Playlist - 11/16/2014 - African-American Ballads

Hi Folks,

Lead Belly (Huddie Leadbetter)

Today's show consisted of ballads, or songs that tell a story, from the African-American tradition.  Barry Pearson who wrote the liner notes to the Smithsonian Folkways release "Classic African-American Ballads" says "The African-American ballad-making era spanned roughly forty years, from 1885 to 1925, peaking between 1890 and 1910. Ballads were composed before 1885 and continued to be composed after 1925, but the major body of recognized ballads, especially those that became traditional, come from this period."

Many of the black ballads are intertwined with white musical traditions and the origin for some cannot be pinpointed to one or the other -- the music belongs to both.  The recognition of that sharing of musical tradition was much of the point of today's show.

We hope you enjoyed.

Jim & Marti 

Artist / Song / Disk / Label / Year

• Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet / Lord, Am I Born To Die? / Complete Recorded Works Volume 2 1938-1939 / Document / 1938
• Warner Williams / Mouse On The Hill / Classic African-American Ballads / Smithsonian Folkways / 1994
• K. C. Douglas / Casey Jones / Classic African-American Ballads / Smithsonian Folkways / 1952
• Lead Belly / John Hardy / Classic African-American Ballads / Smithsonian Folkways / 1941
• John Jackson / Railroad Bill / Classic African-American Ballads / Smithsonian Folkways / 1992
• Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon / Stewball / Classic African-American Ballads / Smithsonian Folkways / 1959
• Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee, Gene Moore / John Henry / Classic African-American Ballads / Smithsonian Folkways / 1958
• Elizabeth Cotten / Take Me Back to Baltimore / Shake Sugaree / Smithsonian Folkways / 1965
• Elizabeth Cotten / Washington Blues / Shake Sugaree / Smithsonian Folkways / 1965
• Elizabeth Cotten / Look and Live, My Brother / Shake Sugaree / Smithsonian Folkways / 1965
• Snooks Eaglin / St. James Infirmary / Classic African-American Ballads / Smithsonian Folkways / 1958
• John Cephas & Phil Wiggins / Staggerlee (Stackolee) / Classic African-American Ballads / Smithsonian Folkways / 1991
• Robert Johnson / They're Red Hot / The Complete Recordings / Columbia / 1936
• Robert Johnson / Cross Road Blues / The Complete Recordings / Columbia / 1936
• Convicts at the Ramsey and Retrieve State Farms / Lost John / Classic African-American Ballads / Smithsonian Folkways / 1956
• Josh White / Betty And Dupree / Classic African-American Ballads / Smithsonian Folkways / 1946
• Lead Belly / Old Riley / Classic African-American Ballads / Smithsonian Folkways / 1948
• Jazz Gillum, Memphis Slim, and Arbee Stidham / The Race of the Jim Lee and Katy Adam / Classic African-American Ballads / Smithsonian Folkways / 1961
• Pink Anderson / The Titanic / Classic African-American Ballads / Smithsonian Folkways / 1961
• Big Bill Broonzy / Frankie and Johnny / Classic African-American Ballads / Smithsonian Folkways / 1957
• Earl Taylor and the Stoney Mountain Boys / White House Blues / Classic African-American Ballads / Smithsonian Folkways / 1959
• John Jackson / Louis Collins / Classic African-American Ballads / Smithsonian Folkways / 1997
• Sonny Boy Williamson / Your Funeral My Trial / Murder Songs From The Dark Side Of The Soul / Trikont / 1958
• Memphis Minnie / Biting Bug Blues / Murder Songs From The Dark Side Of The Soul / Trikont / 1935
• Roosevelt Sykes "The Honeydripper" / 44 Blues / Murder Songs From The Dark Side Of The Soul / Trikont / 1939
• Horace Sprott / Luke and Mullen / Classic African-American Ballads / Smithsonian Folkways / 1954
• Lead Belly / Gallis Pole / Classic African-American Ballads / Smithsonian Folkways / 1940s
• Pink Anderson / Boll Weevil / Classic African-American Ballads / Smithsonian Folkways / 1961
• Paramount Singers / If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again / Work and Pray On / Arhoolie Records / 1992
• The Ebony Hillbillies / Cotton-Eyed Joe / Sabrina's Holiday / EH Music / 2004
• The Ebony Hillbillies / The Old Carpenter's Waltz / Sabrina's Holiday / EH Music / 2004