedās house in Rich Creek, VA, for a musical reunion with other members of
the family. On Labor Day
weekend in 2000 I took Bertram with me, and the rest is ö well, music.HOW TO ORDER. You can purchase copies of A HENRY REED REUNION directly from
me. The cost of the
CD is $15, plus $1.50 for postage and handling. Multiple copies of the CD
in the same order require no additional
postage or handling. So, $16.50 for one mailed, $31.50 for two mailed.Be sure to include your mailing address, and make the check out to:Alan Jabbour
3107 Cathedral Ave. NW
Washington DC 20008-3420
(202) 333-1089
[unmask]

On Mon, 21 Jan 2002 15:29:03 -0500, you wrote:>Guy Johnson prints, pp 73-75, a John Henry "hammer song" that was
>communicated to him in 1927 by Junius E. Byrd, then a student at
>Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute.  "He learned it from a
>fellow-worker in the summer of 1926 while employed by the Arbuckle
>Sugar Company, Brooklyn, New York."
>
>This item is completely different from any other "hammer song" I've
>seen.  First, it is 14 verses long, each about John Henry.  Second,
>it tells a complete story in linear fashion.  Please pardon me for my
>suspicious nature, but I think this item could be a fake, perhaps
>made up by Byrd.
>
>Does anyone know anything about this person?  I have a vague
>recollection of some suspicion about one of Combs' informants, but I
>can't find my copy of his book right now.  Was it the same person?Maybe it's just me, but I'd wonder about the name.  Johnson said he heard
it from a (little) Byrd?  A Jun E. Byrd?  I may be more suspicious than
you, John, in wondering if the Byrd might have been made up by the Guy.--
Jeri Corlew

>On Mon, 21 Jan 2002 15:29:03 -0500, you wrote:
>
>>Guy Johnson prints, pp 73-75, a John Henry "hammer song" that was
>>communicated to him in 1927 by Junius E. Byrd, then a student at
>>Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute.  "He learned it from a
>>fellow-worker in the summer of 1926 while employed by the Arbuckle
>>Sugar Company, Brooklyn, New York."
>>
>>This item is completely different from any other "hammer song" I've
>>seen.  First, it is 14 verses long, each about John Henry.  Second,
>>it tells a complete story in linear fashion.  Please pardon me for my
>>suspicious nature, but I think this item could be a fake, perhaps
>>made up by Byrd.
>>
>>Does anyone know anything about this person?  I have a vague
>>recollection of some suspicion about one of Combs' informants, but I
>>can't find my copy of his book right now.  Was it the same person?
>
>Maybe it's just me, but I'd wonder about the name.  Johnson said he heard
>it from a (little) Byrd?  A Jun E. Byrd?  I may be more suspicious than
>you, John, in wondering if the Byrd might have been made up by the Guy.Interesting suggestion.  I suppose that the records of the Virginia
Normal and Industrial Institute, if there ever was such a thing and
if they still exist, should be consulted.  More likely, it seems to
me, than Guy Johnson making it up would be that "Junius E. Byrd" was
a pseudonym used by his correspondent, who made the song up.
--
john garst    [unmask]

On Thu, Jan 24, 2002 at 08:54:58AM -0800, Ed Cray wrote:
> Folks:
>
> Did any of you, like me, order (and even pay for) the eighth and last
> volume (the index and apparatus) of the Grieg-Duncan collection?
>
> The distributor has apparently gone bankrupt.  I have queried the
> receivers, but must leave town for a few days, and cannot follow up.
>
> Does anyone have any more information than is in the message below?        Hi there.  I heard from the booksellers a while ago, who said that
V. 8 had been delayed at least until next year.  Will have to dig to find
out who, etc.  but I didn't pay for it yet.  I think I'll ask somebody
Over There to find out! -- aloha, Lani<||> Lani Herrmann * NOTE NEW E-ADDRESS: [unmask]
<||> 5621 Sierra Ave. * Richmond, CA 94805 * (510) 237-7360

----- Original Message -----
From: John Garst <[unmask]>>>Guy Johnson prints, pp 73-75, a John Henry "hammer song" that was
>>communicated to him in 1927 by Junius E. Byrd, then a student at
>>Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute.  "He learned it from a
>>fellow-worker in the summer of 1926 while employed by the Arbuckle
>>Sugar Company, Brooklyn, New York."<<Interesting suggestion.  I suppose that the records of the Virginia
Normal and Industrial Institute, if there ever was such a thing and
if they still exist, should be consulted.  More likely, it seems to
me, than Guy Johnson making it up would be that "Junius E. Byrd" was
a pseudonym used by his correspondent, who made the song up.>>A few minutes browsing at www.ancestry.com yielded some tantalizing hints:First, three hits on the Social Security Death Index: one 1914-1983, died in
Greene, NC, one 1910-1993, died in New York City (but was issued his SSN in
South Carolina), and one 1925-1993, died in Prince Georges, MD. Only the
second one seems possible from the dates. Interesting that he died in New
York (keeping in mind that Johnson's informant, if real, says he learned the
song in Brooklyn).There are also three hits in state death certificate files: one who died in
NC, 1975; one in NC sometime between 1983-1987, and one who died in Texas
sometime between 1964-1998. Presumably the second one listed here
corresponds to the first one in the SSDI file. Unfortunately, I can't get
details on these without joining ancestry.com and paying money.Most suggestive, there are two entries in the 1910 census living in
Virginia -- again, closed files unless one joins ancestry.com, so I can't
look at middle initials. Father and son, perhaps? There is a Junius A. Byrd
now living in Norfolk, VA, again suggestive. If John wants to call and ask,
Mr. Byrd's phone number is 757-623-6106, according to ancestry.com.Finally, there's an entry in the Washington, DC city directory for 1890.
Again, a locked file for non-members.So there were at least a few Junius Byrds flying around the VA-NC-DC-MD area
at about the right time, and at least one of them could easily have been
Johnson's informant.Peace,
Paul

I've just phoned the G-D editor (Emily Lyle) to ask the latest news - but
the situation is not yet clear. The publishers have had the manuscript since
last June, and after various delays, the volume was scheduled for
publication in March 2002, and about to go into production.
James Thin, who own the publishers Mercat Press, are apparently 'in
administration' as opposed to 'in liquidation', which is (I am told) not so
bad. Bits of the business will probably be sold off. Emily says that Mercat
claim to be healthy (business-wise) and are hopeful that someone will rescue
them and allow them to continue. So all we can do is wait and see. Emily has
promised to let us know as soon as she has something to report.
Incidentally, you may be experiencing a feeling of deja vu, as the first
publisher (Aberdeen Univ Press) also went bust, after the first four
volumes. It is clearly one of those projects which are fated to be
difficult, but hopefully to get there in the end.
Regards
Steve Roud----- Original Message -----
From: Cal & Lani Herrmann <[unmask]>
To: <[unmask]>
Sent: Friday, January 25, 2002 3:43 AM
Subject: Re: Grieg-Duncan Distress> On Thu, Jan 24, 2002 at 08:54:58AM -0800, Ed Cray wrote:
> > Folks:
> >
> > Did any of you, like me, order (and even pay for) the eighth and last
> > volume (the index and apparatus) of the Grieg-Duncan collection?
> >
> > The distributor has apparently gone bankrupt.  I have queried the
> > receivers, but must leave town for a few days, and cannot follow up.
> >
> > Does anyone have any more information than is in the message below?
>
>         Hi there.  I heard from the booksellers a while ago, who said that
> V. 8 had been delayed at least until next year.  Will have to dig to find
> out who, etc.  but I didn't pay for it yet.  I think I'll ask somebody
> Over There to find out! -- aloha, Lani
>
> <||> Lani Herrmann * NOTE NEW E-ADDRESS: [unmask]
> <||> 5621 Sierra Ave. * Richmond, CA 94805 * (510) 237-7360

Dear Ed,
I spoke to Mercat Press's Sean Costello on the telephone
(+44 131 622 8252) and he tells me that they are hoping
that G-D 8 will go ahead as planned and be published in the
'Spring'. Their holding company, James Thin Booksellers, is
in 'administration' and should be sold as a going concern
in the next month or two. This has caused 'disruption to
their schedules', but the volume should definitely 'appear
sometime'. He pointed out that Mercat Press is a 'thriving
and profitable concern' unlike the bookseller.
He assures me that the editors (Emily Lyle and Kath
Campbell) and contributors will be kept informed of any
developments as and when.
Whether or not you get your order honoured, I cannot say,
but Thin's phone number is +44 131 622 8252.
I hope this is helpful.
Best wishes,
Ian
Elphinstone Institute
University of AberdeenOn Thu, 24 Jan 2002 08:54:58 -0800 Ed Cray
<[unmask]> wrote:> Folks:
>
> Did any of you, like me, order (and even pay for) the eighth and last
> volume (the index and apparatus) of the Grieg-Duncan collection?
>
> The distributor has apparently gone bankrupt.  I have queried the
> receivers, but must leave town for a few days, and cannot follow up.
>
> Does anyone have any more information than is in the message below?
>
> Most important, who will fulfill any orders, and how do we contact them?
>
> And when can this now overdue volume ship?
>
> Ed
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2002 12:37:49 -0000
> From: [unmask]
> To: [unmask]
> Subject: Re: Order 008041, James Thin Online
>
> Dear Mr Cray
>
> As James Thin is now in administration the web operation has been
> closed and we regret to inform you that we will be unable to fulfil
> any outstanding orders. Any outstanding order has been cancelled.
>
> No charge has been made for any outstanding order.
>
> Any further infromation regarding the availablilty of books should be
> addressed to your local branch or our South Bridge branch on
> [unmask]
>
> If you have any queries please contact me at the email address
> above.
>
> Thank you for your custom and please accept our apologies for any
> inconvenience this may cause.
>
> Yours sincerely
> Gail Thomson
> >
> >
> >  1 IS  1  1841830127  Shuldam-SHaw, P. (ED) #       GBP 35.00   GBP
> >  35.00
> >                       Greig-DUncan Folk Song             JTS
> >                       Collection # {Hardback}
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> In Administration
>
> **********************************************************
>
> G I Bennet and Bruce Cartwright have been appointed as
> joint administrators of James Thin Limited to manage its
> affairs, business and property as its agents.
> Iain Bennet is licensed to act as an insolvency
> practitioner by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in
> England and Wales. Bruce Cartwright is licensed by the
> Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland.
>
> **********************************************************
>----------------------
Dr Ian Russell, Director
The Elphinstone Institute
University of Aberdeen
24 High Street
Aberdeen
AB24 3EB
Tel: +44 (0)1224 272386
Fax: +44 (0)1224 272728
[unmask]
Website:
www.abdn.ac.uk/elphinstone/

