One of my folkie friends read Folk Music Friday #1 and mentioned that it was very heavy on male singers. Looking at it again, I had to agree. So this week's installment focuses on women singers from the folk music revival. This is by no means a comprehensive list, and if you like what you hear, I encourage you to dig around and find more. And you can always ask me, and I can either give you suggestions or ask someone more knowledgeable for suggestions.
I also noticed on the Google home page that today is International Women's Day. I didn't plan this, had no idea that it even existed. I like cool coincidences. I've also been putting the videos from each installment into their own playlist, as well as adding some of the other songs that I liked but didn't make it into the blog. Consider it the extended version. So, here's a small sample of some of the more famous women folk singers from the folk music revival. Hope you enjoy!
First up, we have Jean Ritchie. A beautiful singer and very talented songwriter from Kentucky. I had a hard time picking one song, but I thought this one might interest a lot of people.
Miriam Makeba, also known as Mama Africa, was a South African singer who was exiled from South Africa for 30 years for speaking up and singing about the injustices of apartheid. I'd never heard of her until I started doing research for this blog series and hadn't hear any of her music until Sunday. Imagine my surprise on Tuesday when I found the Google doodle celebrating what would have been her 81st birthday. This week has been full of coincidences like that. A lot of her music was jazzed up to make it more popular for American and European tastes. I don't really care for it, I like the more traditional songs.
Hedy West was another new to me singer. And another I had a hard time choosing one song for.
Joan Baez. I love Joan. First big concert I ever went to. I was 16, and my mom took me. We had a girls' night out – dinner, concert, and stayed in a motel. Probably one of my favorite of the big name folk musicians. This song was the first one I ever sang in front of other people, and I memorized from one of Joan Baez's albums.
Joni Mitchell. I'm not a Joni Mitchell fan. I picked the first one I found that fit the time frame and called it good. Sorry to all the Joni Mitchell fans out there.
Judy Collins is another of the more famous singers from the 60s that I really don't care for. I do like this song, though.
Buffy St. Marie is a member of the Cree nation. Much of her work is about native peoples, war, and protest. She's pretty interesting, even if you don't care for her music. The song I picked for today's blog has been pretty controversial and covered by a lot of protest singers. To any of my readers who have served in the armed forces, I mean no disrespect or offense.
Sandy Denny has both solo work and also sang with the British group Fairport Convention. Lots of good musicians and singers in Fairport Convention, by the way.
Speaking of Fairport Convention...Led Zeppelin fans listen closely to Sandy Denny's voice in Tam Lin and then listen to The Battle of Evermore. Sound familiar?
Lorna Campbell is another singer best known for having sung in a family group. She sang with her brother Ian Campbell in the Ian Campbell Folk Group, a rather unimaginative name in my not-so-humble opinion I'm not sure if the poet Robert Burns wrote it or if it's one that he stole, er, borrowed/fixed, whatever.
Ray Fisher, another singer from a family of talented singers. She unfortunately passed away in 2011. I like her simple traditional singing in this one. Sorry about the length on this one, but it's a great song.
Jeannie Robertson was another singer of old traditional songs. This one has another version that seems to be more commonly known (Edward). Again, I really like the simple traditional singing of this one.
As always, thanks go out to Bob Nelson in the state of Washington for his help with the American/Canadian end of things and John MacKenzie for his help from the other side of the Pond (the Atlantic Ocean, for those unfamiliar with the term).
I'm going to comment twice, once on the first half, then the second when I get done finding the songs for my own blog;
"Hangman" - Bit too country for my tastes, but to each their own
"Mbube" - This was a nice, relaxing song, and I love hearing other cultures' music; traditional non-folk African music can be hit or miss with me, but this one was a good tune. I'd like to hear her more jazzed up stuff as well ... what? I have American tastes. lol
"500 Miles" - Another nice and easy song I enjoyed. Felt a bit country as well, but it was just the right mix of country twang and folky to get me to like it; soothing.
