FTX-915 - THE WIFE OF USHER'S WELL

JEAN JENKINS -2- Mountain Ballads

A unique collection of 40 American folk songs including 15 "Child" Ballads, 22 other songs and 3 dance-songs: 31 with banjo and 9 unacc. Because of her strong socialist convictions, Jean came to England in 1956 and Peter Kennedy recorded her family songs, from Franklin County, Vermont, in April 1957, at a time when they were still fresh in her mind. She was for a time married to the Trade Union leader, Clive Jenkins. She became a qualified ethno-musicologist and worked for many years as an Assistant Curator at The Horniman Museum in South London. She will be remembered for a number of radio broadcasts after her tireless recording trips to many African and Asian countries and her important series on the Music of Islam.

1. THE WIFE OF USHER'S WELL (Child Ballad #79) - 2'22"

2. LOCKS AND BOLTS (Sharp FSSA #80) - 2'06"

3. LORD BARNARD (Child #81) - 5'35"

4. THE CUCKOO - 1'37"

5. SLACK YOUR ROPE, HANGMAN (Unacc) (Child #95: Maid freed from Gallows) - 2'19"

6. HE FOLLOWED HER UP (Child #4: The Outlandish Knight) - 3'26"

7. THE MAN IN THE NORTH COUNTRY (Child #10: The Two Sisters) - 3'41"

8. THREE CROWS (Child #26) - 0'32"

9. THE CHERRY TREE CAROL (Child #54) - 2'10"

10. MISS BARBARY (Unacc) (Child #84: Barbara Allen) - 3'04"

11. THE HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN - 1'22"

12. JOHN HENRY - 1'27"

13. THE JAM AT GERRY'S ROCKS - 2'07"

14. WELL MET, WELL MET (Unacc) (Child #24: THe House Carpenter) - 2'55"

15. LORD HENRY LEE (Child #68: Young Hunting) - 2'50"

16. THE STREETS OF OLD LONDON (The Dying Cowboy/ Unfortunate Rake) - 1'37"

17. SCHOFIELD TOWN (Unacc) (Sharp #96: My parents reared me) - 2'03"

18. LORD RANDALL (Child #12) - 1'21"

19. Talk about song sources - 1'08"

20. EVERY NIGHT WHEN THE SUN GOES IN - 1'59"

21. DOWN IN THE VALLEY (Birmingham Gaol) - 1'16"

22. MY DEAREST DEAR (Sharp #77) - 1'12"

23. HE'S GONE FAR AWAY OVER JORDAN (Unacc) (Sharp #61: Truelover's Farewell) - 1'04"

24. THE FARMER'S CURST WIFE (Child #278) - 1'46"

25. LORD BATEMAN (Child #5) - 3'47"

26. MY BONNY BOY IS YOUNG (Unacc) - 1'04"

27. THE WAGONER'S LAD (Sharp #64) - 1'45"

Recorded by Peter Kennedy, London 1957. Edited by Peter Kennedy & first published on Folktrax cassettes 1976.