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--------------------------- REC.MUSIC.FOLK ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
--------------- FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
------------------------------ version 1.0 ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
-------------------------- January 1, 1994 ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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INTRODUCTION
This is the first full draft the RMF FAQ list. Contributions and
constructive criticism are welcome. I will try to update this file on
a regular basis. The notation [?] occurs where I feel the information
is doubtful or could be more complete. Mail additions or corrections
to the editor, TDAWSON@DELPHI.COM.
Please note:
1) How to use various features of the Internet or Usenet is beyond the
scope of this document. Read the newsgroup news.announce.newusers for
introductory information and news.answers for detailed information.
2) This list is meant to be useful, but no list can be comprehensive.
When in doubt, ASK. Net people are, as a rule, helpful, and
asking questions is a sign of intelligence...
3) Net information is the *opposite* of being carved in stone. All
information in this list is presented "as is". Given the nature of
the medium, this information was outdated some time ago...
4) Many thanks to all the people who work so hard to gather and organize
information, and to those who have contributed suggestions and ideas.
A list of contributors is at the end of this file.
Terry Dawson / tdawson@delphi.com / 940101
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CONTENTS
========
INTRODUCTION
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Q1: What is folk music?
Q2: What folk music information sources are available via Usenet?
Q3: What other network resources, including musical FTP sites &
archives, are available?
Q4: What are the best sources for discographies?
Q5: Where can I find lyrics/guitar chords/tablature for songs?
Q6: What mailing lists are available for folk music?
Q7: What computer bulletin boards contain useful folk & music
trade info?
Q8: What is _Rise Up Singing_?
Q9: What other print sources have useful information?
Q10: Where can I find places to play / see live folk music?
Q11: Where can I find artists' schedules?
Q12: What are some good, award-winning or recommended artists or albums?
Q13: Where can I find information about an artist?
Q14: What's all this about Stan Rogers, then?
Q15: Why worry about copyright? This is folk music.
Q16: What are some good mail order sources for recordings,
songbooks, or musical instruments?
Q17: What's that music in the Volkswagen commercial?
Q18: What is "The Digital Tradition?"
Q19: What's that song "Willy McBride", or "No Man's Land" or
"Green Fields of France"?
Q20: What is Sacred Harp singing?
Q21: What is filk music?
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Q1: What is folk music?
A1: It's what I mean when I point to it and say "that's it". _Dirty
Linen_ magazine ads answer this with "Who cares?" Big Bill Broonzy
once said "all songs is folk songs". Schooner Fare said something
like "Folk music is the music you can't keep yourself from singing."
This newsgroup tends to be inclusive, accepting, and generally
broadminded on the subject, at least for purposes for discussion.
There is no one single, objective and comprehensive universally
accepted definition. With that caveat, folk music is traditional
music from an oral rather than written tradition, plus modern music,
usually acoustic, in the same spirit as the traditional. Folk tends
to be a popular music of the common people, *usually* not requiring
electricity, amplification, or large numbers of people. Folk music
concerns itself (though not exclusively) with common cares and
concerns, frequently through stortytelling.
Folk music is real, not artificial. It matters less what the
record label is and what the instumentation is, than it matters that
the songs and sounds speak truly.
Q2: What folk music information sources are available via Usenet?
A2: This question is answered in detail as part of the regular posting in
rec.music.info and news.answers. Briefly:
Newsgroups:
rec.music.folk - the main source
rec.music.bluenote - related interests
rec.music.dylan
rec.music.celtic
rec.music.country.western
alt.guitar.tab - other good stuff
alt.music.bela-fleck
alt.music.filk
rec.arts.wobegon
rec.music.info
rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic
rec.music.makers.guitar.tablature
This is not meant to be exclusive: interested persons should explore
explore the rec.music. hierarchy and such portions of the alt.
hierarchy as are relevant to personal tastes.
Many periodic or FAQ articles are available for anonymous ftp from
the archive site rtfm.mit.edu in the directory
pub/usenet/news.answers. Selected files from the many useful ones
available in rec.music.info include:
List of Internet Musical FTP Sites
List of Internet Musical Resources
List of Usenet Musical Newsgroups
Submission guidelines for rec.music.info
Welcome to rec.music.info
Look for these in news.answers and rec.music.info as a good
overview of Usenet music resources.
Q3: What other network resources, including musical FTP sites &
archives, are available?
A3: Most of the online information is stored at a few sites which may be
accessed via ftp, telnet or gopher. An exception is the Digital
Tradition database of songs. This is accessible via World-Wide Web
and is searchable via hypertext searching software. Telnet
info.cern.ch, see also Q18.