        I need a bit more time to play with this and have yet to ingest any
coffee but my best guess is that you are looking for Junious Easton BYRD
born  22 May 1907  Dunn, Harnett Co,, North Carolina. He was the son of
Part Rufus and Callie [GOODMAN] BYRD.        The name Junious or Junius has run in the BYRD family of that
county since before the CW. In addition several members of this BYRD family
worked on the railroad and, at least one, died in a work related accident.Cliff

>So there were at least a few Junius Byrds flying around the VA-NC-DC-MD area
>at about the right time, and at least one of them could easily have been
>Johnson's informant.
>
>Peace,
>PaulThank you, Paul.  That's good information.  It makes me feel a little
better about the Byrd/Johnson text.  I suppose that it should be
given credence absent definitive information.--
john garst    [unmask]

>         I need a bit more time to play with this and have yet to ingest any
>coffee but my best guess is that you are looking for Junious Easton BYRD
>born  22 May 1907  Dunn, Harnett Co,, North Carolina. He was the son of
>Part Rufus and Callie [GOODMAN] BYRD.
>
>
>         The name Junious or Junius has run in the BYRD family of that
>county since before the CW. In addition several members of this BYRD family
>worked on the railroad and, at least one, died in a work related accident.
>
>CliffFabulous.  J. E. Byrd and his text look better and better, despite
its uniqueness and "Junie Bird" affiliation.--
john garst    [unmask]

        Some additional information.Virginia State University (formerly: Virginia Normal and Collegiate
Institute, Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute, Virginia State College
for Negroes, Virginia State College)Virginia State University was founded on March 6, 1882, when the
legislature passed a bill to charter the Virginia Normal and Collegiate
Institute. The bill was sponsored by Delegate Alfred W. Harris, a Black
attorney whose offices were in Petersburg, but who lived in and represented
Dinwiddie County in the General Assembly. A hostile lawsuit delayed opening
day for nineteen months, until October 1, 1883. In 1902, the legislature
revised the charter act to curtail the collegiate program and to change the
name to Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute. In 1920, the land- grant
program for Blacks was moved from a private school, Hampton Institute,
where it had been since 1872, to Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute.
In 1923 the college program was restored, and the name was changed to
Virginia State College for Negroes in 1930. The two-year branch in Norfolk
was added to the college in 1944; the Norfolk division became a four-year
branch in 1956 and gained independence as Norfolk State College in 1969.
Meanwhile, the parent school was renamed Virginia State College in 1946.
Finally, the legislature passed a law in 1979 to provide the present name,
Virginia State University.The University is situated in Chesterfield County at Ettrick, on a bluff
across the Appomattox River from the city of Petersburg. It is accessible
via Interstate Highways 95 and 85, which meet in Petersburg. The University
is only two and a half hours away from Washington, D.C. to the north, the
Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area to the southwest, and Charlottesville to
the northwest.

        My final comments for today.        My wife, who works a Dillard University here in New Orleans [a HBCU
as is Virginia State University], is checking with the VSU alumni office to
find if they have any records for Junius E. BYRD.        As to my comment on Junious Easton BYRD. While I cannot be certain
from the sources I have seen, my senses tell me that the Harnett Co. N.C.
family is a white family. While this does not preclude his attending a HBCU
it does bring his status as a source down a tad. In all likelihood, if
Junius ATTENDED a HBCU he was African-American.        Lastly, while Ancestry.com is a great source [as is it's sister
site, RootsWeb] the search engine is very specific and unforgiving.
Generally your chances of avoiding spelling issues [Junius / Junious] is
improved if you start your search at the LDS site located athttp://www.familysearch.com/Eng/Search/frameset_search.aspthe search there is far more flexible and will give various spellings
[BYRD, BIRD and BAIRD] on a single search. This, in turn, can be used to
improve a search at Ancestry or RootsWeb. [What can I tell you, music is a
passion, genealogy a disease!]Cliff

        Know that I promised I was done for the day but this is too much fun.        The Arbuckle Sugar Company was part of a national conglomerate. At
one point Arbuckle Brothers was the dominant coffee company in the United
States. [Particularly popular was their Ariosa brand, which was a coffee
bean glazed with a sugar and egg coating. The egg was supposed to cause a
quick settling of the grounds, and the sugar added sweetness to the already
high quality of the coffee. "Never let it be said that the Arbuckle
Brothers Coffee Company took a laid-back approach to competition in the
coffee industry. It appears that blatant disparagement was the order of the
day. It wasn't sufficient to just just extol the virtues of their own pure
and virtuous products. No, sir! On the backs of a number of the Arbuckles'
"Counter" cards is a warning to all consumers of the evil and poisonous
coffees being sold by others in the business, coffees which put the health
of whole communities at risk!! This warning is accompanied by a notarized
affidavit "signed" by Charles and John Arbuckle, attesting to the absence
of those poisonous substances found in other coffees."] Seems Arbuckle
Coffee and Ariosa appear with some frequency in older cowboys songs and
poetry.        Their "empire" grew to include sugar, railroads [the Terminal
Company] and involvement with the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina
Railroad. This road was completed from Johnson City, Tenn., via
Elizabethton to the Cranberry iron mines in 1882. It is a narrow gauge
road. In 1900 or thereabout it was extended to Pinola or Saginaw, in what
is now Avery county. This extension was paid for in coffee for a long time,
funds being short, and was called the Arbuckle line.        In addition John ARBUCKLE [1838-1912] had a remarkable record as a
humanitarian. For many years in Brooklyn he was a member of the
congregation of the Plymouth Church headed by Henry Ward Beecher, the noted
reformer and the brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe. The ARBUCKLE family was
a major contributor to HBCUs, Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute in
particular.Cliff

Hi, folks.  Many of you may know this already, but there is a ballad list
out of the UK, which Tom Cheeseman is involved with.  If you wish to
subscribe, simply send a message to [unmask]  In the body of
the text, just write, subscribe BALLADS your name.  I've only just joined
myself, after intending to do so for quite some time.        MargeE-mail: [unmask]

Hi, folks.  I just realized that today is January 25th, Robert Burns'
birthday.  So have a good'un, everybody.        MargeE-mail: [unmask]

I've been subscribed for some time, and it seems to be notable for its
quiescence.  And Marge, your information may be dated; I've just
received a flurry of messages (initiated by Steve Roud) about renaming
their list in an attempt to create less confusion with this one and a
better characterization of the range of interest.-Don DuncanMarge Steiner wrote:
>
> Hi, folks.  Many of you may know this already, but there is a ballad list
> out of the UK, which Tom Cheeseman is involved with.  If you wish to
> subscribe, simply send a message to [unmask]  In the body of
> the text, just write, subscribe BALLADS your name.  I've only just joined
> myself, after intending to do so for quite some time.
>

Well, I guess we'll see what happens.        MargeE-mail: [unmask]-----Original Message-----
From: Forum for ballad scholars [mailto:[unmask]]On Behalf
Of Donald A. Duncan
Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2002 12:08 AM
To: [unmask]
Subject: Re: there is a ballad list out of the UKI've been subscribed for some time, and it seems to be notable for its
quiescence.  And Marge, your information may be dated; I've just
received a flurry of messages (initiated by Steve Roud) about renaming
their list in an attempt to create less confusion with this one and a
better characterization of the range of interest.-Don DuncanMarge Steiner wrote:
>
> Hi, folks.  Many of you may know this already, but there is a ballad list
> out of the UK, which Tom Cheeseman is involved with.  If you wish to
> subscribe, simply send a message to [unmask]  In the body
of
> the text, just write, subscribe BALLADS your name.  I've only just joined
> myself, after intending to do so for quite some time.
>

The information Marge gave us worked for me.
        Sandy Paton at Folk-LegacyMarge Steiner wrote:
>
> Well, I guess we'll see what happens.
>
>         Marge
>
> E-mail: [unmask]
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Forum for ballad scholars [mailto:[unmask]]On Behalf
> Of Donald A. Duncan
> Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2002 12:08 AM
> To: [unmask]
> Subject: Re: there is a ballad list out of the UK
>
> I've been subscribed for some time, and it seems to be notable for its
> quiescence.  And Marge, your information may be dated; I've just
> received a flurry of messages (initiated by Steve Roud) about renaming
> their list in an attempt to create less confusion with this one and a
> better characterization of the range of interest.
>
> -Don Duncan
>
> Marge Steiner wrote:
> >
> > Hi, folks.  Many of you may know this already, but there is a ballad list
> > out of the UK, which Tom Cheeseman is involved with.  If you wish to
> > subscribe, simply send a message to [unmask]  In the body
> of
> > the text, just write, subscribe BALLADS your name.  I've only just joined
> > myself, after intending to do so for quite some time.
> >

----- Original Message -----
From: Marge Steiner <[unmask]><<Hi, folks.  I just realized that today is January 25th, Robert Burns'
birthday.  So have a good'un, everybody.>>Thanks Marge. And while you're at it, pull out a violin and play a
strathspey in his honor. That way, you can be fiddling while -- no, never
mind.Peace,
Paul

I should have said, rather than "dated", "may change soon".-Don

Sorry, your browser doesn't support iframes.