"Wagoner's Land" - Soothing, yet rebellious in its lyrics. And as a poor man myself, I appreciate her sentiment. Believe it or not, I learned of Joan Baez through the Judas Priest cover of "Diamonds and Rust," which I believe is about her break-up with Bob Dylan. Yes, you read that right, Judas Priest did a cover of her song on their Sin After Sin album. lol
"Chelsea Morning" - I liked it, but the lyrics are a bit saccharine and cheesy. Is that why you don't care for it, or you just don't like her sound in general? The guitar and vocal melodies are actually reminescent of some of the slower, acoustic 90s songs I've heard, probably inspired by her in some way, so maybe that's its appeal to me.
"Someday Soon" - The steel guitar start had me worried this might get a little too country for me as well, but then the vocals kicked in, and I must say, I like her voice. Actually, might be my favorite song so far, so I'm not sure if I'll share your disposition towards her if I find more. lol
I'll be back for the second half.
Ranger1
03/08/2013 at 12:31 PM
Jean Ritchie does have a bit of a lean toward country, but country was heavily influenced by folk. Her style is Appalachian, which was probably one of the heavier influnces on a lot of country.
As for Joni and Judy, just not my style. They both have beautiful voices, I just wish I liked their songs better.
Just search on YouTube for Miriam Makeba and you'll find plenty of the jazzed up stuff. Not to my taste, but not a big fan of brass in my folk.
Glad you liked the others.
Homelessrook
03/08/2013 at 12:46 PM
Great picks again. Love Joni and Joan. I like Joan's performance at Woodstock, very classic. What is funny she was such a straight as the hippies would have called her LOL.
Ranger1
03/08/2013 at 02:42 PM
Larry, it doesn't surprise me. She's all about her music. I have the first two albums that were put out on Vanguard, both very much traditional and two of my favorites, but I loved a lot of her 60s and 70s protest stuff. Blessed Are..is another favorite.
Super Step
Contributing Writer
03/08/2013 at 02:35 PM
"Universal Soldier" - Oh wow. Very interesting song and message. Reminds me a bit of the sarcasm of Bad Religion's "I Want to Conquer the World." I won't state my political opinions here, as it's mostly the music I'm attracted to anyway, but she sounds like an artist I'd be interested in.
"Green Grow the Laurels" - Absolutely love the production on this, the echoing really gives it that dream like feel. The guitar work and vocals certainly don't hurt, either. As I type this, my favorite song so far. I'll have to look up these Fairport Convention folks, I'm impressed.
"Tam Lin" - I don't recall "Battle of Evermore" in particular as a passive Zep fan (mostly I know "Black Dog," "Stairway," "Ramble On," "Immigrant Song" and such), but the fact it sounds very Zeppelin-esque in general is of no surprise, as the first three influences I think of when I think of Zep are Tolkien, blues, and folk. Great song, by the way.
"Highland Widow's Lament" - Good song, not my favorite, as I prefer a bit more musical swelling in my traditional Irish/Scottish/English folk, but a good song nonetheless.
"Mill O'Tiffy's Annie" - I'm three-quarters Irish, so of course I love this song. lol Sad to hear she passed away, though.
"My Son David" - I prefer more instrumentation, but she does have a nice voice, reminds me of my mom's in a way, so I liked this one as well.
Great selection again, Tami!
Ranger1
03/08/2013 at 02:44 PM
I have a love of unaccompanied music, so I really love those old a capella songs. Reminds me of when my grandfather used to sing to me. And that's Highland Widow's Lament, no whiskey there, just a sorrowful war widow.
Super Step
Contributing Writer
03/08/2013 at 03:46 PM
Ah, I was going to say an old Irish folk song I know of was "Whiskey in the Jar," but stopped typing that when I realized the songs didn't sound that much alike, hence I must have mixed the two titles and not noticed. My mistake.
smartcelt
03/08/2013 at 10:10 PM
I tend to lean more toward female singers when it comes to folk music. You probably realized that when I sent you that mix CD of music that time. It had music by women such as Connie Dover on it. Some would call her Celtic,but she is versatile. How can one not like Joan Baez? Lotta people don't,but I think it has more to do with her political activism than her talent. I think she is wonderful. I know the exact part of The Battle Of Evermore you are referring to. That is the part that made it a great song,as instrumentally rather sparse and sort of haunting.
Ranger1
03/08/2013 at 10:19 PM
Check out the playlist I linked to at the end of the blog and let me know what you think.