A complete list of musical ftp sites is periodically posted in
rec.music.info and news.answers. Those listed here are a folk music
subset of that list.
The two most wide-ranging are at NYSERNET in New York and University
of Wisconsin-Parkside.
Sites:
casbah.acns.nwu.edu [129.105.113.52]
Look in /pub/acoustic-guitar for issues of Acoustic Guitar Digest,
maintained by Joe Germuska (j-germuska@nwu.edu)
celtic.stanford.edu
Has celtic music information and discographies via anonymous ftp.
ftp.iastate.edu [129.186.150.150]
daily mirror site for ftp.uwp.edu.
ftp.maths.tcd.ie [134.226.81.10]
pub/music/, maintained by John McDonagh (morpheus@maths.tcd.ie), is a
relatively small archive site with some lyrics and guitar TABs. It is
not as big as Nevada, and has only a few lyric files but is more of a
site for those who like 'Gothic' or alternative music.
ftp.nevada.edu [131.216.1.11]
Guitar tablature, chords and lyrics to many songs for a wide range
of musical tastes. Submissions copied from books are not allowed.
Directories /pub/guitar and /pub/bass, maintained by James B.
(jamesb@nevada.edu)
ftp.uwp.edu [131.210.1.4]
The directory /pub/music is maintained by David Datta
(datta@cs.uwp.edu) and contains many useful information, not limited
to folk music. The site is gopher-accessible.
/pub/music/lists contains information on mailing lists etc., related
to many artists, some not part of the Musical List of Lists (see Q6)
The file /pub/music/folk/folk.music has an index to all the Folk
Music, Bluegrass, Old-Time Music, Country Blues and Fingerstyle
Acoustic Guitarist files. Available via anonymous ftp or gopher.
Discographies, bibliographies, lyrics, guitar chords and more.
ftp.vast.unsw.edu.au [149.171.224.9]
/pub/guitar-lessons - archive for the guitar lessons mailing list,
maintained by Kevin Elphinstone <kevine@vast.unsw.edu.au>
nysernet.org [192.77.173.2]
Accessible via anonymous ftp, gopher, and telnet (by connecting to
nysernet.org and typing "nysernet" as a login name, no password is
necessary). Areas include:
dirty_linen
lyrics
discographies
artist_cals
fanclubs
Files are contained within the directory /folk_music. Check in the
directory /folk_music/dirty_linen for the huge monthly tour calendars
and the ASCII version of their excellent Guide to Folk/Roots/Acoustic
Music Publications (GUIDE2.TXT).
theory.lcs.mit.edu [18.52.0.92]
pub/wald/concert-calendar, maintained by David Wald
(wald@theory.lcs.mit.edu), is an online calendar of (mostly)
folk music concert listings in New England, also available by
email: send email with the line "send wald concert-calendar"
to archive-server@theory.lcs.mit.edu.
Q4: What are the best sources for discographies?
A4: In addition to the ftp/gopher sites listed above in Q3, try
_Phonolog Reports_, available in larger record stores and libraries-
this lists titles currently available. Mailing lists devoted to an
artist are an excellent source as well (see Q6). The books and
magazines listed below provide good, but often outdated, sources.
Q5: Where can I find lyrics/guitar chords/tablature for songs?
A5: The ftp/gopher sites listed above in Q3. The newsgroups
alt.guitar.tab and rec.music.makers.guitar.tablature are
also good sources. See also the print sources in Q8 & Q9
Q6: What mailing lists are available for folk music?
A6: There is no single source listing all the relevant lists available.
Try the uwp.edu ftp site in the directory /pub/music/lists and the:
Musical List of Lists-presented and updated by The Cleveland Free-Net
Music SIG. Send corrections to mlol@wariat.org. For the most recent
MLoL mail mlol-request@wariat.org. For any problems, or to get an
update made, mail mlol-owner@wariat.org. Entries are four lines:
1) the name or topic of the list; 2) the address for requests to
join a list; 3) address of the list manager (only mail the manager
with problems); 4) comments or special instructions.
One interesting aspect of the lists is encountering some of the
practicing musicians who participate. Some of the better known
current examples include: Christine Lavin, Bob Franke, Andrew
Ratshin, and Peter Berryman. A few selected examples:
BGRASS-L "Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Discussion"
- listserv@ukcc.uky.edu (where else?)
Mngr: UKAO16@UKCC.UKY.EDU: Frank Godbey
Blues Newsletter
- mojohand@shell.portal.com
Boiled in Lead
- [?]
Leonard Cohen
- lcohen-admin@unix.sri.com
Bob Dylan
- Highway61-Request@fuggles.acc.Virginia.EDU
Enya
- enya-request@boulder.colorado.edu
Mngr: tim@boulder.colorado.edu : Tim Hunter
folk and celtic harp
- [?]