A number of versions of John Henry mentioned that they took him from
the "white house" and/or carried him there for burial.  Some of these
make it clear that the White House is the president's home in
Washington, but others leave open the possibility that it could be
some other "white house."  There has been a good deal of speculation
on this, one idea being that the reference is to the old White Hotel
along the Greenbriar River, WV, and another that the "white house"
the penitentiary in Richmond, VA.  Since I believe that John Henry
probably raced a steam drill at Dunnavant, AL, in 1887, and not at
Big Bend Tunnel, WV, in 1871, I think it unlikely that such
speculations as these are correct.But what is correct?  How did the notion of the "white house" get
into the ballad?Here's part of the version that J. W. Washington, Fort Myers,
Florida, contributed to Louis Chappell, who published it in his 1933
book (pp 116-117).They carried John Henry down the smoky road
And put him on that long white road.
When they brought that poor boy back to town
He was lying on his cooling board.Carrying John Henry to something white is present here, and in oral
transmission "white road" could easily turn into "white house."  I
now suspect that this is the origin of "white house" and that
Washington's version is closer to the original than those mentioning
the "white house."Limestone is found around Dunnavant and Leeds, Alabama, and there is
a cement factory in Leeds.  Marie Cromer, who lives in nearby Moody,
Alabama, wrote me,"Back when I was in high school, everything in Leeds was covered with 'cement
dust' - ruined the finish on automobiles. My mother had to wipe the
clothesline before she could hang out clothes.  The worse modern-day case of
this is in Ragland, AL - the last time I was over that way in St. Clair
County.  The whole town is 'smoky' or covered with white dust mixed with dirt
= smoky.  When I did a story on Lonnie Marbury's little museum (part of the
home of the first black settler in Leeds), Lonnie described the wide wooden
ironing board that rested on the backs of two kitchen chairs for ironing -
also for wakes - when the deceased was bathed, dressed and placed on the
'cooling board' - which had been covered with a white sheet."It is easy to imagine that the Dunnavant to Leeds road was white in 1887.It has been suggested to me that John Henry might be buried in an old
cemetery that is behind the cement plant and on its property.
--
john garst    [unmask]

Here's another verse from the version of John Henry from J. W.
Washington, Fort Myers, Florida (Chappell, pp 116-117).  It is the
verse that precedes the one about the "long white road."  It makes no
sense at all to me.Any suggestions?John Henry had a steel built cap
And he pulled it down tight on his head,
And the last word I heard him say,
"Has you ever seen cold iron run like lead?"
--
john garst    [unmask]

On Wed, Jan 30, 2002 at 11:17:24AM -0500, John Garst wrote:> Here's another verse from the version of John Henry from J. W.
> Washington, Fort Myers, Florida (Chappell, pp 116-117).  It is the
> verse that precedes the one about the "long white road."  It makes no
> sense at all to me.
>
> Any suggestions?
>
> John Henry had a steel built cap
> And he pulled it down tight on his head,
> And the last word I heard him say,
> "Has you ever seen cold iron run like lead?"        Well ... the drill would not really be iron, but steel, though
the two are often mixed up in common speech.  Obviously, the hot iron is
liquid in the Bessemer converter and in the early stages of processing
in the foundry.        However, lead, when beat with a hammer readily flows to the
sides (mushrooms).  Steel does this too, but it takes a lot more energy
to do this.  If you look at the head of a chisel which has been in
service for a long time, you will see that the head has mushroomed.  As
a safety practice, it is advisable to grind back the mushroomed part to
leave a rounded crown every so often.  The reason for this is that the
mushroomed part is likely to split off at a hammer blow and fly into
whatever is nearby -- unprotected eyes being a favorite target.        With the amount of energy which he would have to put out to beat
the steam drill, it is quite likely that the mushrooming would have
happened much more quickly than is normally observed, and I think that
this could be the phenomenon suggested in the verse above.        I hope that this helps,
                DoN.--
 Email:   <[unmask]>   | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
        (too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
           --- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

----- Original Message -----
From: John Garst <[unmask]><<Here's part of the version that J. W. Washington, Fort Myers,
Florida, contributed to Louis Chappell, who published it in his 1933
book (pp 116-117).They carried John Henry down the smoky road
And put him on that long white road.
When they brought that poor boy back to town
He was lying on his cooling board.Carrying John Henry to something white is present here, and in oral
transmission "white road" could easily turn into "white house."  I
now suspect that this is the origin of "white house" and that
Washington's version is closer to the original than those mentioning
the "white house.">>I dunno -- seems like something of a stretch. "White house" could have meant
funeral parlor, or the owner's house, or something of the sort. Around here
it's sometimes used to mean the upstairs of an inn or tavern, where lodgings
were available.But concerning the "white road" itself, it's also possible, and I think more
likely than the cement-dust idea, that the original words were "long, wide
road", a short distance from "long white road", either mis-hearing or
lyrical shift.Peace,
Paul

At 11:51 AM -0600 1/30/02, Paul Stamler wrote:>----- Original Message -----
>From: John Garst <[unmask]>
>...
>They carried John Henry down the smoky road
>And put him on that long white road.
>When they brought that poor boy back to town
>He was lying on his cooling board.
>...
>But concerning the "white road" itself, it's also possible, and I
>think more likely than the cement-dust idea, that the original words
>were "long, wide road", a short distance from "long white road",
>either mis-hearing or
>lyrical shift.A great tip, Paul.  Thanks.  I hadn't thought of that.  That makes a
rather complete speculative scenario: "wide road" -> "white road" ->
"white house."
--
john garst    [unmask]

At 12:12 PM -0500 1/30/02, DoN. Nichols wrote:>On Wed, Jan 30, 2002 at 11:17:24AM -0500, John Garst wrote:
>...
>  > John Henry had a steel built cap
>>  And he pulled it down tight on his head,
>>  And the last word I heard him say,
>  > "Has you ever seen cold iron run like lead?"
>...
>         With the amount of energy which he would have to put out to beat
>the steam drill, it is quite likely that the mushrooming would have
>happened much more quickly than is normally observed, and I think that
>this could be the phenomenon suggested in the verse above.Great idea, DoN.  It might not take much rewording for this to make
more sense, along the lines you suggest, than it does as recovered.A photograph of "John Henry's last drill," the one that stuck in the
rock because its tip melted, was published in Central of Georgia
Magazine in 1930.  It shows a clear "cap" on the top of the drill.
It isn't clear to me whether or not the drill had this "cap" when new.
--
john garst    [unmask]

Hi!I'm trying to find the date and place of the earliest (2 or 3, if possible)
texts and/or mentions ofYoung Matisland / Matt Hyland
and
Lang A-Growing / Still GrowingI seen a Matt Hyland broadside from Liverpool circa 1820 at the Bodleian.
Any other old texts or mentions please?Still Growing being such an interesting an old folk song, I thought at least
one person on the list might know a great deal about.Thanks in advance for your comments.All the best,
Dan Milner

Courlander (Treasury of Afro-American Folklore): "Poor Lazarus: A
ballad about a man who broke into the commissary of a work camp and
robbed it, after which he escaped into the hills.  The sheriff and
his posse pursued Lazarus and killed him.""Lazarus" got a big popularity boost from "Oh, Brother! Where Art Thou?"As far as I know, the historical facts behind this song are not
known.  Please let me know if you know differently.I've recently come across some clues.(1) In about 1928, Glendora Cannon Cummings, writing to Guy Johnson
to tell him that John Henry beat a steam drill and died in 1887 at
Oak Mountain, Alabama (near Leeds), made additional comments to the
effect that Lazarus was a real man who lived in the railroad camp
with her uncle Gus and John Henry.(2) Rich Amerson, in his 1950 recording of "John Henry" for Harold
Courlander, places John Henry "'tween them mountains."  This is
hardly a specific location in many places, but around Leeds it is
clear: it means between Oak and Coosa Mountains, parallel southwest
to northeast ridges about two miles apart.(3) "They found poor Lazarus way out between two mountains."  Lines
similar to this are found in many version of Lazarus.(4) In many versions, "The high sheriff said to the deputy, Go and
bring me Lazarus, Bring him dead or alive, Lord, Lord, Bring him dead
or alive."  In some, however, it is "the Captain" who says this to
the High Sheriff or sergeant.  Captain (Civil War Rank) Frederick
Dabney was in charge of the construction of the Columbus & Western RR
line that put tunnels through Oak and Coosa Mountains in 1887-88.  Of
course, "the captain" could be a generic reference to the boss, but
in the case of Captain Dabney it could be a literal reference to a
military rank.These tidbits suggest that Lazarus may have robbed a commissary at a
railroad camp near Leeds, Alabama, perhaps the Dunnavant camp.I'd appreciate any input.
--
john garst    [unmask]

I wonder if anyonme can help with an old custom around Oxford, where a
person (man? woman?) is presenteds with (needle and) thread and told,
"Take this and be thrifty". A Hungarian library worker and ex-student
has been asked to find out about it, and turned to me, but I can't find
anything.Andy

