Barking Dog: December 23, 2021
This Week’s Theme: Holiday and Christmas Music
I hope you’re in a festive mood today, because we’ve got classic Christmas carols and holiday songs, traditional songs that reference ice and snow, newer roots songs about various elements of winter, and some other things we found along the way.
Tickle Harbour - The Piper In The Meadow / Dong Dong Merrily On High
They’re a band from Newfoundland that have been playing together for about 40 years
This is from the 1999 compilation album of Newfoundland Yuletide songs called The Christmas Wish
It’s a medley of “The Piper in the Meadow” and “Ding Dong Merrily on High”
“The Piper in the Meadow” was originally a duet in the musical play “Zorinski” from 1795, written by Samuel Arnold
You may notice that parts of the music are very similar to “Deck the Halls”
Arnold may have based the music on that song, which likely dates back to 16th century Wales
“Ding Dong Merrily On High” is a Christmas carol, and the tune first appeared in a French dance book in the 16th century
The words were written later on by English composer George Ratcliffe Woodward, and the song as it is known today was first published in 1924 by Woodward
Fresh Creek Dance Band - Mama, Bake a Johnny Cake, Christmas Coming
From a 1959 album of instrumental music from the Bahamas, recorded by Samuel Charters
The album captures the sounds of the anniversary weekend of Emancipation, which is known as August Monday
This was recorded at the Fresh Creek Settlement on August 2, 1958
They were not an organized dance band–the guitarist was sailing from Nassau to Mangrove City, and his sloop had drifted into Fresh Creek on the tide that afternoon
All the other members were from other communities as well
A dance pavilion owner needed a band to play one day during the August Monday celebrations, and asked the singer, H. Brown, to bring some others to play with him
This is a traditional Bahamian Christmas song, and refers to the tradition of baking a simple cake, a johnny cake, during the Christmas holidays
Pilgrim Travellers - I’ll Be Home for Christmas
Gospel group from Texas that formed in 1936
They moved to Los Angeles in 1942, and their manager, JW Alexander, helped them create a new style to differentiate them from other popular gospel quartets of the time
The two best singers would trade off lead parts, and during performances, they would jump off stage and run up the aisles to get audiences excited
After a series of a cappella recordings, they placed a microphone to pick up their percussive foot-tapping, and early press for the group described the sound as “Something New — Walking Rhythm Spirituals”
They became popular after this change in style, peaking in popularity in the late 1940s with many strong singles
At the peak of their popularity, however, one of their lead singers, Keith Barber, was involved in a car accident that ruined his voice
A series of accidents and drinking problems followed, and the group slowly deteriorated throughout the 1950s
This song was written by Kim Gannon and Walter Kent and first recorded by Bing Crosby in 1943
Paul Brady - Arthur McBride
He’s an Irish musician who was initially known for playing traditional Irish music in a duo with Andy Irvine
His versions of traditional ballads like Arthur McBride, which we’ll hear right now, are still considered definitive
I include this ballad because it takes place on Christmas Day, though it isn’t a very festive tune
It’s an Irish anti-recruiting protest song first collected around 1840
It’s possible it references the Napoleonic Wars, though it could also date to the Williamite War in Ireland in the 17th century
Either way, it remains a popular anti-war song
Watkins Family Hour - Hanukkah Dance
They’re a bluegrass group from California led by siblings Sara and Sean Watkins
They recorded this song for the 2019 compilation album Hanukkah+
It’s a children’s Hanukkah song by the folksinger Woody Guthrie, who wrote it with his mother-in-law while he was living in New York City
Tampa Red - Christmas & New Year’s Blues
He was a Chicago blues musician originally from Florida who’s known particularly for his single-string slide style on the guitar
His career really began when he was hired to accompany Ma Rainey, and in 1928 he made his first recording
He remained in demand as a session musician during this time, and later formed the Chicago Five, a group of session musicians that created the Bluebird sound, which was a stylistic precursor to rock n’ roll
Tampa Red’s home in Chicago was a centre for the blues community, and he provided rehearsal space, helped with bookings, and offered lodging to travelling musicians
Like many earlier blues musicians, he received further attention through the folk revival of the 1950s and 60s, and he made his final recordings in 1960
He recorded this one in the mid-1930s
Alan Mills - The Angel Gabriel