Mngr:
FOLKDJ-L "Folk and Bluegrass DJs"
-listserv@psuvm.psu.edu
Mngr: TMH1@PSUVM.PSU.EDU: Tina Hay
folk_music@nysernet.org (New American Folk Music discussion List)
Folk_music is a moderated discussion list dealing with the music of the
recent wave of american singer/songwriters. List traffic consists of
tour schedules, reviews, album release info and other information on
artists like Shawn Colvin, Mary-Chapin Carpenter, David Wilcox, Nanci
Griffith, Darden Smith, Cheryl Wheeler, John Gorka, Ani DiFranco, and
others. To subscribe, mail this request to <listserv@nysernet.org>:
SUBSCRIBE FOLK_MUSIC Your Fullname
Questions, requests for information, etc., should be sent to the
moderator Alan Rowoth <alanr@nysernet.org>. Submissions are accepted by
mail to <folk_music@nysernet.org> or by fax at 315.474.2766.
Folktalk
-listserver@leo.vsla.edu
Mngr: shammer@leo.vsla.edu : Scott Hammer
Unmoderated discussion of topics of interest. More open and
freewheeling than the moderated folk_music list.
Guitar lessons
- guitar-lessons-request@vast.unsw.edu.au
Mngr: Kevin Elphinstone <kevine@vast.unsw.edu.au>
Weekly guitar lessons
Harmonica players
- listserv@wkuvx1.wku.edu
subscribe harp-l <your real name>
Dan Hicks
- sramirez@sedona.intel.com
Mngr: sramirez@sedona.intel.com : Steve Ramirez
Discussion on Dan Hicks (Hot Licks,Acoustic Warriors), past & present.
Indigo Girls
- indigo-girls-request@cgrg.ohio-state.edu
Mngr: spencer@cgrg.ohio-state.edu : Stephen Spencer
Discussion of Indigo Girls and related artists' music, tour info, etc.
Regular and "digest" (compiled once every 24 hours) formats available,
specify "regular" or "digest" in subscription request.
IRTRAD-D
TRAD (the electronic Irish Traditional Music Newsletter) is prepared in
the Music Dept. of University College, Cork, Ireland by Paul McGettrick
ARAR6013@IRUCCVAX & Hammy Hamilton ARMU6001@IRUCCVAX. Monthly digest
of IRTRAD-L. To receive IRTRAD: send the mesasage "SUBSCRIBE IRTRAD-D
your full name" to LISTSERV@IRLEARN.UCD.IE
IRTRAD-L (Irish Traditional Music List)
To subscribe, send to LISTSERV@IRLEARN.BITNET Please note that this
command must NOT be sent to the listaddress IRTRAD-L@IRLEARN.BITNET
To post a message, send to: IRTRAD-L@IRLEARN.UCD.IE
Lute
- lute-request@cs.dartmouth.edu
Mngr: wbc@everest.cs.dartmouth.edu : Wayne Cripps
Archives and lute tablature are available via FTP at cs.dartmouth.edu
under "/pub/lute"
Van Morrison
- van-request@death.corp.sun.com (subscription requests)
Mngr: zen@death.corp.sun.com
Oyster Band
- oysters-request@blowfish.taligent.com
Mgr: Christophe Pettus cep@blowfish.taligent.com
posting address: oysters@blowfish.taligent.com
Sacred Harp Singing
- shaped_note-request@tahiti.umhc.umn.edu
List devoted to sacred harp singing and related traditions (see Q20)
Richard Thompson
- listserver@listserver.njit.edu
Mngr: Brian White brw@hertz.njit.edu
posting address is: r-thompson@hertz.njit.edu
Q7: What computer bulletin boards contain useful folk & music trade info?
A7: BBS's of interest to musicians and the music trade:
Celebration Station 207/374-5161 tour info for P,P & M
Blue Hills, Maine 207/374-2303 (sysop: Noel Paul Stookey)
The Folk Musician BBS 716/467-2422 extensive giglist
with venues and contacts
NewGrass City BBS 301/414-2358 up to 14400 Baud
301/414-2383 up to 2400 Baud
online files and news
The Point 215/635-4830 subscription service
Bay Area Musician's 510/524-3106 All musicians, all instruments,
Forum all styles, all genres welcome!
Q8: What is _Rise Up Singing_?
A8: A songbook of 1200 songs, published by Sing Out, and including
lyrics, chords, and sources. It's fun to browse, topically arranged
and wonderfully useful; accessible via six indices (or a half dozen
indexes). The songs are excellent selections and the book is an
essential part of a folkie's library. Occasionally controversial
because some people treat it as gospel (hey, remember the "folk
process"?) or make it the central organizing principle of their
music or get-togethers, to the dismay of some others.