>  Researchers with Royal Philips Electronics NV, the Dutch electronics
> giant, say you won't use the phone to call and complain to the radio
> station.
>
> Instead, you'll use it to access a sophisticated music database that
> can automatically find the song's name based on the way it sounds ? or
> its audio "fingerprint."
>
> The music identification system that Philips' scientists have been
> testing in their labs at Eindhoven, Netherlands, uses a technique
> called "hashing." It's a process ? typically used in cryptography ? to
> help ensure that long electronic messages between computers arrive
> safely and completely.
>
> Hashing works by using the words or data within the message to create
> short unique codes. These codes are then transmitted along with the
> original message. If the receiving computer can't recreate the same
> unique codes from the message it has received, it means the data has
> been corrupted and needs to be resent.
>
> Hashing Out the Title and Artist
>
> Philips researchers use a similar hashing method for their
> experimental electronic music identification system. Each song or
> piece of music is divided into 33 narrow frequency bands. The energy
> levels ? how loud or soft each frequency becomes ? are measured and
> used to create the song's hash codes.
>
> The codes ? or fingerprints ? are stored in a computer database along
> with the song's title, artist, and other musical information.
>
> When music listeners hear an unfamiliar song they want identified,
> they would dial a special number and allow the computer to "listen" to
> the music being played. The computer would then convert the sound into
> hash codes and attempt to find a match within the Philips database.
> Once a match is found, the computer sends the song's ID data back for
> display on the cell phone's screen.
>
> Philips says that its hash scheme allows for audio fingerprints that
> are very small ? and that translates into very fast and efficient song
> identification. The researchers say that a prototype setup in its labs
> was able to correctly name a song after "hearing" less than four
> seconds of music.
>
> Coming to a Cell Phone Near You?
>
> Identifying music by unique audio qualities isn't entirely new.Other
> companies such as Relatable in Alexandria, Va., have similar musical
> fingerprinting schemes.
>
> Jim Healy, a spokesman for Relatable, says that his company's
> technology could be modified to match Philips' system, but he wasn't
> sure there was an immediate demand for such a "solution."
>
> "With [Philips'] setup, you have to sell to [cell phone] service
> providers and I don't know if there's a market for that," says Healy.
> Instead, he believes that the more pressing need is among the nascent
> online music subscription services which will need the technology to
> find illegal copies of their copyrighted digital music that may be
> floating out on the vast Internet.
>
> Another concern: the size of the database. Right now, Philips has
> managed to create a database that contains fingerprints of only about
> 300,000 songs. But according to the Recording Industry Association of
> America, there are some 10 to 13 million copyrighted works in the
> United States alone. And growing the Philips database to that size
> will take time ? and may affect performance.
>
> Still, even Philips recognizes that ending the "Name That Tune" game
> won't happen overnight. Ellen de Vries, a spokeswoman for Philips,
> says that the company is in talks with cellular phone service
> providers about further development of its song ID system. But
> consumers most likely won't see a service using it until 2003 ? maybe.
> "It's a very early thing," she says.
> <http://www.abcnews.go.com/images/aquadot.gif>

>I wonder if anyonme can help with an old custom around Oxford, where a
>person (man? woman?) is presenteds with (needle and) thread and told,
>"Take this and be thrifty". A Hungarian library worker and ex-student
>has been asked to find out about it, and turned to me, but I can't find
>anything.
>
>AndyIs this custom connected with a specific day/season?  If so, I do have some
good reference material. Please advise.  --  Tom

----- Original Message -----
From: dick greenhaus <[unmask]>> Philips researchers use a similar hashing method for their
> experimental electronic music identification system. Each song or
> piece of music is divided into 33 narrow frequency bands. The energy
> levels ? how loud or soft each frequency becomes ? are measured and
> used to create the song's hash codes.And what, pray tell, happens when somebody fiddles with the tone controls?
Or, more to the point, when a multiband compressor dynamically alters each
frequency band? (Radio stations do it all the time.) New fingerprint, no?Peace,
Paul

Quote from Christina Hole: English Custom and Usage (London: Batsford,
1941), p. 27'At the Queen's College, Oxford, the Bursar gives every Fellow a needle
threaded with coloured silk on January 1st, saying, "Take this and be
thrifty". This curious little ceremony is a French pun - aiguille et fil -
on the name of Robert de Eglesfield, who founded the College in 1341. He was
chaplain to Queen Philippa who became the first patron of the College, as
the Queens Consort of England have been ever since. He provided for a
Provost and twelve Fellows in honour of Our Lord and the Twelve Apostles,
and ordered that they should wear crimson mantles, for Our Lord's Blood, and
should sit at meals on one side only of the High Table, with the Provost in
the middle, after the manner of traditional pictures of the last supper. The
scholars were to wear tabards, and for this reason the eight senior students
of the college are known to-day as Tabardars.'There is a picture of the ceremony on p. 22. It seems to be taking place at
dinner, but not in accordance with the rules as laid out above. The
gentlemen are in dinner jackets and seated on both sides of the table. The
Bursar is standing in his robes, and appears to be presenting the needle
with his right hand, while holding an embroidered pincushion in his left.Hope this helpsSimon----- Original Message -----
From: "Andy Rouse" <[unmask]>
To: <[unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, January 02, 2002 10:54 PM
Subject: Oxford> I wonder if anyonme can help with an old custom around Oxford, where a
> person (man? woman?) is presenteds with (needle and) thread and told,
> "Take this and be thrifty". A Hungarian library worker and ex-student
> has been asked to find out about it, and turned to me, but I can't find
> anything.
>
> Andy
>

I dunno. Just passing on a news item.
dickPaul Stamler wrote:> ----- Original Message -----
> From: dick greenhaus <[unmask]>
>
> > Philips researchers use a similar hashing method for their
> > experimental electronic music identification system. Each song or
> > piece of music is divided into 33 narrow frequency bands. The energy
> > levels ? how loud or soft each frequency becomes ? are measured and
> > used to create the song's hash codes.
>
> And what, pray tell, happens when somebody fiddles with the tone controls?
> Or, more to the point, when a multiband compressor dynamically alters each
> frequency band? (Radio stations do it all the time.) New fingerprint, no?
>
> Peace,
> Paul

Dear Simon,Thanks a lot. I suggested that the person in question go hunt the Oxford
homepage, and she found the same stuff - I haven't checked to see if
Hole is given due reference!AndySimon Furey wrote:
>
> Quote from Christina Hole: English Custom and Usage (London: Batsford,
> 1941), p. 27
>
> 'At the Queen's College, Oxford, the Bursar gives every Fellow a needle
> threaded with coloured silk on January 1st, saying, "Take this and be
> thrifty". This curious little ceremony is a French pun - aiguille et fil -
> on the name of Robert de Eglesfield, who founded the College in 1341. He was
> chaplain to Queen Philippa who became the first patron of the College, as
> the Queens Consort of England have been ever since. He provided for a
> Provost and twelve Fellows in honour of Our Lord and the Twelve Apostles,
> and ordered that they should wear crimson mantles, for Our Lord's Blood, and
> should sit at meals on one side only of the High Table, with the Provost in
> the middle, after the manner of traditional pictures of the last supper. The
> scholars were to wear tabards, and for this reason the eight senior students
> of the college are known to-day as Tabardars.'
>
> There is a picture of the ceremony on p. 22. It seems to be taking place at
> dinner, but not in accordance with the rules as laid out above. The
> gentlemen are in dinner jackets and seated on both sides of the table. The
> Bursar is standing in his robes, and appears to be presenting the needle
> with his right hand, while holding an embroidered pincushion in his left.
>
> Hope this helps
>
> Simon
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Andy Rouse" <[unmask]>
> To: <[unmask]>
> Sent: Wednesday, January 02, 2002 10:54 PM
> Subject: Oxford
>
> > I wonder if anyonme can help with an old custom around Oxford, where a
> > person (man? woman?) is presenteds with (needle and) thread and told,
> > "Take this and be thrifty". A Hungarian library worker and ex-student
> > has been asked to find out about it, and turned to me, but I can't find
> > anything.
> >
> > Andy
> >

Dear Tom,Simon was very helpful and found a reference from Hole. Meanwhile, my
suggestion to the person who needed the info to hunt the Oxford website
paid off. Nice to know they have such things on it.Andytom hall wrote:
>
> >I wonder if anyonme can help with an old custom around Oxford, where a
> >person (man? woman?) is presenteds with (needle and) thread and told,
> >"Take this and be thrifty". A Hungarian library worker and ex-student
> >has been asked to find out about it, and turned to me, but I can't find
> >anything.
> >
> >Andy
>
> Is this custom connected with a specific day/season?  If so, I do have some
> good reference material. Please advise.  --  Tom

A belated response to this flurry of posts:  the text in question does
indeed appear in the Lomax 1910 edition (more precisely, in the 1911
edition, which I'm quite sure is identical to the 1910 except that it was
printed in U.K.)  Of course, no documentation there either.
As for Hudson, he DOES cite the Lomax text, but in his headnote to "Jack of
Diamonds," which is given as a song independent  from "O Lillie O Lillie."
Norm Cohen----- Original Message -----
From: "Ed Cray" <[unmask]>
To: <[unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2001 8:04 PM
Subject: Re: The Rebel Jack of Diamonds Makes A Pallet on the Floor (fwd)> Steve, Bob, Uncle Tom Cobbler and all:
>
> Just to snarl this a bit more:
>
> Hudson does NOT cite in the headnote to "O Lillie, O Lillie" Lomax's "Jack
> o' Diamonds or The Rebel Soldier."  Hudson does, however, note the 1911
> edition of Lomax's _Cowboy Songs_ in his bibliography.
>
> Two hypotheses:
>
> 1) Belden missed the Lomax analogue to "O Lillie" in the 1911 edition --
> which I do NOT have in my library; or
>
> 2) Lomax did not have "Jack O'Diamonds" in his 1911 edition, nor the 1916
> edition, but took his cue from Hudson, who published the Mississippi
> volume in 1936, two years before the 1938 edition of _Cowboy Songs_ that
> does contain "Jack O'Diamonds or The Rabble Soldier."
>
> I would still plump for a Lomax conflation.  Perhaps the old man was
> inspired by Hudson's less "kitchen sink" text.
>
> Ed
>
> P.S. Does anyone know what happened to the Lomax Pere collectanea?
>
>
>
>
>
> On Wed, 19 Dec 2001, roud wrote:
>
> > I don't profess to being an expert on Cowboy Songs, nor do I have any
> > illusions about John Lomax's editorial scruples - or lack of them - but
I
> > don't think his Jack O' Diamonds can be dismissed out of hand.
> > It is very similar indeed in both structure and text to a version called
O
> > LILLIE O LILLIE in Hudson's Folksongs of Mississippi (1936, pp.258-9)
and
> > Hudson does name his source.
> > An even closer  version appears in Jules Verne Allen ('The Singing
> > Cowboy')'s Cowboy Lore (first pub 1933). Allen gives no sources, and I
don't
> > know enough about him to hazard any guesses about any possible
> > 'relationship'. with Lomax's work.
> > In this case, it seems, Lomax may be relatively innocent.
> > Steve Roud
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Ed Cray <[unmask]>
> > To: <[unmask]>
> > Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2001 11:20 PM
> > Subject: Re: The Rebel Jack of Diamonds Makes A Pallet on the Floor
(fwd)
> >
> >
> > > Bob:
> > >
> > > This is certainly a Lomax conflation.  He gives no source -- a dead
> > > tip-off.  Verses are in various stanzaic forms: four line, eight line,
> > > eight line with two line chorus, etc.
> > >
> > > It is, as you say, "The Kitchen Sink" with verses from "Make Me a
Pallet
> > > on the Floor,"  "Rebel Soldier," "Rye Whiskey," and "The Wagoner's
Lad,"
> > > in addition to "Jack of Diamonds."
> > >
> > > Ed
> >

