Tag: folk music

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The Powerful Legacy of Nanci Griffith in Country Music


“Pluck” is the word that comes to mind when I think of Nanci Griffith and her music. In terms of stature, Nanci can be described as diminutive, or perhaps petite is a better, if overused, description. Ironically, the essence of Nanci Griffith is anything but small. She imbued her songs with a crystal clear, powerful voice and confident stage presence. In her simple way, Griffith is remembered as a giant among country and folk singer/songwriters. With twenty-four albums released from 1978 to 2002, Griffith has left a lasting impression on an art form she once described as “folkabilly.” Nanci’s music merges the elegant folk of her early years with the folk-rock of her later years.

I’ve covered many of Nanci’s songs on this blog, including this latest, “Trouble In The Fields.” It’s a penetrating and beautiful song inspired by Griffith’s recollections of her great-grandparents’ struggles with drought and hard economic times during the 1930s. “Trouble In The Fields” is dedicated to Nanci’s great aunt and uncle, Nettie Mae and Tootie, farmers for eighty years near Lubbock, Texas.

Here’s my cover.

          

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acoustic guitar artist profiles Arts & Entertainment love songwriting

The Story Behind Carefree Highway by Gordon Lightfoot


On a musical tour of the Western United States, Gordon Lightfoot discovered a highway sign that read, “Carefree Highway.” The words on the sign led Gordon to write a song about a carefree lifestyle and a lost love.

Lightfoot put the lyrics away in the glove compartment of his car. Eight months later, Gordon wrote the music for “Carefree Highway” after almost forgetting about the song. Wouldn’t you know that the song became one of Lightfoot’s biggest hits?

Here’s my cover.

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Arts & Entertainment folk guitar folk music love relationships

Exploring Bob Dylan’s Tomorrow Is A Long Time: A Love Song

A long way from love

Bob Dylan recorded the first version of “Tomorrow Is A Long Time” in 1962. He didn’t release it until 1971 on his “Greatest Hits Album.” Oddly, Ian and Sylvia were the first recording artists to release the song in 1963 on their album “Four Strong Winds.”

The song is about longing for a loved one, specifically Suze Rotolo, who Dylan dated from 1961 to 1964. It is widely believed that another Dylan song, “Girl From The North Country,” is also about Rotolo.

Here’s my cover.

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acoustic guitar Arts & Entertainment love

Finding Love: Insights from Jackson Browne’s Song


Relationships, and especially love relationships are difficult. Here’s my cover of “I Thought I Was A Child,” a song about the universal search for love and Browne’s admiration of the wisdom of an older woman.

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acoustic guitar Arts & Entertainment love relationships

Remembering Kate Wolf and Her Timeless Songs


In her brief lifetime, which was cut short by Leukemia, Kate Wolf became a major influence on the folk scene with songs like “Give Yourself to Love,” “Across the Great Divide,” “Green Eyes,” “September Song,” and many more. Kate’s audience has continued to grow since her unfortunate passing. As an example, I found her late in my life. Here’s my cover of “Green Eyes.”

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The Political Impact of Paul Simon’s Music


Born to Jewish Hungarian parents in Brooklyn in 1941, Paul Simon grew up to be one of the foremost musicians of our time. He is best known for his albums with childhood friend Art Garfunkle, but I believe Simon’s solo work is where he really shines.

“American Tune” is a fine example. With its melody, guitar picking, lyrics, and overall artistry, the song comes together as a masterpiece. “American Tune” expresses the recording artist’s political disappointment in the early nineteen-seventies. The nineteen-sixties bloom of racial equality, love, and peace had already blossomed and faded.

While my favorite recording artists continued to produce heartfelt, meaningful, and exquisitely beautiful folk and folk rock music, America’s social and political evolution stalled. With the election of President Richard Nixon in 1972, the glowing hope and ideals of the prior decade receded into the background.

Paul Simon artfully captures the undercurrents of this period in this remarkable song. Despite its melancholy tone, I am deeply moved by the beauty of the words and music.