Q9: What other print sources have useful information?
A9: There are a number of good print sources offering a variety of
information. Unfortunately, there is not a good, up to date,
comprehensive, biographical and bibliographic guide to the music
and musicians. Titles below are a semi-arbitary selection.
The file GUIDE2.TXT, available from the NYSERNET ftp site
(nysernet.org) in the directory /folk_music/dirty_linen is extensive
(over 30 pages) and lists many useful periodicals, general and
specialized, with notes.
Douglas H. Henkle (henkle@vaxa.cis.uwosh.edu) of the Univ. of
Wisconsin - Oshkosh, has contributed much scholarship. The archives
at ftp.uwp.edu are gopher accessible and include an extensive
bibliography of sources, file /pub/music/folk/bibliog.
Books:
Baggelar, Kristin and Donald Milton, _Folk Music: More Than a Song_,
Crowell, 1976. Alphabetical list of singers, musicians, festivals,
organizations, publications, and instruments. Encyclopedic with
lots of entries, but dated.
Child, Francis James, _The English and Scottish popular ballads_,
1882-1898, republished by Dover, 1965, 5 vols. THE basic source
for traditional ballads.
Bronson, Bertrand Harris, _The Traditional Tunes of the Child
ballads; with their texts, according to the extant records of
Great Britain and America_. Princeton, N.J., Princeton University
Press, 1959-1972, 4 vols. including music.
_Folksongs of Britain and Ireland_ Schirmer Books, 1975.
Mammoth compilation (824 pp.) of traditional songs. Each section
(England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland) contains an introduction,
guide to pronunciation, extensive notes, and a bibliography.
_The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music_ New England Pub.
Associates, 1992. 4 vols. Includes bibliographical references,
discographies, and indexes. Not strictly folk, but contains
entries for many major folk artists.
Harris, Craig, _The New Folk Music_, White Cliffs Media, 1991.
Lists nearly 100 performers with photos and in-depth
interviews. [not seen but reviewed in the folk_music list]
Lifton, Sarah, _The Listener's Guide to Folk Music_, Quarto/Facts on
File, 1983. Out of date, incomplete and too short, still one of
the best single sources available. Divided by nationality and
including essays on types of music and instruments with
representative artists and discographies.
Lomax, Alan, _The Folk Songs of North America, in the English
Language_, Doubleday, 1960. Mammoth and substantial (656 pp.)
listing of more than 300 songs with words, music and extensive
notes. Includes bibliography, guitar guide, discography.
_Rise Up Singing_ [see Q8 above, address below]
Sandberg, Larry & Dick Weissman, _The Folk Music Sourcebook_,
Knopf, 1976. Topical book in four sections: "Listening" includes
5000 recordings in discographies by topic and artist, with
reviews; "Learning" is books, including collections, songbooks;
"Playing" has information about many instruments (banjo emphasis);
"Hanging Out" lists organizations, festivals, archives. Many
source notes and essays. Outdated but good information.
Silber, Irwin, _Folksinger's Wordbook_ (2d ed.) 1973
Nice complement to _Rise Up Singing_, contains many lyrics and
chords.
Periodicals:
_Dirty Linen_, bi-monthly covering "Folk, Electric Folk, Traditional
and World Music". No doubt, this is the "big tent" of folk
magazines. Several indepth articles on artists each issue, good
coverage of festivals, LOTS of album reviews. Includes tour
schedules. Slight emphasis on celtic music. Subscriptions $20/yr
Dirty Linen
PO Box 66600
Baltimore, MD 21239-6600
74020.47@compuserve.com
_Fast Folk_ It's a magazine! It's a CD! It's both...back issues
$15-$20 each plus P & H
Fast Folk Musical Magazine
P.O. Box 938
Village Station
New York, NY 10014
_Folk Roots_, monthly. Similar to U.S. Magazine _Sing Out_ in
balanced coverage of revival and traditional music, but without
publishing songs and with greater coverage of European and world
music. Subscriptions: 31 pounds (foreign)
Southern Rag Ltd.