Folks:As some may know, the Works Progress Administration put a number of
unemployed (and some never published) writers to work collecting folklore
during the 1930s.  Some of the collected material has been published,
notably the ex-slaves' narratives in Botkin's _Lay My Burden Down,_ and
Zora Neale Hurston's collection from Flroida, _Go Gator and Muddy the
Water._I have just run across a reference to another such collection.  In an obit
for filmwriter Arnold Manoff, the _New York Times_ noted: "In the
nineteen-thirties he belonged to a Works Progress Administration writers'
project and helped to assemble a collection of games and songs of the
streets of New York."Some of these might have turned up in Botkin's _Treasury of American
Folklore,_ but the collection itself seems not to have been published.
Does anyone know of it and its whereabouts?Ed

New editions of my Folk Song Index and Broadside Index have just been
completed and will be mailed to subsrcibers this month. Any North American
subscriber who hasn't received one by January 31st please let me know.
Thanks.
Steve Roud

Hello, Steve:
        How does one subscribe in order to get a copy of your index (indices?)?
I'd like to join the list of recipients.
        Sandy Paton
        Folk-Legacy
        Box 1148
        Sharon, CT 06069roud wrote:
>
> New editions of my Folk Song Index and Broadside Index have just been
> completed and will be mailed to subsrcibers this month. Any North American
> subscriber who hasn't received one by January 31st please let me know.
> Thanks.
> Steve Roud

Dear All
Please forgive the generic greeting, but several people have asked similar
questions, so please share this reply.Thanks for youir inquiry.Folk Song Index and Broadside Index are available from me on subscription
for individual use
If you live in the UK or Ireland several key folklore institutions have
copies which can be consulted by the public (eg. EFDSS / ITMA / School of
Scottish Studies / Glasgow Univ.)
If you live in N. America, no institutions as yet subscribe, so you would
have to get them yourself.Below is my standard introductory blurb. Please note especially that you
need to have a database package (eg Access or Filemaker) in which to run the
data.Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have further questions. The Test
File (mentioned below) can be emailed to you if you want to see a sample of
the data.Regards
Steve RoudFOLK SONG INDEX
BROADSIDE INDEXFOLK SONG INDEX is a computer database which is designed to provide access
to all the traditional English-language songs collected in Britain, Ireland,
North America and Australia, by indexing published books, journals and
recordings, unpublished manuscript and tape collections, and broadsides,
chapbooks and songsters. The database stands at over 117,000 references, and
is already the most extensive index to traditional songs available, and it
continues to grow daily.For each version of each song, the following details are entered onto the
database:Details of the book/record/etc. being indexed
Song Title
Song First Line
Singer's Name
Name of Collector
Place and Date of Collection
Presence/absence of text or tune
Child and Laws master-numbers
Name of author of song (if known)
Key-words and phrases from texts (selective)
Plus other informationMost importantly, an independent master-number system enables versions under
different titles to be located and pulled together very quickly.Once a song has been identified as existing in a traditional version, and
thus eligible for inclusion in the Folk Song Index, details of other
versions, not necessarily traditional in themselves (e.g. broadside,
chapbook or songster versions) are also included to aid comparative and
historical research.Each of the indexed elements is searchable, individually or in combination.
It is thus feasible, for example, to find all the published versions of a
particular song, or all the songs from a particular singer, or collected in
a particular area. It is possible to identify a song even if you only know
half the title, a few words of the first line, or sometimes just a striking
phrase from the chorus. The user can ascertain, with a few key-strokes,
whether a song is rare or common, restricted to certain countries or areas,
known on broadsides, and so on.BROADSIDE INDEX is organised on similar lines and is designed to include all
the songs published on broadsides, chapbooks, popular songsters, parlour and
music hall publications, and selected sheet music. In addition to song
details (title, first line, named tune, etc.) entries give printer's name
and town and, where possible, the location of extant copies. This index
stands at over 119,000 references.AVAILABILTYBoth indexes are available by subscription from the compiler. Subscribers
need to have their own database package (e.g. Microsoft Access) in which to
set up their database. A test file is supplied which enables the subscriber
to set up the database, practice importing data, and make sure everything is
working satisfactorily. Once set up, the full data is supplied on a CD-Rom,
in ASCII, comma-delimited format, which can be uploaded by the user. New
versions of the Indexes, containing additions and corrections, are supplied
at roughly half-yearly intervals, in the same format.SUBSCRIPTION
current rates at Jan 2002Both Indexes at same time
UK  £60
Overseas $100Subscription covers basic data plus at least one year's updates.Steve Roud
Southwood
High Street
Maresfield
E. Sussex TN22 2EH, UK.
Tel: 01825 766751;  Email: [unmask]Jan 2002

Folks:In the spirit of John Garst, a seeker of historical accuracy (to the
detriment of myth), I am forwarding this biography of Charles Guiteau to
the list.Ed---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 7 Jan 2002 09:14:42 -0600
From: Michael Pierce <[unmask]>
Reply-To: H-Net Gilded Age and Progressive Era List <[unmask]>
To: [unmask]
Subject: ANB: Charles Julius GuiteauAmerican National Biography OnlineGuiteau, Charles Julius (8 Sept. 1841-30 June 1882),  assassin,
was born in Freeport, Illinois, the son of Luther Wilson Guiteau,
a businessman, and Jane Howe. Left motherless at the age of seven,
he grew up a hyperactive, lonely child, dominated by his strict
father, whose only passion was for the Perfectionist doctrine
of John Humphrey Noyes, which taught that sin and thereby death
were illusions. When Charles failed his preparatory exams for
the University of Michigan in 1860, he took up his father's religion
and joined the Perfectionist community at Oneida, New York, drawn
there more by the sexual communitarianism it practiced than by
the theology it preached. Life among the Perfectionist saints proved disappointing to
Guiteau, whom Noyes regarded as "moody, self-conceited, unmanageable."
Unpopular in the community, Guiteau left in 1867, determined
to fulfill some great destiny, perhaps even the presidency. For
a time he toyed with the idea of establishing a religious newspaper
in New York, although he was virtually penniless. Then he studied
law in Chicago, trying only one case, which he lost disastrously.
After that he specialized in collecting bad debts, but he tended
to pocket the proceeds rather than sharing them with his clients. An accomplished deadbeat, Guiteau left behind a trail of unpaid
loans and boardinghouse bills before returning to New York in
1871. He was accompanied by his wife of three years, Annie Bunn,
a timid YMCA librarian who had been attracted by his outward
show of piety. She was soon so disillusioned by his violent temper
and frequent consorting with "lewd women" that she sued for divorce
in 1873; they did not have children. In 1872 Guiteau tried his hand at politics, delivering a disjointed
speech for presidential candidate Horace Greeley that, he was
convinced, entitled him to be minister to Chile in a Greeley
administration. With Greeley's defeat, he turned again to theology,
after a brief stint in jail for fraud and a narrow escape from
commitment to a mental asylum for chasing his sister with an
axe. For three years he was an itinerant evangelist, preaching
a revelation brazenly lifted from the works of Noyes. In 1880 Guiteau again took up politics, publishing a cliche-ridden
speech for James A. Garfield, the Republican nominee for president,
and hanging around Republican headquarters, stealing stationery
and trying to look important. For these services he expected
to be rewarded with a suitable diplomatic appointment, preferably
consul general at Paris. For months he badgered Garfield and
Secretary of State James G. Blaine, who finally threw him out
of his office in exasperation. Shortly thereafter, on the evening of 18 May 1881, an inspiration,
which he presumed to be divine, began to possess Guiteau with
the conviction that the faithless president had to be "removed"
in order to save the Republican party and avert another civil
war. Unable to resist the "pressure" of this call, Guiteau purchased
a .44 caliber, ivory-handled pistol (with borrowed money) and
began to stalk his prey. Presidents were not yet protected by
either the Secret Service or by bodyguards. Most Americans would
have agreed with Garfield that "Assassination can no more be
guarded against than death by lightning; and it is not best to
worry about either." Guiteau caught up with the president on 2 July 1881 at the Baltimore
& Potomac railroad station. Garfield was in a festive mood: his
patronage troubles with Roscoe Conkling, leader of the pro-U.
S. Grant "Stalwart" wing of the party, were behind him; a vacation
lay ahead of him. Garfield was waiting for his train, deep in
conversation with Blaine about a forthcoming speech on southern
affairs, when Guiteau stepped behind him and pumped two bullets
into the president's back. Leaving his wounded victim lying on
the waiting-room floor, Guiteau coolly headed toward a cab he
had prudently hired to take him to the safety of the District
of Columbia jail. Before he could reach it he was arrested by
police officer Patrick Kearny, to whom he explained, "I am a
Stalwart." Throughout the summer of 1881 the weakened president slowly
slipped away despite, or perhaps because of, the constant attention
of a small army of physicians. He died at Elberon, New Jersey,
at 10:35 on the night of 19 September and was succeeded by Vice
President Chester Alan Arthur. After Garfield's funeral, which was conducted amid scenes of
unmatched national mourning, Guiteau's trial began. The trial
lasted from 13 November 1881 to 5 January 1882. It soon degenerated
into a tasteless circus, largely because of the bizarre antics
of the defendant who sang, raved, and interrupted the proceedings
at will. If this behavior was intended to support the defense's
contention that Guiteau was insane, it failed to impress the
jury, which ruled him guilty after deliberating for only an hour
and five minutes. Behind the clowning, the trial contained some
serious aspects. It served as a showcase for the infant discipline
of psychiatry, and it underlined the deficiencies of the prevailing
M'Naghten rule, which held that defendants could be deemed legally
insane only if they failed to understand the consequences of
their actions. By that standard Guiteau was clearly sane, despite
his apparent derangement. He was hanged in Washington, D.C.,
on 30 June 1882 while reciting a childish poem he composed for
the occasion entitled "I Am Going to the Lordy." Guiteau's sad career was eagerly seized upon by advocates of
civil service reform. In their propaganda, Guiteau's tangled
web of delusions was reduced to the single strand of "disappointed
office seeker," and in that guise he was transformed into a symbol
of the evils of the spoils system, a gross oversimplification
that has been imposed upon history ever since. Bibliography The indispensable source for Guiteau's life and crimes is the
official three-volume transcript, Report of the Proceedings in
the Case of the United States vs. Charles J. Guiteau. . . . (1882).
This should be supplemented with a journalistic account by H.
G. and C. J. Hayes, A Complete History of the Trial of Guiteau
(1882), which includes Guiteau's "Autobiography" and a narrative
of his married life by his onetime wife. Useful secondary works
include Allan Peskin, Garfield (1978), and Charles Rosenberg,
The Trial of the Assassin Guiteau (1968), which places Guiteau's
trial in the context of Gilded Age psychiatry and law. Allan Peskin
 -------------------
Suggested citation:
 Allan Peskin. "Guiteau, Charles Julius";
http://www.anb.org/articles/05/05-00928.html
American National Biography Online Jan 2002Copyright Notice
Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of the
American National Biography of the Day provided
that the following statement is preserved on all copies:     From American National Biography, published by Oxford University
     Press, Inc., copyright 2000 American Council of Learned
Societies.
     Further information is available at http://www.anb.org.

