FTX-098 - JACKY BOY-MASTER

16 songs from Cecilia Costello, a Birmingham singer of Irish parentage, with which she used to brighten the hearts and faces of her fellow workers at the Phillip's Screw Factory, and 7 songs from Sam Bennett, a fruit farmer who was also the local Morris fool and fiddler, as well as an important song repository in the Cotswold village of Ilmington, near Stratford-on-Avon. Both singers have versions of Classic ("Child") Ballads and broadsides of much interest. These recordings were made by Peter Kennedy 1950-2.

Cecilia Costello:-

1. MY BARNEY (LIES OVER THE OCEAN) - 2.56

2. THE GHOST OF WILLIE-O (Child #248) - 4.02

3. LOVE IT IS A KILLING THING (THE IRISH GIRL) - 0.45

4. FARE YOU WELL, COLD WINTER (Fragment of FAREWELL HE) - 1.05

5. (SWEET) BETSY OF BALLANTOWN BRAE - 6.08

6. I AM A MAID THAT'S DEEP IN LOVE - 1.57

7. SHULE (AVEEL) AGRA - 2 verses - 1.14

8. THE FEMALE CABIN-BOY - 2 verses - 0.32

9. GREEN BUSHES - 2.16

10. DOWN BY THE GREENWOOD SIDE-I-O (Child #20) - 4.15

11. THE GREEN WEDDING (Child #221) - 3.51

12. I WISH I WISH (or DIED FOR LOVE) - 1.48

13. THE JEW'S GARDEN (Child #155) - 1.20

14. THE FROG AND THE MOUSE - 1.03

15. COME WRITE ME DOWN THE POWERS ABOVE - 1.37

16. THE WEXFORD MURDER (JAMES MACDONALD/ THE LONGFORD MURDER) - 5.16

Sam Bennett:-

17. THE GREEN MOSSY BANKS OF THE LEE (or THE AMERICAN STRANGER) - 2.23

18. THE FOGGY DEW (One verse only) - 0.25

19. THE BAILIFF'S DAUGHTER OF ISLINGTON (Child #105) - 2 verses - 0.27

20. THE GYPSIES GLEE - 1.53

21. THE SPRING GLEE - 3.50

22. BLOW AWAY THE MORNING DEW (Child #112) - 1.18

23. ADMIRAL BENBOW - 2.50

Tracks #1-16 from Cecilia Costello, were recorded at her home in Birmingham by Peter Kennedy, on August 11th. 1951 and in 1952. She was later recorded by Pat Shaw and Marie Slocombe for the B.B.C. Tracks #17-23, from Sam Bennett, were recorded by Peter Kennedy, at Sam's home at Ilmington, near Stratford-on-Avon, on August 10th., 1950. He had previously been visited by Cecil Sharp and Percy Grainger in 1908 and by the American collector, James Carpenter, in 1928.

SAM BENNETT (1865-1951) was responsible for reviving the Ilmington Morris Dances which were noted and published by Cecil Sharp. He also sang a number of songs which Sharp included in "Folk Songs for Schools", of which the best known song was "The Keeper". In the early thirties he was invited to the States by Henry Ford to teach Folk Dances to the Detroit Motor workers.

CECILIA COSTELLO (1883-1976). Born and brought up in Birmingham, where she lived all her life, "Ciss" learned most of her songs from her father who came from Ballinasloe in County Roscommon. Her mother, who came from Galway, was said to be related to Ned Kelly, the Australian bushranger.

Recorded & edited by Peter Kennedy & published on Folktrax Cassettes 1975.