PO Box 337
London N4 1TW UK
_The Living Tradition_, a new magazine from the UK, covering
traditional and "new traditional" folk music, including British
and Celtic. For free preview issue write:
Inform
PO Box 1026
Kilmarnock, Ayrshire KA2 0LG UK
They'll appreciate it if you include an International Reply Coupon
(available from post offices for about $1)
_The New England Folk Almanac_ is a bi-monthly, 24 pg newspaper
style publication edited by Scott Alarik. Lots of info on
performers, reviews, & extensive NE Calendar. $15/yr (6 issues)
F.A.N.-Folk Almanac
PO Box 336
Cambridge, MA 02141
_Old-Time Herald_, quarterly covering "old-time" music, traditional
American folk and bluegrass. Good serious treatment. $18/yr
Old-Time Herald
PO Box 51812
Durham, NC 27717
_Sing Out!_ a quarterly, includes songs published in each issue.
Wide-ranging and interesting with many reviews and columns.
Venerable and very worthwhile. Publishes other useful info such
as _Rise Up Singing_, maintains research center. $18/yr
Sing Out
PO Box 5253
Bethlehem, PA 18015-0253
_ZMN (Zassafras Music News)_ is a quarterly publication from & about
songwiters and performers. Memberships/Subscriptions available at
$7/yr or $12/2 yrs. "Sounding board" membership $35/yr.
Zassafras Music News
PO Box 1000
Gravette, Arkansas 72736-1000
There are *many* other specialized magazines for special interests
and instruments. Ads in the general interest magazines are a good
way to identify these, beyond the aforementioned GUIDE2.TXT file.
Q10: Where can I find places to play / see live folk music?
A10: [?] This question works on several levels: personal, local,
organizations, clubs, coffeehouses, bars, festivals, all
are places to play and see folk music.
On a personal level, look for others in your area. Music stores,
libraries, or information & referral centers might refer you
to a folk group. Colleges or churches may operate coffee houses.
Once you have found people, you may have a ready source, or you may
need to organize activities like song circles or house concerts.
Public radio stations are often good sources. Check for local and
state broadcasts. Some states may offer toll-free numbers for
coffeehouse and concert information.
There is a list of "Open musical jam sessions" regularly posted to
rec.music.folk. The list is copyright by Rich Kulawiec, 1992, 1993.
The Folk Musician BBS 716/467-2422 maintains extensive listings of
venues that hire musicians (and much other useful info). See the
next question.
_Sing Out!_ magazine in the U.S. does a good job of noting upcoming
festivals, with an extensive listing for three months. The _Dirty
Linen_ calendar has an "Events" section and lists selected festivals
many months in advance. The big festivals are often discussed well
in advance on the net, so be watchful.[?] See also the calendar
information in Q3 & Q11.
Q11: Where can I find artists' schedules?
A11: There are several places:
_The New England Folk Almanac_, bi-monthly, includes an extensive
NE Calendar (see Q9). NE calendar also from ftp site (see Q3)
and on the Folk Musician's BBS (see Q7).
_Dirty Linen_ magazine, bi-monthly, has an extensive U.S. calendar.
Avail. in print or in ASCII via anonymous FTP from nysernet.org.
Look in directory /folk_music/dirty_linen the for the huge monthly
tour calendars. Also available on Compuserve (GO POINT), GEnie
(page 135 in the Music Roundtable), and on the New Grass City BBS
(301/414-2358), which contains other information of interest.
There's a World-Wide Web hypertext version of the Dirty Linen
calendar at:
http://pubweb.parc.xerox.com/hypertext/music/AboutDirtyLinen.html
The folk_music mailing list concerns itself heavily with artist
information and frequently has posted schedules
Q12: What are some good, award-winning or recommended artists or albums?
A12: This is very much a matter of taste and subjective, but there are a
few sources worth looking at. For American traditional music,
the Folklife Center at the Library of Congress has compiled an
annual listing of the best traditional music recordings of the year.
These represent traditional American folk and blues and are often
on limited-release small labels. Copies of the list are many
libraries or from the Library of Congress.
There are Grammy Awards given annually for traditional and con-
temporary folk. The following list does not include all folk music
which won Grammy awards, but only that which won those awards
designated for folk or folk-related music. An interesting shift in
the Grammy awards occured in the late 60s when more of the "pop"
awards were won by folk-pop or folk-rock artists, such as Simon and
Garfunkle, the Mamas and Papas, etc. Then the "folk" award
disappeared and was replaced by an "ethnic or traditional award",
which was usually given to blues artists until the early 1980s when
separate blues categories were established. Related awards, such as
blues, bluegrass, and world music, are not listed here.