May I just add that for those who would like it, I have an empty Access
database already set up with a reasonably user-friendly interface. All you
have to do is import Steve's data and away you go. If you would like a copy,
just send me an e-mail off-list, and I'll send it to you. You still need to
have your own licensed copy of MS Access, of course!
Cheers
Simon

Hi, Simon.  You are clearly subscribed, but I couldn't find your name on my
subscriber list.  At any rate, I know that I'd be interested in your
Ms-access database.  And you might want to post your contact info for
everybody else, too.  Thanks much.        Marge
E-mail: [unmask]

Marge,
I foolishly made the assumption that people knew about extracting
individual's e-mail addresses from message headers. Sorry! My e-mail address
is [unmask]
The database will be on its way to you shortly.
Cheers
Simon----- Original Message -----
From: "Marge Steiner" <[unmask]>
To: <[unmask]>
Sent: Monday, January 07, 2002 11:03 PM
Subject: to Simon, if you're out there!> Hi, Simon.  You are clearly subscribed, but I couldn't find your name on
my
> subscriber list.  At any rate, I know that I'd be interested in your
> Ms-access database.  And you might want to post your contact info for
> everybody else, too.  Thanks much.
>
>         Marge
> E-mail: [unmask]
>

Here is the "two John Henrys" theory, which I believe is highly
likely to be correct:John Henry Martin was a highly reputed steel driver at Big Bend
Tunnel, C & O RR, between Talcott and Hinton, WV, during its
construction in 1870-72.  He did not race a steam drill and his death
was from "natural causes" many years later.John Henry Dabney was a steel driver working on Coosa and Oak
Tunnels, C & W RR, Dunnavant, AL, in 1887.  Steel-driving contests
were popular recreational and betting events, and John Henry won all
of those he entered.  He raced a steam drill at Oak Tunnel, and won,
but collapsed afterwards and died.A ballad about JH Dabney, which did not give his last name, was being
sung in Georgia by 1888 and it was soon known in the Big Bend area.
When it arrived there, people still remembered John Henry Martin and
they began to associate him with the John Henry of the song,
assigning to JH Martin the deeds of JH Dabney and localizing the
ballad to "Big Bend Tunnel on the C & O Road."
--
john garst    [unmask]

At first glance, this seems like a probable explanation for the otherwise
conflicting evidence.  Very nice.
Norm----- Original Message -----
From: "John Garst" <[unmask]>
To: <[unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, January 08, 2002 10:54 AM
Subject: Two John Henrys> Here is the "two John Henrys" theory, which I believe is highly
> likely to be correct:
>
> John Henry Martin was a highly reputed steel driver at Big Bend
> Tunnel, C & O RR, between Talcott and Hinton, WV, during its
> construction in 1870-72.  He did not race a steam drill and his death
> was from "natural causes" many years later.
>
> John Henry Dabney was a steel driver working on Coosa and Oak
> Tunnels, C & W RR, Dunnavant, AL, in 1887.  Steel-driving contests
> were popular recreational and betting events, and John Henry won all
> of those he entered.  He raced a steam drill at Oak Tunnel, and won,
> but collapsed afterwards and died.
>
> A ballad about JH Dabney, which did not give his last name, was being
> sung in Georgia by 1888 and it was soon known in the Big Bend area.
> When it arrived there, people still remembered John Henry Martin and
> they began to associate him with the John Henry of the song,
> assigning to JH Martin the deeds of JH Dabney and localizing the
> ballad to "Big Bend Tunnel on the C & O Road."
> --
> john garst    [unmask]

Ed Cray was wondering:>As some may know, the Works Progress Administration put a number of
>unemployed (and some never published) writers to work collecting folklore
>during the 1930s.  Some of the collected material has been published,
>notably the ex-slaves' narratives in Botkin's _Lay My Burden Down,_ and
>Zora Neale Hurston's collection from Flroida, _Go Gator and Muddy the
>Water._
...>Some of these might have turned up in Botkin's _Treasury of American
>Folklore,_ but the collection itself seems not to have been published.
>Does anyone know of it and its whereabouts?When I was an intern in the then-Archive of Folksong in the Library of
Congress, loads of WPA material was simply sitting in files in the
archives.  Fascinating stuff -- material on the Greek sponge divers of
Tarpon Springs, Florida, a novel in Yiddish on life in New York, interview
notes, and the like.  As part of my internship, I did up an index of songs
from Washington state in the WPA files.  I know that things have progressed
dramatically in the Folklife Center since then, both in terms of
consolidating and preserving the collections and in terms of making things
accessible.  They would be well worth contacting!Jeff Kallen
Trinity College Dublin

>At first glance, this seems like a probable explanation for the otherwise
>conflicting evidence.  Very nice.
>NormThanks, Norm.  John Henry Martin is described in Marie Boette's book,
Singa Hipsy Doodle, where it is alleged that he is documented by C &
O records.  He is also the subject of several letters sent to Guy
Johnson in the course of his research in the 1920s.
--
john garst    [unmask]

Rounder Records has released three new CDs in the Alan Lomax Portraits
Series:John Strachan, Davie Stewart and Jimmy MacBeathGood remastering, wonderful singing and a goodly portion of each CD
consisting of previously unreleased material.$12.98 each from CAMSCO Music (800/548-3655) or [unmask]

A Leeds, AL, family, descended from a man who was a mucker during the
construction of Oak and Coosa Tunnels, 1887-88, preserves stories
about a locally famous steel driver there.  They don't know him as
"John Henry," they have never thought to connect him with the
legendary John Henry, and they preserve no knowledge of a contest
with a steam drill.  They know him only as "John."  According to
them, there were frequent rock-drilling contests among the steel
drivers of the area.  I suppose that these were recreational events,
like lumberjacks' competitions in sawing and log rolling, and I
imagine that they were also subject to betting.  "John" won every
contest he entered, they say.I think family's failure to recognize "John" as John Henry lends this
report extra value.  It is probably not *tainted* by admixture with
John Henry legend.It also raises a question, "Was his name really 'John Henry'?  Could
it have been simply 'John,' as in 'John Dabney'?"The possibility that "John Dabney" could have mutated in oral
tradition to "John Henry" allows "John."  Against this is C. C.
Spencer's testimony, "we called him John Henry," and that of F. P.
Barker and Glendora Cannon Cummings, who both wrote, in their
letters, "John Henry."
--
john garst    [unmask]