Anonymous
03/09/2013 at 08:48 AM
Another good entry, Tami. I happen to be very fond of Judy Collins' singing and actually learned "Liverpool Lullaby" (rewrite by Stan Kelly of a Tyneside trad song) from her LP "In My Life." I might add a few influential women singers though -- Norma Waterson (of The Watersons and mother of Liza Carthy), Jean Redpath, Belle & Sheila Stewart (The Stewarts of Blair), June Tabor & Maddy Prior (together as Silly Sisters, separately and in other groups (Oyster Band, Steeleye Span), Anne Briggs (especially on "Bird In the Bush"), Peggy Seeger (Ewan MacColl's partner for many years) and Margaret Barry (traditional Irish singer, Traveller, street singer). Oh, and Frankie Armstrong. Everybody forgets Frankie Armstrong because she hasn't recorded for quite awhile (but does singing workshops) and most of her recordings are out of print. Frankie Armstrong is probably MY primary influence in English trad.
Ranger1
03/09/2013 at 09:03 AM
Linn, if I'd included everyone, I'd have scared off the target audience! And several of the people you mentioned are on the YouTube playlist that I linked to at the bottom.
Anonymous
03/09/2013 at 08:51 AM
That wasn't "Anonymous", Tami, it was me, Linn Schulz. Don't know my way around this site yet. Do I have to set up an account to have an identity? Please answer me at Facebook.
Matt Snee
Staff Writer
03/09/2013 at 09:41 AM
Damn that's a lot of folk! I love it.
I like Sandy Dennis the best. She has got serious vibrato going on. With the reverb her voice is especially haunting.
This is awesome, thanks!
Ranger1
03/09/2013 at 11:45 AM
Matt, I'm glad you liked it. DId you check out the playlist that I linked? More on there that didn't make it into the blog. Fairport Convention had a lot of great members that went on to solo careers. Richard Thompson is a personal favorite of mine and will appear in some future installment.
Matt Snee
Staff Writer
03/09/2013 at 11:50 AM
no, I'll check it out now. i could use some more folk after listening to keyboard demos for the hour (shopping for one)
smartcelt
03/09/2013 at 10:30 PM
I went to your YouTube playlist and gave it a thumbs up. Lot of great music in this list. I agree about Sandy Denny. What an amazing voice. Lorna Campbell is another one I really dug. But I think Hedy West is the most interesting one of all. Something very traditional about her tone. Very soothing and sweet.
Ranger1
03/10/2013 at 08:03 AM
Thanks, Wayde. This one took a lot of research on my part, as I wasn't very familiar with a lot of the singers. And yeah, Hedy West blew me away. I've had 500 Miles stuck in my head for days.
FAF101
03/11/2013 at 08:48 AM
I love the folk music instrumental portions of the songs you picked! I am not a huge fan of folk music singing...but I do love the instrumental portions! I think I may just need to find that one singer I can listen to.
Ranger1
03/11/2013 at 09:28 AM
Keep checking in, Ashley. We'll find one for you somewhere, lol. I'll be featuring more instrumental stuff now that I've done these two blogs. As a matter of fact, this week's will definitely have some tunes as well as songs.
FAF101
03/11/2013 at 09:55 AM
Sweet! I will certainly give them a hear when you post them XD
smartcelt
03/11/2013 at 11:42 AM
Just wanted to make one more comment. Wanted to thank you for putting in the effort to do these blogs. This is why I enjoy this site. Learning about music,games,literature,movies,you name it. That's what it's all about. You excel at blogging,so I always learn new stuff from yours.
Ranger1
03/11/2013 at 12:00 PM
Aw, thanks, Wayde! What a nice way to start the day!
BrokenH
03/11/2013 at 03:50 PM
One of my best older friends John used to take me to a lot of folk music concerts. It meant a lot to me at the time on account my actual home life was a broken mess. Thanks for rekindling the positive memories,Tami!
Ranger1
03/11/2013 at 04:53 PM
You are most welcome, Ben! You live in an area with a lot of really good folk music going on all around, by the way.
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Believe it or not, I learned of Joan Baez through the Judas Priest cover of "Diamonds and Rust," which I believe is about her break-up with Bob Dylan. Yes, you read that right, Judas Priest did a cover of her song on their Sin After Sin album. lol
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