1959-Best Performance, Folk: Kingston Trio _The Kingston Trio at Large_
1960-Best Performance, Folk: Harry Belafonte _Swing Dat Hammer_
1961-Best Folk Recording: Belafonte Folk Singers _Belafonte Folk
Singers at Home and Abroad_
1962-Best Folk Recording: Peter, Paul & Mary "If I Had a Hammer"
1963-Best Folk Recording: Peter, Paul & Mary "Blowin' in the Wind"
1964-Best Folk Recording: Gale Garnett _We'll Sing in the Sunshine_
1965-Best Folk Recording: Harry Belafonte, Miriam Makeba,
_An Evening with Belafonte / Makeba_
1966-Best Folk Recording: Cortelia Clark _Blues in the Street_
1967-Best Folk Performance: John Hartford "Gentle on My Mind"
1968-Best Folk Performance: Judy Collins "Both Sides Now"
1969-Best Folk Performance: Joni Mitchell _Clouds_
1970-Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording (including Traditional Blues):
T-Bone Walker "Good Feelin'"
1971-Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording (including Traditional Blues):
Muddy Waters _They Call Me Muddy Waters_
1972-Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording (including Traditional Blues):
Muddy Waters _The London Muddy Waters Session_
1973-Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording: Doc Watson _Then and Now_
1974-Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording (including Traditional Blues
and Pure Folk): Doc & Merle Watson _Two Days in November_
1975-Ethnic or Traditional Recording (including Traditional Blues
and Pure Folk): Muddy Waters _The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album_
1976-Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording: John Hartford _Mark Twang_
1977-Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording: Muddy Waters _Hard Again_
1978-Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording: Muddy Waters _I'm Ready_
1979-Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording: Muddy Waters _Muddy
"Mississippi" Waters Live_
1980-Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording: Various artists _Rare Blues_
1981-Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording: B.B. King _The Must Be a
Better World Somewhere_
1982-Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording: Queen Ida _Queen Ida
and the Bon Temps Zydeco Band on Tour_
1983-Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording: Clifton Chenier & His
Red Hot Louisiana Band _I'm Here_
1984-Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording: Elizabeth Cotten
_Elizabeth Cotten Live!_
1985-Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording: Rockin' Sidney
"My Toot Toot"
1986-Best Traditional Folk Recording: Doc Watsdon _Riding the Midnight
Train_
-Best Contemporary Folk Recording: Various artists _Tribute to
Steve Goodman_
1987-Best Traditional Folk Recording: Ladysmith Black Mambazo
_Shaka Zulu_
-Best Contemporary Folk Recording: Steve Goodman _Unfinished
Business_
1988-Best Traditional Folk Recording: Various artists _Folkways: a
Vision Shared--a Tribute to Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly_
-Best Contemporary Folk Recording: Tracy Chapman _Tracy Chapman_
1989-Best Traditional Folk Recording: Bulgarian State Radio & Television
Female Choir: _Le Mystere Des Voix Bulgare, Volume II_
-Best Contemporary Folk Recording: Indigo Girls _Indigo Girls_
1990-Best Traditional Folk Recording: Doc Watson _On Praying Ground_
-Best Contemporary Folk Recording: Shawn Colvin _Steady On_
1991-Best Traditional Folk Recording: Various artists _The Civil War
(Original Soundtrack Recording)_
-Best Contemporary Folk Recording: John Prine _The Missing Years_
1992-Best Traditional Folk Recording: The Chieftains _One Irish Evening_
-Best Contemporary Folk Recording: The Chieftains _Another Country_
Ken Josenhans (krj@netsun.cl.msu.edu) of Michigan State University
has conducted an annual poll in rec.music.folk each January since
1987, asking for favorite albums of the year; he has generally done
extensive statistical tabulation of the poll results. He keeps
copies of the results but has not, to date, archived them anywhere.
There was an informal poll in 1992, asking r.m.f readers to name
their top ten albums of all time. Dozens of artists and
hundreds of albums were mentioned; the following were the most
frequently named artists:
7 times- Fairport Convention
6 times- Bob Dylan Pete Seeger Dick Gaughan
5 times- John Gorka Joni Mitchell Stan Rogers
Bill Staines Mississippi John Hurt
4 times- Nanci Griffith Bok, Trickett & Muir Judy Collins
Peter, Paul & Mary
3 times- Bothy Band Tom Paxton Bill Morrissey
Greg Brown Tom Rush Kate Wolf
Bob Franke Steeleye Span Bert Jansch
Ian & Sylvia Richard (& Linda) Thompson
"Will the Circle Be Unbroken"
For modern U.S. singer-songwriters, the compilations by Christine
Lavin provide a good introduction. These include: "On A Winter's
Night", "When October Goes" and "Big Times In A Small Town".
Q13: Where can I find information about an artist?
A13: There's no good single source of artist information. Ask: there may
be someone here who knows the answer. Join the folk_music mailing
list, where a lot of artist info is exchanged. Some artists have
mailing lists or discographies available: see Q4, Q6, Q9. The
"birthdays" file at uwp.edu indexes biographical information from a
variety of print sources.