“American Tune” popped into my head unexpectedly and without warning. It literally came “from out of nowhere.” I think it did because we are about to take another evolutionary backward step under the Trump administration.

Please enjoy my cover of Paul Simon’s moving song.

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acoustic guitar artists Arts & Entertainment music

A Beautiful Ode to Life: “Silent Sunlight”


Cat Stevens ( Yusuf Islam) has never publicly said what this song is about, so we are left to offer our own interpretations.

When I read the lyrics, I get a picture of a farmer of indiscriminate age waking up at the crack of dawn and looking out through a window at his fields. At the very instant when the sun rises, there is barely sound. Our farmer reflects back on his youth and how it felt every day to awaken with a song in his heart and the dreams he envisioned to pursue.

The last refrain floated into my head from out of nowhere:

“There’ll be the evening,

In the end,

But ’till that time arrives,

You can rest your eyes,

And begin again.”

The lyrics are beautiful and express the child-like innocence found in many of Cat Stevens’ songs. I interpret this last refrain to mean: Take advantage of and be grateful for every moment you are alive.

Here’s my cover.

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A Story In Song


Cat Stevens’ song “The Boy With A Moon And Star On His Head” is a poetic and mystical tale that expresses themes of love, destiny, and the unknown and unexpected. 

The song’s lyrics are replete with metaphors and symbolism, for example, the “holy magnolia” and “naked earth,” which elicit a sense of purity and connection to the universe. Cat Stevens, known for his introspective and spiritual songwriting, uses this narrative to convey a deeper message about the power of love and the unpredictable ways in which destiny unfolds. It is a beautiful story in song, rendered in Stevens’ unique style. Here’s my cover.

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Arts & Entertainment children inspiration motivation music

Keep Your Dreams Alive


Kate Wolf’s music conveys Love, Beauty, and a full range of human emotions. “See Here She Says” is a remarkable song because it speaks to children and adults alike with a reminder that the dreams of the Heart are one of the most valuable commodities we own.

“The time that’s left is yours to keep” is a phrase at the end of the chorus of Kate’s song “See Here She Says.” The phrase impacts me powerfully because it is sweet advice to use our time wisely. This is especially true for children, but it is also important for people of all ages to keep in mind.

Each moment that is given to us is precious. Why waste it on foolish pursuits that bear no useful results? Yes, recreation, relaxation, and pleasure are important too, but they are best employed as a balance for the attainment of meaningful goals. And if the motivation to achieve these goals comes from the heart, then the process of manifesting them will surely, for the most part, be enjoyable.

In a truncated life of only forty-four years, Kate Wolf embodied the words of this song. She used her time to create over two hundred songs, performing mostly at venues in her native state of California. Kate’s work has warmed and gladdened the hearts of millions of people around the world. Here’s my cover of “See Here She Said.”

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acoustic guitar artists Arts & Entertainment folk guitar folk music

Dylan Cover: Mr. Tambourine Man


Bob Dylan wrote and recorded the original version of “Mr. Tambourine Man,” but The Byrds’ electrified folk-rock version shot it to #1 on both the US and UK charts. The song hadn’t been released when The Byrds learned it from a demo Dylan gave to their manager, Jim Dickson.

Dylan released Tambourine Man in March 1965 on his Bringing It All Back Home album.

What is “Mr. Tambourine Man” about? On the surface, this tambourine man is a wandering musician whose music has captured Dylan under its spell. The song is considered by many to be about drug experiences, with lines like “Take me for a trip upon your magic swirling ship” and “Take me disappearin’ through the smoke rings of my mind.” Phrases like these suggest a marijuana or LSD trip. Dylan is famously close-lipped about explaining his songs, but in his 1985 Biograph compilation album, he revealed that “Mr. Tambourine Man” is not about drugs. Instead, he said the song was inspired by a backup folk musician named Bruce Langhorne, who played a large tambourine in one of Dylan’s recording sessions.

To me, the song’s poetic images are like impressionist paintings. The melody is haunting and mesmerizing. The song stands alone as a true work of art. Here’s my version.