Canadian folk singer, writer, and actor from Lachine, Quebec who was made a member of the Order of Canada in 1974 for his contributions to Canadian folklore
This is from his 1957 album Christmas Songs from Many Lands
It’s an old English folk carol from Devonshire
The John Renbourn Group - Nacht Tanz / Shaeffertanz
John Renbourn was an English musician known for founding the folk group Pentangle with Bert Jansch
This is a song my family always listens to around Christmas, and it was composed by Tielman Susato of Antwerp in the 16th century
David Francey - Skating Rink
Scottish-born Canadian folksinger who worked as a railyard worker and carpenter for 20 years before pursuing folk music later in life
That song is from his 2003 album of the same name
Doris McMurray - This Little Light o’ Mine
We’re going to hear three different versions of “This Little Light of Mine now,” this first one a field recording made of Doris McMurray by John and Ruby Lomax in Texas in 1939
This is the second recording of the song–the first was also made in Texas, in 1934
It’s a popular gospel song that was adapted into a Civil Rights anthem in the 1950s
It has also achieved popularity as a children’s song, and was once thought to have been written as a children’s song in the 1920s
Son House - This Little Light Of Mine
Mississippi delta blues artist who influenced Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters
He and his band were recorded for the Library of Congress by Alan Lomax in 1941 and 1942, and in 1943 he left Mississippi for New York and gave up music
In 1964, though, a group of record collectors rediscovered him and his music, and persuaded him to relearn his songs
He reestablished his music career, playing in coffeehouses, at folk festivals, and on tours
He also recorded several albums
He recorded this one live at the Gaslight Cafe coffeehouse in New York City in 1965
The Montgomery Gospel Trio, The Nashville Quartet, Guy Carawan - This Little Light of Mine
Off a 1961 album called We Shall Overcome: Songs of the “Freedom Riders” and the “Sit-ins”
The songs on the album are performed by the Montgomery Gospel Trio, which was a group of three high school girls from Alabama, The Nashville Quartet, which was composed of four male seminary students, and Guy Carawan, a musicologist, performer, and producer
Luz Morales - Magandang Pasko (Merry Christmas)
This is from an album of folk songs from the Philippines from 1960, sung by the Filipino soprano Luz Morales
South Street Trio - Cold Morning Shout
From 1928
Lucy Smith Jubilee Singers - There Was No Room At The Hotel
They were a vocal group that recorded for Vocalion Records in 1928
Kokomo Arnold - Cold Winter Blues
American blues musician known for his intense style of slide guitar
Began playing in the 1920s and left the music industry in 1938 to work in a factory
When located by researchers in the early 1960s he showed no interest in returning to perform for white audiences who were showing interest in the music of Arnold and his contemporaries
This one is from 1937
Stan Rogers - At Last, I’m Ready for Christmas
Born and raised in Ontario, but known for his maritime-influenced music that was informed by his time spent visiting family in Nova Scotia during the summers of his childhood
This is from the posthumous album From Coffee House to Concert Hall from 1999
Anne Grimes - Up on the Housetops
This is from a 1957 album of ballads from Ohio, played by the journalist, musician, and historian of midwestern American folklore Anne Grimes
A Christmas song written by Ben Hanby in 1864 for a children’s program at the Singing School in Preble County, Ohio
The Wailin’ Jennys - Glory Bound
Folk group formed in Winnipeg in 2002
From their 2006 album Firecracker, but was also included on a 2016 album called Christmas on the Lam and Other Songs from the Season
The York Waits - Green Groweth the Hollie
They’re a band from the UK that plays 16th century European music
They take their name from the ancient city band of York, the earliest evidence of which is from the 14th century
This is a 16th century Christmas carol written by King Henry VIII
Sam Amidon - Hallelujah
Contemporary folk artist from Vermont
From his 2020 self-titled album
An 1835 William Walker shape-note tune using earlier words by Charles Wesley
Elizabeth Bivens - Go Tell It on the Mountain
From an album of traditional music from Union County, North Carolina, released in 1980
It’s an African American spiritual that dates back to at least 1865 and is often sung as a Christmas carol because it celebrates the birth of Jesus
Kacy & Clayton - The Cherry Tree Carol
From Wood Mountain, SK
They recorded this carol for their first album, The Day Is Past & Gone
A ballad often sung at Christmas
Has been sung since at least the 15th century in some form
Selah Jubilee Singers - When Was Jesus Born
An American gospel vocal quartet active from 1927-1953
Many popular doowop groups of the 50s were musically descended from prewar groups like the Selah Jubilee Singers
It’s an African American Christmas song