Q14: What's all this about Stan Rogers, then?
A14: There are a number of artists mentioned here frequently, but Stan
Rogers seems to be a special case. For a long time it seemed there
was little or no information available about him, beyond the liner
notes on his albums and his comments in his songbook _Songs from
Fogarty's Cove_. The release of a new album and a biography (_An
Unfinished Conversation_ by Chris Gudgeon) in 1993 have rekindled
interest and supplied more public knowledge.
If you've never heard any of Stan's music, find some and you'll
understand the fuss. Stan was a Canadian singer-songwriter who
recorded six albums and was beginning to attain wide popularity when
he died in an airplane fire in 1983. His powerful songs and
untimely death have given him a larger than life status and
mystique: "Saint Stan" to some.
Stan is survived by his wife Ariel and children, his mother
Valerie, who has continued to market his records, and his brother
Garnet, who accompanied Stan, but has emerged as a strong artist and
performer in his own right. Garnet has reacted negatively to the
Gudgeon book's portrayal of Stan.
The address for Valerie, source for Stan's and Garnet's records, is:
Valerie Enterprises
R.R. #1
Hannon, Ontario
L0R 1P0 Canada
The other primary source for Stan's music (and the publisher of most
of it) is Ariel Rogers, at:
Fogarty's Cove Music
23 Hillside S.
Dundas, Ontario
CANADA L9H 4H7
(905) 627-9808
Q15: This is "folk" music. Why worry about copyright?
A15: The following remarks pertain only to the U.S.A. since the editor is
generally ignorant of copyright laws in other countries.
Folk music which is truly traditional is in the public domain and
and belongs equally to everyone. Some arrangements of old songs
have been copyrighted by performers or arrangers. Songs written by
contemporary composers are intellectual property and bread in the
mouths of the writers. Giving away what does not belong to you or,
worse, selling it (via recording or paid performance) is a copyright
violation and real theft of intellectual property UNLESS royalties
are properly paid, under U.S. copyright law.
Copyright laws vary from country to country and worse, between
countries. In the U.S. you can legally copyright something by
including a printed statement of copyright on physical copies.
Copyrights may be registered with the Copyright Office in the
Library of Congress for increased legal protection. Recording
artists can obtain rights to perform a song through this same
office. Public performances for money generally require payment to
organizations which represent artists, such as ASCAP and BMI.
Whoever organizes performances (not the performers) has the
responsibility to see that any necessary payments are made.
Net reaction is somewhat mixed toward the posting of copyrighted
material, such as song lyrics. While this may be technically
illegal, it does not involve any cash and might be construed as not
damaging to the composers. Certainly many song lyrics and chords
reside in FTP sites and are thus widely available, despite
possible copyright problems.[?]
For more information, look for the six-part copyright FAQ, posted
monthly in the misc.legal, misc.legal.computing, misc.int-property,
comp.patents, misc.answers, comp.answers, and news.answers
newsgroups. This FAQ is (c) 1993 Terry Carroll and is available via
anonymous ftp from charon.amdahl.com [129.212.33.1], in the
directory /pub/misc.legal/Copyright-FAQ, filenames part.1 - part.6
Q16: What are some good mail order or online sources for recordings,
songbooks, or musical instruments?
A16: Elderly Instruments Andy's Front Hall
1100 N. Washington PO Box 307
PO Box 14210 Vorheesville, NY 12186
Lansing, MI 48901 518/765-4193
517/372-7890 orders MC/Visa $15 minimum
publishes separate catalogs
for acoustic instruments, Ladyslipper
electric instruments, books PO Box 3124R
and recordings, has news- Durham, NC 27715
letter on used instruments 800/634-6044
recordings by women
Alcazar some gift items
PO Box 429
South Main St. White Swan Music Inc.
Waterbury, VT 05676-0429 1705 14th Street Box 143
800/541-9904 Boulder, Co 80302
800/825-8656
Projection Records Mail Order
19, Mount Pleasant
Crewkerne,
Somerset TA18 7AH
UK
Good source for British Isles folk releases; payment with Visa
eliminates currency hassles.
Online record stores:
Compact Disk Connection (CDC)
lists more than 75,000 CDs, searchable by artist, title,
song title, performer, category; many with ratings.
Discount prices. Telnet to holonet.net, enter CDC at
Member Name prompt.
Compact Disk Europe
lists over 100,000 imports from Europe and Japan. Dial
408/730-8138 up to 9600 bps 8N1.
Q17: What's that music in the Volkswagen commercial?
A17: It's "Harry's Game" by the Irish family group Clannad. Enya is
sister to some of the band members & appeared on the "Fuaim" album.