Modesty slows me down from any comment on the quality of the notes and
transcriptions for these three albums by Jimmy, John and Davie, but I can
say fearlessly that the biographical information is great, being reprinted
from Hamish Henderson's 'lives' of all three in Alias MacAlias [in turn
reprinted there from elsewhere of course].I and others in Scotland are so delighted at the way ACE, the Lomax
foundation, are working with Rounder to get these 1950s recordings out.
Next should be a double CD of Jimmy and Davie's accounts [recorded
separately] of their lives on the road, work, family, and some traditional
tales, plus of course more songs.And then in a year or so a pearl, a CD of the 1951 Edinburgh People's
Festival ceilidh, with Jimmy MacBeath, John Strachan, Jessie Murray, John
Burgess, Flora MacNeil, Calum Johnston, Blanche Wood - and Hamish
Henderson's wonderfully dry introductions! The roar of audience
appreciation for each item is remarkable, but understandable.It truly is a privilege to have become involved in the preparation of this
material.Thanks ACE, thanks Rounder.Ewan McVicarEwan McVicar
84 High Street
Linlithgow
EH49 7AQ
01506 847935

Hi!        There hasn't been much on auction lately except overpriced
single volumes of Child sets. Here is what I could find that might be of
interest.        1501381230 - A Student's Cambridge Edition entitiled English
and Scottish Popular Ballads, edited by Helen Child
Sargent and George Lyman Kittredge, published by Houghton Mifflin
Company Boston New York Chicago, The Riverside Press Cambridge in 1904.
        1502102013 - FOLKLORE OF CANADA - BY EDITH FOWKE 1976 edition
        1502314433 - Percy's Reliques of Old English Poetry
        1502128147 - Seventeenth Century Songs and Lyrics by collected
and edited by John Cutts, University of Missouri Press 1959
        1501551158 - Shanties And Sailors' Songs - Stan Hugill, Praeger,1969        That looks like it for now. Happy bidding!                                Dolores--
Dolores Nichols                 |
D&D Data                        | Voice :       (703) 938-4564
Disclaimer: from here - None    | Email:     <[unmask]>
        --- .sig? ----- .what?  Who me?

John Henryism - Pattern of active coping with stressors by trying
harder and harder against obstacles that may be insurmountable.
    http://www.iversonsoftware.com/reference/psychology/j/john_henryism.htmA social epidemiologist, Dr. (Sherman) James has devoted much of his
career to studying racial and ethnic health disparities, with
emphasis on the interplay among socioeconomic, psychological, and
behavioral risk factors. He originated the concept of "John
Henryism," which posits that prolonged, high-effort coping with
systemic social and economic distress contributes to the high rates
of cardiovascular disease (CVD), especially hypertension, seen in
poor and working-class African-Americans.
    http://www.sph.umich.edu/hbhe/faculty/sjames.html
--
john garst    [unmask]

Sorry, your browser doesn't support iframes.

----- Original Message -----
From: John Garst <[unmask]><<9. Resentful demoralization. Just the reverse of the John Henry
effect. Control groups see the experimental group as being more
favored, and they stop trying.>>Oh -- like Democrats!Peace,
Paul

[unmask] writes:
>John Henryism - Pattern of active coping with stressors by trying
>harder and harder against obstacles that may be insurmountable.Sounds like a tragic metaphor for the discipline of folklore, itself.  (Oops, did I say that?)Cheers
Jamie

>[unmask] writes:
>>John Henryism - Pattern of active coping with stressors by trying
>>harder and harder against obstacles that may be insurmountable.
>
>Sounds like a tragic metaphor for the discipline of folklore,
>itself.  (Oops, did I say that?)
>
>Cheers
>JamieWell, there is a 12-point "John Henryism" scale with which
folklorists could evaluate themselves.Do folklorists tend to have high blood pressure and cardiovascular
disease?  These are the main consequences of John Henryism in poor
blacks.--
john garst    [unmask]

Help!I thought I recalled a version of "John Henry" containing this couplet:People would come from miles around,
Just to hear John Henry's hammer ring.I thought Arthur Bell sang it for Lomax in 1939, but I find that what
he sang instead is:You can hear those hammers a mile or more,
You can hear John Henry's hammer ring.In the same year, Harold Hazelhurst sang this for Herbert Halpert:The people came from far and near,
Just to see a steel drivin' man.Have I unconsciously generated the first couplet, perhaps from the
others given here, or is there a collected or recorded version like
the first?
--
john garst    [unmask]

Guy Johnson prints, pp 73-75, a John Henry "hammer song" that was
communicated to him in 1927 by Junius E. Byrd, then a student at
Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute.  "He learned it from a
fellow-worker in the summer of 1926 while employed by the Arbuckle
Sugar Company, Brooklyn, New York."This item is completely different from any other "hammer song" I've
seen.  First, it is 14 verses long, each about John Henry.  Second,
it tells a complete story in linear fashion.  Please pardon me for my
suspicious nature, but I think this item could be a fake, perhaps
made up by Byrd.Does anyone know anything about this person?  I have a vague
recollection of some suspicion about one of Combs' informants, but I
can't find my copy of his book right now.  Was it the same person?
--
john garst    [unmask]

On 1/21/02, John Garst wrote:>Guy Johnson prints, pp 73-75, a John Henry "hammer song" that was
>communicated to him in 1927 by Junius E. Byrd, then a student at
>Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute.  "He learned it from a
>fellow-worker in the summer of 1926 while employed by the Arbuckle
>Sugar Company, Brooklyn, New York."
>
>This item is completely different from any other "hammer song" I've
>seen.  First, it is 14 verses long, each about John Henry.  Second,
>it tells a complete story in linear fashion.  Please pardon me for my
>suspicious nature, but I think this item could be a fake, perhaps
>made up by Byrd.
>
>Does anyone know anything about this person?  I have a vague
>recollection of some suspicion about one of Combs' informants, but I
>can't find my copy of his book right now.  Was it the same person?Can you remember anything more? Combs/Wilgus doesn't have an
index of informants, but his John Henry isn't from Byrd, and
his next item ("The Yew-Pine Mountain," which is a hammer song)
isn't from Byrd either. I can't claim to have checked all of
Combs, but I did spot check several dozen songs, and I don't
find Byrd.
--
Bob Waltz
[unmask]"The one thing we learn from history --
   is that no one ever learns from history."

>Can you remember anything more? Combs/Wilgus doesn't have an
>index of informants, but his John Henry isn't from Byrd, and
>his next item ("The Yew-Pine Mountain," which is a hammer song)
>isn't from Byrd either. I can't claim to have checked all of
>Combs, but I did spot check several dozen songs, and I don't
>find Byrd.
>--
>Bob Waltz
>[unmask]Then I think that Combs' informant was someone else.Thanks.
--
john garst    [unmask]

Sorry, your browser doesn't support iframes.

John:Combs' informant was Jesse Green, of Smithsboro, Knott Co., Kty.  He sang
a 12-stanza version placing J.H. on the C & O.  One interesting stanza has
the dying John Henry pass the hammer to Julia Ann, telling her to do the
best she can.EdOn Mon, 21 Jan 2002, John Garst wrote:> Guy Johnson prints, pp 73-75, a John Henry "hammer song" that was
> communicated to him in 1927 by Junius E. Byrd, then a student at
> Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute.  "He learned it from a
> fellow-worker in the summer of 1926 while employed by the Arbuckle
> Sugar Company, Brooklyn, New York."
>
> This item is completely different from any other "hammer song" I've
> seen.  First, it is 14 verses long, each about John Henry.  Second,
> it tells a complete story in linear fashion.  Please pardon me for my
> suspicious nature, but I think this item could be a fake, perhaps
> made up by Byrd.
>
> Does anyone know anything about this person?  I have a vague
> recollection of some suspicion about one of Combs' informants, but I
> can't find my copy of his book right now.  Was it the same person?
> --
> john garst    [unmask]
>

A. L. Lloyd did a causal pose for me at the Smithsonian
Bicentennial Folk Festival on the mall in Washington, DC (USA)
in the summer of 1976. I've now gotten the picture converted to a
somewhat crude JPEG, and you can click on it near the bottom of my home
page.Bruce Olson
--
Roots of Folk: Old British Isles popular and folk songs, tunes,
broadside ballads at my no-spam website - www.erols.com/olsonw
or just <A href="http://www.erols.com/olsonw"> Click </a>Motto: Keep at it; muddling through always works.

Folks:Did any of you, like me, order (and even pay for) the eighth and last
volume (the index and apparatus) of the Grieg-Duncan collection?The distributor has apparently gone bankrupt.  I have queried the
receivers, but must leave town for a few days, and cannot follow up.Does anyone have any more information than is in the message below?Most important, who will fulfill any orders, and how do we contact them?And when can this now overdue volume ship?Ed---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2002 12:37:49 -0000
From: [unmask]
To: [unmask]
Subject: Re: Order 008041, James Thin OnlineDear Mr CrayAs James Thin is now in administration the web operation has been
closed and we regret to inform you that we will be unable to fulfil
any outstanding orders. Any outstanding order has been cancelled.No charge has been made for any outstanding order.Any further infromation regarding the availablilty of books should be
addressed to your local branch or our South Bridge branch on
[unmask]If you have any queries please contact me at the email address
above.Thank you for your custom and please accept our apologies for any
inconvenience this may cause.Yours sincerely
Gail Thomson
>
>
>  1 IS  1  1841830127  Shuldam-SHaw, P. (ED) #       GBP 35.00   GBP
>  35.00
>                       Greig-DUncan Folk Song             JTS
>                       Collection # {Hardback}
>
>
>
>
>
In Administration**********************************************************G I Bennet and Bruce Cartwright have been appointed as
joint administrators of James Thin Limited to manage its
affairs, business and property as its agents.
Iain Bennet is licensed to act as an insolvency
practitioner by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in
England and Wales. Bruce Cartwright is licensed by the
Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland.**********************************************************

