The Weavers even tackle Gospel and Spirituals like “When The Saints Go Marching In” and “I’ve Got A Home In That Rock.” Another Leadbelly song they covered was “Rock Island Line” (which in England was popularized by Lonnie Donnegan’s skiffle movement, one of the artists who inspired a young Skiffle group called The Quarrymen which would eventually be renamed The Beatles). It was later covered by second generation folk mega stars Peter Paul & Mary in a very similar arrangement. “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine” is an Irish folk song which they came to via Huddie Ledbetter (aka Leadbelly). On The Weavers At Carnegie Hall we hear their legendary “Wimoweh” (which later was morphed into a pop hit in the 1960s called “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”). Arguably the first folk super stars after Woody Guthrie, The Weavers - who were Pete Seeger, Ronnie Gilbert, Fred Hellerman and Lee Hayes - set the template for diversity and inclusivity with songs from cultures as diverse as Ireland, Africa, Israel, Spain and the Caribbean. Blacklisted in the McCarthy-era anti-communist witch hunt, the group ultimately returned triumphantly performing at venues like Carnegie Hall. Wow! It is kind of amazing to consider the impact The Weavers had on popular music and society as we know it. In the loosest sense, if an acoustic guitar is involved in making the music you love, and there are clear vocals and harmonies present, chances are you are listening to something in the neighborhood of folk music.Īcross six albums, The Story of Vanguard helps to paint a snapshot of some of the underdogs, movers and shakers who created often politically charged acoustic based music that inspired millions. Going into a deep definition of folk music is beyond the scope of this listening report (and frankly, you should buy the set so you can read about it there in the included 36 page booklet). If you’ve been discovering Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan these days, well you’re already deep into folk music and might not even know it! Bottom line, if you’ve been listening to Iron & Wine, Fleet foxes and perhaps even some of Taylor Swift you’ve been listening to the resonant echoes of folk musics past. Now some of you might be wondering what folk music is? Its actually kind of funny as I wrote this before even looking at the opening paragraphs of the booklet which comes with the set and they more or less go down a similar path.
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