Q18: What is "The Digital Tradition?"
A18: The October 1993 release of "The Digital Tradition", a database
compiled by Dick Greenhaus, contains 4000 folk songs and 1700 tunes.
It's not only extensive, but it comes with powerful searching
ability. An exciting, commendable project. It will also play the
tune, but this is easier on your own PC. From the DT blurb file:
"it's a simple matter to sift through our ever-growing collection
(4000+ songs as of October 1993) and extract any song with, say,
the name Mary in it. Or all (or any) of the more than 220 Child
ballads we have. Or songs by your favorite composer. Or, for that
matter, any bawdy Scots parodies dealing with computers --- yes,
we even have one of those ... We're not sure exactly where the
Digital Tradition will wind up, except that it will always represent
the best way we can come up with to disseminate folk songs. And
it will also be supplied at no charge to anyone who wants it. We've
recently added a UNIX version, and a Macintosh edition has just
been released. Internet users can get copies directly over the net
through the magic of FTP; mere mortals can mail us blank disks and
we'll use the Post Office's snail mail.
We're currently adding about 300 songs (mostly with tunes)
every six months...If you wish to give a copy to someone
else, feel free. The Digital Tradition is copy-encouraged"
The World-Wide Web server is at: http://web2.xerox.com/digitrad
If you want to get your own copy of the PC, Mac, or ASCII Digital
Tradition, see one of the FTP sites below:
ftp://parcftp.xerox.com/pub/music/digital_tradition/current/
ftp://ftp.uwp.edu/pub/music/folk/digital.tradition/current/
or (PC version only) send three formatted HD disks (5.25" or
3.5") and a STAMPED, SELF-ADDRESSED mailer to Dick Greenhaus at:
The Digital Tradition
28 Powell Street
Greenwich, CT 06831
Phone: 203/531-7314
E-Mail: digitrad@world.std.com
Q19: What's that song "Willy McBride", or "No Man's Land" or "Green
Fields of France"?
A19: The song is "No Man's Land" by Scottish-Australian singer-songwriter
Eric Bogle. The lyrics and chords are in _Rise Up Singing_. The
song has been frequently recorded by Bogle and others. The lyrics
have been somewhat "folk-processed", but the chorus is often
misunderstood. The last two lines refer to songs traditionally
played at soldiers' funerals:
Did the bugles play "The Last Post" in chorus?
Did the pipes play "The Flowers o' the Forest"?
Q20: What is Sacred Harp singing?
A20: Sacred Harp singing is a form of traditional community music making.
Originating in colonial New England, it made its way south and west,
and was preserved in the Deep South, where it takes place at all-day
singings in rural churches, schools and courthouses. It is now
being revived all over the country.
Sacred Harp singing is music in four vocal parts with no instru-
ments. Singers sit by part facing each other in a hollow square.
They sing from a large, oblong singing book (usually _The Sacred
Harp_) containing songs by the first American composers. The leader
selects a group of songs (a lesson) and stands in the center of the
square, beating time with the hand; all singers take turns as
leader. The music is printed in four shaped notes, with the melody
in the tenor part; the singing is uninhibited and infectious.
Although groups outside the south may omit some of these traditional
practices, the best way to learn about it is to try it.
There is also a seven-shape notation, used in tunebooks like
_Christian Harmony_, in a few church hymnnals, and in small
paperback songbooks for singings and conventions (convention music,
"little-book" singing, "shape-note gospel" singing) Seven-shape
events may share in some of the traditional practices found in
Sacred Harp singings, or they may be more like performances for an
audience, or something in between. The music is likely to be in a
more modern style. See Q6 for info on the shaped-note mailing list.
Q21: What is filk music?
A21: Briefly, it's science fiction folk music. Filk singing arose at
science fiction and fantasy conventions and frequently involves
parodies using melodies of popular and folk songs with SF lyrics.
For example, a recent thread in alt.music.filk included Star Trek
Christmas carols.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Contributors include:
Leo Breebaart rec-music-info@cp.tn.tudelft.nl
Andrea Crain s976378@Umslvma.umsl.edu
Doug Henkle HENKLE@vaxa.cis.uwosh.edu
Ken Josenhans 13020KRJ@msu.edu
Doug Landauer Doug.Landauer@Eng.Sun.COM
Steve Putz putz@parc.xerox.com
Alan Rowoth alanr@nysernet.org
Barry M. Schlesinger BSCHLESINGER@NSSDCA.GSFC.NASA.GOV
Warren Steel mudws@sunvis1.vislab.olemiss.edu
David Wald wald@theory.lcs.mit.edu
Many thanks!
******************************************************************************