This came across the Folklore list, and I (david Engle) thought it would be
also of great interest to many of those on this list, although it is a cd
of fiddle tunes and not ballads.I quote:-------------------
                                   A HENRY REED REUNIONI'm happy to announce the publication of a new CD entitled A HENRY REED
REUNION. It features me on
fiddle, Bertram Levy on banjo and concertina, and James Reed on guitar. We
recorded the CD following our
appearance at the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend,
Washington, last summer.The CD has (if I may say so) attractive fold-out cardboard packaging (no
jewel case). The package includes my
essay describing our relationship to Henry Reed, telling how we came to
make this CD together, and talking about
some of the tunes. There are some photographs, too.THE TUNES. The CD has 21 tracks and 22 tunes, all from Henry Reed:Shoes and Stockings
Jump Jim Crow
Stony Point
Reel in A
Schottische
George Booker
James Reedās Favorite
Georgia Camp Meeting
Shady Grove
High Yellow
Jawbones
Peekaboo Waltz
Ebenezer
Frosty Morning
The Girl I Left behind Me/Iām Going Away to Leave You, Going to Tennessee
Hell among the Yearlings
Santa Annaās Retreat
Quince Dillionās High-D Reel
Betsy
Flop-Eared Mule
Dean Reedās FavoriteTHE PERFORMERS. My mentor Henry Reed (1884-1968) taught me these tunes and
many more when I visited
his home in Glen Lyn, Virginia, in 1966-67. My recordings of him, along
with an accompanying essay,
photographs, and musical analysis, are available on the Library of Congress
website FIDDLE TUNES OF THE
OLD FRONTIER: THE HENRY REED COLLECTION (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/hrhtml/).In the 1960s I taught Henry Reed's tunes to a group of musicians in Durham
and Chapel Hill, NC. Some of us
became the Hollow Rock String Band, which introduced some great Henry Reed
tunes to the world with an
album in 1968, just after Henry Reed passed away. Bertram Levy was a member
of that band and carried the
tunes off to the West Coast in 1968. He is now a doctor in Port Townsend,
Washington, where he founded the
Festival of American Fiddle Tunes in 1977.James Reed learned to accompany his dad on guitar when he was a youngster
in Glen Lyn, and Henry Reed
carefully instructed him about the proper chords. A retired boilermaker, he
now lives in Parkersburg, West
Virginia. He and I have been playing together since the 1990s. We gather
every Labor Day weekend at Dean
Reedās house in Rich Creek, VA, for a musical reunion with other members of
the family. On Labor Day
weekend in 2000 I took Bertram with me, and the rest is ö well, music.HOW TO ORDER. You can purchase copies of A HENRY REED REUNION directly from
me. The cost of the
CD is $15, plus $1.50 for postage and handling. Multiple copies of the CD
in the same order require no additional
postage or handling. So, $16.50 for one mailed, $31.50 for two mailed.Be sure to include your mailing address, and make the check out to:Alan Jabbour
3107 Cathedral Ave. NW
Washington DC 20008-3420
(202) 333-1089
[unmask]

On Mon, 21 Jan 2002 15:29:03 -0500, you wrote:>Guy Johnson prints, pp 73-75, a John Henry "hammer song" that was
>communicated to him in 1927 by Junius E. Byrd, then a student at
>Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute.  "He learned it from a
>fellow-worker in the summer of 1926 while employed by the Arbuckle
>Sugar Company, Brooklyn, New York."
>
>This item is completely different from any other "hammer song" I've
>seen.  First, it is 14 verses long, each about John Henry.  Second,
>it tells a complete story in linear fashion.  Please pardon me for my
>suspicious nature, but I think this item could be a fake, perhaps
>made up by Byrd.
>
>Does anyone know anything about this person?  I have a vague
>recollection of some suspicion about one of Combs' informants, but I
>can't find my copy of his book right now.  Was it the same person?Maybe it's just me, but I'd wonder about the name.  Johnson said he heard
it from a (little) Byrd?  A Jun E. Byrd?  I may be more suspicious than
you, John, in wondering if the Byrd might have been made up by the Guy.--
Jeri Corlew

>On Mon, 21 Jan 2002 15:29:03 -0500, you wrote:
>
>>Guy Johnson prints, pp 73-75, a John Henry "hammer song" that was
>>communicated to him in 1927 by Junius E. Byrd, then a student at
>>Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute.  "He learned it from a
>>fellow-worker in the summer of 1926 while employed by the Arbuckle
>>Sugar Company, Brooklyn, New York."
>>
>>This item is completely different from any other "hammer song" I've
>>seen.  First, it is 14 verses long, each about John Henry.  Second,
>>it tells a complete story in linear fashion.  Please pardon me for my
>>suspicious nature, but I think this item could be a fake, perhaps
>>made up by Byrd.
>>
>>Does anyone know anything about this person?  I have a vague
>>recollection of some suspicion about one of Combs' informants, but I
>>can't find my copy of his book right now.  Was it the same person?
>
>Maybe it's just me, but I'd wonder about the name.  Johnson said he heard
>it from a (little) Byrd?  A Jun E. Byrd?  I may be more suspicious than
>you, John, in wondering if the Byrd might have been made up by the Guy.Interesting suggestion.  I suppose that the records of the Virginia
Normal and Industrial Institute, if there ever was such a thing and
if they still exist, should be consulted.  More likely, it seems to
me, than Guy Johnson making it up would be that "Junius E. Byrd" was
a pseudonym used by his correspondent, who made the song up.
--
john garst    [unmask]

On Thu, Jan 24, 2002 at 08:54:58AM -0800, Ed Cray wrote:
> Folks:
>
> Did any of you, like me, order (and even pay for) the eighth and last
> volume (the index and apparatus) of the Grieg-Duncan collection?
>
> The distributor has apparently gone bankrupt.  I have queried the
> receivers, but must leave town for a few days, and cannot follow up.
>
> Does anyone have any more information than is in the message below?        Hi there.  I heard from the booksellers a while ago, who said that
V. 8 had been delayed at least until next year.  Will have to dig to find
out who, etc.  but I didn't pay for it yet.  I think I'll ask somebody
Over There to find out! -- aloha, Lani<||> Lani Herrmann * NOTE NEW E-ADDRESS: [unmask]
<||> 5621 Sierra Ave. * Richmond, CA 94805 * (510) 237-7360

----- Original Message -----
From: John Garst <[unmask]>>>Guy Johnson prints, pp 73-75, a John Henry "hammer song" that was
>>communicated to him in 1927 by Junius E. Byrd, then a student at
>>Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute.  "He learned it from a
>>fellow-worker in the summer of 1926 while employed by the Arbuckle
>>Sugar Company, Brooklyn, New York."<<Interesting suggestion.  I suppose that the records of the Virginia
Normal and Industrial Institute, if there ever was such a thing and
if they still exist, should be consulted.  More likely, it seems to
me, than Guy Johnson making it up would be that "Junius E. Byrd" was
a pseudonym used by his correspondent, who made the song up.>>A few minutes browsing at www.ancestry.com yielded some tantalizing hints:First, three hits on the Social Security Death Index: one 1914-1983, died in
Greene, NC, one 1910-1993, died in New York City (but was issued his SSN in
South Carolina), and one 1925-1993, died in Prince Georges, MD. Only the
second one seems possible from the dates. Interesting that he died in New
York (keeping in mind that Johnson's informant, if real, says he learned the
song in Brooklyn).There are also three hits in state death certificate files: one who died in
NC, 1975; one in NC sometime between 1983-1987, and one who died in Texas
sometime between 1964-1998. Presumably the second one listed here
corresponds to the first one in the SSDI file. Unfortunately, I can't get
details on these without joining ancestry.com and paying money.Most suggestive, there are two entries in the 1910 census living in
Virginia -- again, closed files unless one joins ancestry.com, so I can't
look at middle initials. Father and son, perhaps? There is a Junius A. Byrd
now living in Norfolk, VA, again suggestive. If John wants to call and ask,
Mr. Byrd's phone number is 757-623-6106, according to ancestry.com.Finally, there's an entry in the Washington, DC city directory for 1890.
Again, a locked file for non-members.So there were at least a few Junius Byrds flying around the VA-NC-DC-MD area
at about the right time, and at least one of them could easily have been
Johnson's informant.Peace,
Paul

I've just phoned the G-D editor (Emily Lyle) to ask the latest news - but
the situation is not yet clear. The publishers have had the manuscript since
last June, and after various delays, the volume was scheduled for
publication in March 2002, and about to go into production.
James Thin, who own the publishers Mercat Press, are apparently 'in
administration' as opposed to 'in liquidation', which is (I am told) not so
bad. Bits of the business will probably be sold off. Emily says that Mercat
claim to be healthy (business-wise) and are hopeful that someone will rescue
them and allow them to continue. So all we can do is wait and see. Emily has
promised to let us know as soon as she has something to report.
Incidentally, you may be experiencing a feeling of deja vu, as the first
publisher (Aberdeen Univ Press) also went bust, after the first four
volumes. It is clearly one of those projects which are fated to be
difficult, but hopefully to get there in the end.
Regards
Steve Roud----- Original Message -----
From: Cal & Lani Herrmann <[unmask]>
To: <[unmask]>
Sent: Friday, January 25, 2002 3:43 AM
Subject: Re: Grieg-Duncan Distress> On Thu, Jan 24, 2002 at 08:54:58AM -0800, Ed Cray wrote:
> > Folks:
> >
> > Did any of you, like me, order (and even pay for) the eighth and last
> > volume (the index and apparatus) of the Grieg-Duncan collection?
> >
> > The distributor has apparently gone bankrupt.  I have queried the
> > receivers, but must leave town for a few days, and cannot follow up.
> >
> > Does anyone have any more information than is in the message below?
>
>         Hi there.  I heard from the booksellers a while ago, who said that
> V. 8 had been delayed at least until next year.  Will have to dig to find
> out who, etc.  but I didn't pay for it yet.  I think I'll ask somebody
> Over There to find out! -- aloha, Lani
>
> <||> Lani Herrmann * NOTE NEW E-ADDRESS: [unmask]
> <||> 5621 Sierra Ave. * Richmond, CA 94805 * (510) 237-7360