Dirk Powell - Joy to the World
He’s a Grammy award-winning musician from Ohio who’s considered one of the leading experts on traditional Appalachian fiddle and banjo styles
An instrumental version of the Christmas carol written by English hymn writer and minister Isaac Watts in 1719
Clifford Gibson - Ice and Snow Blues
He was a blues singer and guitarist from Kentucky who moved to Missouri in the 1920s and lived there for the rest of his life
He’s considered one of the earliest urban blues musicians, with no strong rural influences discernable in his style
This recording is from 1930
Walt Koken - Snowbound Blues
He’s an old-time musician from Missouri who was involved in the folk revival of the 1960s and continues to be a mentor in the old-time community today
From his 1994 album Banjonique
Dillard Chandler - Cold Rain and Snow
He was an Appalachian folksinger from North Carolina who knew hundreds of traditional ballads from his region
He was described by other locals as a “mysterious man" who "didn't live in one specific place, but would just show up from time to time”
“Rain and Snow” is a folk song and murder ballad from North Carolina, which Chandler recorded in 1965
He believed that the song related the story of a murder that occurred in Madison County, NC, and he learned it from an old woman in 1911
The Watersons - Christmas Is Now Drawing Near at Hand
English folk group from Yorkshire, England who performed acapella traditional songs beginning in the 1960s
They were three siblings: Norma, Mike, and Elaine, and their cousin John Harrison
That one was from 1965, and it was sung by Elaine
This is a moralizing carol from at least the 16th century that was sung around Christmastime by beggars and travelers
It fell out of popularity because of its strong moralism, but that version brought it back into the spotlight
Mike Seeger, Peggy Seeger - One Cold and Frosty Morning
Mike was a folklorist and musician and a member of the well-known musical Seeger family, who co-founded the New Lost City Ramblers in the 1950s
Peggy is his sister, and she’s also a popular folksinger who has lived in the UK for over 60 years
This is from an album of American folk songs for children
Guitar Slim, Jelly Belly - Christmas Time Blues
Guitar Slim was a pseudonym for Alec Seward, a Piedmont blues musician from Virginia who also recorded under other names like Georgia Slim and King Blues
He moved to New York in 1924 and befriended Louis Hayes, with whom he performed under the name The Blues Servant Boys or Guitar Slim and Jelly Belly, as is the case with this recording
Hayes later became a minister in New Jersey
Seward played and recorded with Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Sonny Terry, and Brownie McGhee in the 40s and 50s, and he continued to perform at concerts and folk festivals throughout the 1960s
This was recorded around 1944 in New York City
Charley Jordan - Santa Claus Blues
He was a St. Louis blues musician and talent scout, originally from Arkansas, who walked with crutches due to being shot in the spine in an incident related to his other career as a bootlegger
He’s known for a number of songs, including “Keep It Clean” and “Just a Spoonful”
This was recorded in 1931
Lightnin’ Hopkins - Santa
Was a country blues musician from Texas who gained a broader audience with the folk revival of the 1960s after recording and performing around Texas in the 40s and 50s
His first major performance was at Carnegie Hall in October of 1960, and he shared the bill with Pete Seeger and Joan Baez
He continued to tour and record throughout the 60s and 70s, and was poet in residence for Houston, Texas, for 35 years
Released in 1965
Charlie Parr - Slim Tall’s Christmas on the Lam
Contemporary country blues musician from Minnesota
This is his own song, which was included on the 2016 compilation album Christmas on the Lam and Other Songs from the Season
Barenaked Ladies - I Saw Three Ships
A very genuine acapella rendition off their album Barenaked for the Holidays, which gets played a lot by my family during the holidays and is surprisingly one of my favourite holiday albums
Traditional English carol from the 17th century
Erik Darling - Bright Morning Stars
He was an American folk musician who was an important figure in the folk music revival of the 1950s and 60s
This song is likely from Kentucky
Rediscovered by Robin Christenson in 1968 from the 1953 book American Folk Songs for Christmas
He was married to Ellen Kossoy, one of the Kossoy Sisters who we’ve played before on the show, and they arranged it with Irene Kossoy and her husband, Tony Saletan, to be performed at the 1968 Fox Hollow Festival, from which it entered back into the common repertoire
Andy Halapatz - The Christmas Song (Ukrainian)
From a 1963 album of folksongs from Saskatchewan, collected by Barbara Cass-Beggs
This was a well-known Christmas song amongst the Ukrainian community of Saskatchewan
Bruce Cockburn - Adeste Fidelis
