Introduction: The Origin of the Blues According to many textbooks, the blues is a genre that was born in the rural Mississippi Delta, with roots in the “sorrow songs” of enslaved people. It’s easy, however, to poke holes in this origin story and instead start to see the blues as a joyful, rebellious musical expression … Read More
Introduction: The Mysteries of The Two Brothers Whereas the “Two Sisters” murder ballad is a complete, coherent story, “Two Brothers” is messy. What’s the motive? Who are these brothers? Who kills who? In this episode of Folk Files, we search for the answers to these questions… and discover a dark hypothesis for why the story … Read More
Introduction – The Life and Work of Stan Rogers Stan Rogers was one of Canada’s greatest singer-songwriters, despite his music having never had major distribution or significant radio playtime. In this episode, I discuss the (tragically short) life of the impressive baritone and dissect his songs in order to answer this question: What makes his … Read More
Introduction – The Story of “Twa Sisters” A harrowing murder ballad in which an older sister shoves her younger sister in the water (and sometimes a musician makes an instrument from the drowned girl’s corpse) can be found all over Great Britain, North America, and Scandinavia. But where did it originally come from? And how … Read More
Introduction – Are These “Irish Songs” Really Irish? In this St. Patrick’s Day episode, I ask the question: “Is it actually Irish?” We will explore over thirty “Irish songs” and see if they actually come from Irish sources. Along the way, we’ll discuss the Rising of 1798, the history of Dublin, the Great Famine, and … Read More
Introduction – The MTA Song and its Origins This episode primarily deals with “The MTA Song,” also known as “Charlie on the MTA.” It describes the story of a man who rides the Boston subway system forever because he can’t afford the exit fare. The song is one of the latest variants of a song … Read More
Robert Burns, his legacy, and his contributions to Scottish folk music Introduction – Robert Burns and Burns Night Suppers Welcome to the third season of Folk Files! We are starting off the year with a Scottish Bard-themed episode to celebrate Burns Night on January 25th. Learn about the traditions associated with the Burns Night Supper … Read More
An exploration of Coventry Carol. Introduction: Happy Holidays! Coventry Carol is a lullaby to a “little tiny child”…but surprisingly, that child is NOT Jesus. Also, whereas Jingle Bells is a “sleighing song,” this is a “slaying song.” Learn more about this Christmas carol that was almost lost to time, including the history of modern Western … Read More
An interview with Ruth Perry, author of The Ballad World of Anna Gordon, Mrs. Brown of Falkland. Introduction Welcome to a bonus episode of Folk Files in which we touch on the life and times of Anna Gordon. Also known as Mrs. Brown of Falkland, she was one of the most famous source singers in … Read More
“The Death of Queen Jane” and its historical contexts Introduction – Investigating “The Death of Queen Jane” For a long time, “The Death of Queen Jane” has been considered a folk song that takes artistic liberties with the historic event of the birth of Edward VI to Jane Seymour in 1537. But is it possible … Read More