FTX-186 - DAVIE FAA
JEANNIE ROBERTSON - The Big Ballads
Outstanding among Scots singing travellers, Alan Lomax, the American collector
described Jeannie as: "One of the elect angels of folk-song, that have kept
the tradition alive and burning across all of time". Recorded by Peter Kennedy
in 1953, when Jeannie was only 45 years old, here are some of the finest examples
of her singing of the great "classic" ballads together with an interview with
Alan Lomax.
1. DAVIE FAA (talk before) - 4'58"
2. THE LADY O THE DENTY DOON-BY (talk before) - 3'20"
3. Interview with Alan Lomax - 4'39"
4. THE BONNY WEE LASSIE WHO NEVER SAID NO - 1'55"
5. THE HANDSOME CABIN-BOY (talk aft) - 4'19"
6. BRENNAN ON THE MOOR - 6'35"
7. WHEN I WAS NOO BUT SWEET SIXTEEN - 0'58"
8. SHE IS A RUM ONE (The Brewer Laddie) - 2'42"
9. THE JOLLY BEGGARMAN (Child #279) - 6'05"
10. THE LAIRD O' DRUM (Child # 236) - 7'38"
11. THE GYPSY LADDIE (Child #200) sung with harmonica accomp - 3'53"
12. LORD DONALD (Child #12) - 7'20"
13. THE TWA BROTHERS (Child #49) - 4'30"
Recorded by Peter Kennedy in London in 1953. Edited by Peter Kennedy and first
published by Folktrax 1979.
JEANNIE ROBERTSON (1906-1975) was awarded an M.B.E. for her service to Scottish
music. Alan Lomax: "Jeannie was one of the great ones. She had the refined mouth
and the powerful throat that's typical of the great singer, and out of it came
trumpet-notes suitable to the big ballad and soft flute-like tones suited to
the sweet randy love-songs....she had a great sense of how to lay a tune along
the words, to make both shine more brightly, and she knew how to put in the
delicate brush of embellishment, to make the song come to life in the most important
parts".
