Women Of Folk - Tumblr Posts
Pete Seeger's Rainbow Quest, ep. 5 1965
Jean Ritchie performing Shady Grove
Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez, Bread and Roses Festival, October 5, 1980.
Appalachian folk musician Jean Ritchie, known as the 'Mother of Folk' (1922-2015)
Song of the Day
(do you want the history of your favorite folk song? dm me or submit an ask and I'll do a full rundown)
"Satisfied Mind" Joan Baez, 1965
originally cowritten by Red Hayes and Jack Rhodes in 1926, recorded 1954
Another interesting cover is by Ella Fitzgerald in 1955, who turned it into a jazz classic.
jean ritchie promotional flier 1964
Jean Ritchie, The Mother of Folk
Song of the day
do you want to know the history of a folk song? submit an ask or dm me and I'll cover it
"The Falcon" Mimi & Richard Fariña, 1965
originally based on a traditional English folk song "The Cuckoo Bird", first published between 1780-1812 in London,
later captured by alan lomax in 1942
Mimi & Richard changed the traditional folk song to a hauntingly beautiful anti-war song, describing the predatory nature of fascism and the falcons longing for peace and whimsy.
Song of the day
do you want to know the history of a folk song? submit an ask or dm me and I'll cover it
"Little Boxes" Malvina Reynolds, 1967-70s
originally written by her in 1962 and first recorded by her friend Pete Seeger in 1963. where it was his only charting single in 1964
the song is a fun satire, poking fun at the crushing normativity that was present in the 50s and 60s.
I had no idea that Peggy Seeger is queer! 🙉 I have read more about her
Yea! Its under talked about for sure. Peggy Seeger actually identifies as bisexual and her current partner is Irene Scott. She also contributed to the 2005 book "Getting Bi: voices of bisexuals around the world"
iconic! I love her!
here's a whole album of love poems dedicated to Irene made by Peggy Seeger and released in 2020
AND, the most fucking sapphic thing I have ever heard of or witnessed, peggy seeger and Irene Scott performing "Garden of Flowers" together in her compilation album "Songs of Love and Politics"
this song details the story of two young lovers, and something vaguely terrible happening? It's an incredibly haunting and spooky song and idk guys there is something fundamentally sapphic about it. an underlying yearning and pining perhaps, a feeling of death that rests heavily on the chest. Maybe it's just because it's a tragic heterosexual love story being performed by a sapphic couple. I think about this song often and will probably make a song of the day post about it.
god, I love her so much. Peggy Seeger is the age of my grandmother right now and is the only queer woman I know (beyond speculation I mean) from the folk scene. She is also just super cool in general! I'm a butch lesbian, and it soooo important to me to know that sapphic people, throughout history both recent and old, have always existed. We have always been here. God bless Peggy Seeger, I hope someday she is recognized as a sapphic icon in the same way as Chappell Roan or Tracy Chapman.
Shirley Collins
Tribute to Elizabeth Cotten with Odetta
Song of the Day
do you want to know the history of a folk song? submit an ask or dm me and I'll cover it
"Great Historical Bum" Odetta, 1960
Originally written in 1941 by Woody Guthrie for his Columbia River Song collection. That time when Woody Guthrie (a socialist) was commissioned by the US federal government (at the recommendation of Alan Lomax. to write folk songs in support of the Coulee Dam in 1941. Woody Guthrie was in poverty at the time and was happy to finally have a job. During the month he traveled through Oregon and wrote a song every day, including "Pastures of Plenty" and "Roll on Columbia".
the lyrics in these songs, including this one, include radical themes like working-class rights, unions, anti-fascism, and anti-capitalism. because of this and because Woody Guthrie was an anti-capitalist, the songs and the documentary they were made for were ordered destroyed by the Eisenhower administration. luckily the recordings were saved by a proletarian comrade: a former employee of the Bonneville Power Administration, who decided to keep a copy of the film and recordings.
this song may also be inspired by another traditional song recorded in 1928 by Harry McClintock , but I'm not sure.
I like this cover by Odetta quite a bit. I think she does the original one justice.
Elizabeth Cotten - Euphoria Tavern, Portland, Oregon, February 19, 1975
American genius Elizabeth Cotten was born at the tail-end of the 19th century, but she thankfully lived a long life. And in 1975, at the age of 82, she was in Portland, playing her guitar and banjo and singing her classic songs for a small-but-very-appreciative crowd. Originally broadcast on KBOO-FM, this show features plenty of Cotten's hugely influential fingerpicking, charmingly rambling monologues and singalongs that will bring a smile to your face and a tear to your eye.
Elizabeth Says: I just loved to play. That used to be all I’d do. I’d sit up late at night and play. My mama would say to me, “Sis, put that thing down and go to bed.” “Alright, Mama, just as soon as I finish—let me finish this.” Well, by me keep playing, you see, she’d go back to sleep and I’d sit up thirty minutes or longer than that after she’d tell me to stop playing. Sometimes I’d near play all night if she didn’t wake up and tell me to go to bed. That’s when I learned to play, ’cause then when I learned one little tune, I’d be so proud of that, that I’d want to learn another. Then I’d just keep sitting up trying. I tried hard to play, I’m telling you. I worked for what I’ve got. I really did work for it.
PS - A snippet of this performance was released a while back on a 7-inch with the great Marisa Anderson on the flipside. Go grab the digital version to support KBOO!
Song of The Day
do you want the history of a folk song? dm me or submit an ask and I'll do the full rundown
"Jackaroe" Joan Baez, 1962
Jackaroe is a traditional folk song that was first printed in 1812-1818 as "Jack Munro"
It was first recorded in 1932 by A.K Davis and has been performed many times in England and the USA. This song like another song I've talked about, "Willie Taylor" is interesting because the story is about a woman who crossdresses to become a sailor and find her lover. Making it an undeniably queer song.
Joan Baez first performed it live in 1962 on tour and released the recording later that year. She does a lovely job with it
Elizabeth "Libba" Cotten clipping, 1987
An Album a Day 2024: Day 262
Sep. 18, 2024
Tracy Chapman - Matters of the Heart (1992)
Folk rock, Pop rock, Singer-songwriter
Joan Baez performing "We shall Overcome" at the march on Washington, 1963
Song of The Day
"Shake Sugaree" Elizabeth Cotten and Brenda Evans, 1960s Shake Sugaree was written sometime in the 1960s by Elizabeth Cotten's Great-Grandchildren. She explains, "Each child got a verse." The song is sung here by Brenda Evans, who was 12 years old then, and was recorded by Mike Seeger. This song could have been the inspiration for the song "Sugaree" by the Grateful Dead, but the band has denied this. Jerry Garcia was a big fan of her work and performed and the band performed some of her songs. I'm not really familiar with these people though, so I'm not sure. Brenda Evans would continue to be a musician, and I think, was a member of the band "The Undisputed Truth" for a time. And would continue to make and perform music in the 1970s.
Song of The Day
"Lady, What Do You Do All Day?" Peggy Seeger, 1984
This song was written and recorded by Peggy Seeger, with accompanying vocals from Ewan MacColl (her husband) and Calum MacColl (her son)
"It always distresses me to hear the housewife put down. A good housewife is a genius, an artist, an organizer par excellence. It is a high calling and a woman should not be made to feel an escapist if she wishes to undertake it. Nor, if she happens to be inefficient at it, should it reflect upon her as a woman. Unfortunately, in our society, women enter motherhood and domesticity with a head full of pre-conceived notions, often romantic, notions and by then it is too late."
Peggy Seeger about "Lady, What Do You Do All Day?"