sorry for the duplicate post
Tim Eriksen-”Two Babes”
timeriksenmusic.com A true story from Amherst, MA- it goes by different names. My dulcimer was made by Ellis Wolfe, who made my banjo from the same walnut beam he said his dad took out of a barn in their hometown of Butler, TN that was taken down some time ago to make room for the railroad. Ellis didn't play much, but he made some beautiful instruments in the way he learned from "Old Man Stanley," as he called him. He said Stanley Hicks used to walk down the back side of Beech Mountain from North Carolina into Tennessee, where he befriended and taught Mr. Wolfe, who was pretty advanced in years himself when we meet him ca. 1993. The story could hardly be more immediate and contemporary. This version and its tune come from Amherst, I believe. I started taping when it was still pretty light out, but the mosquitoes were so bad I kept having to start over. I finally figured out I could last til I didn't need my left hand (on the "sol" before the last refrain) and then brush them off. The old cemetery is like Winter in that it's not so overwhelmingly hard to keep up with as Spring and some parts of Summer. If you've never had Hadley asparagus, you're missing out. This year the grass came in the day before I taped "Oh Death" and "Friendship" on Mt. Holyoke, after which it constituted most of our supper- lightly grilled and truly amazing. At Cook Farm you can even get even get Hadley grass ice cream. Here's the url for my performance of the song on A Prairie Home Companion ...
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11 comments - add yours
etillym
July 20, 2010
etillym
July 20, 2010
THis song is a variant of one of the Dhild Ballads, Child Ballad #20 entitled “Cruel Mother”. While an event in Amherst MA might have corresponded to the story line of the ballad, the roots of the ballad would be much older, and found in the British Isles
etillym
July 20, 2010
THis is a lovely rendition of a moving song, but I believe that its roots are much older. THis song is a variant of a Child Ballad. Francis Child collected ballads in the British Isles that were longstanding traditional ballads. THis song is a variant of Child 20 “Creul Mother”
TaylorsLadyBug
July 20, 2010
As always Time, this is amazing. The dulcimer adds such a unique touch. I love it, and your always wonderful voice, and incredible locations and performances. Again Tim, keep up the singing, I love it!!!
bazmanj
July 20, 2010
first time hearing the tune, as always a wonderful song.
Anokpoet
July 20, 2010
Another quality performance Tim!!!! Great dulcimer, you should play it more, it has a really beautiful sound and it sounds great with your voice
dread66mon
July 20, 2010
Great video and great tune – congrats for getting on the “Prairie Home Companion” stage – not many mountain dulcimers have gone there!
batfancy
July 20, 2010
hey- I don’t know that one. I’ll keep an eye out.
batfancy
July 20, 2010
It’s my arrangement of a local version.
inatangle
July 20, 2010
This is just gorgeous! Never heard you play the dulcimer before. Wow! I wish this were available as an MP3 for purchase (… is it possible/easy to make MP3s for purchase?)
Another really great version of this ballad (not set in Amherst, obviously!) is by Emily Smith–have you heard it? It lacks dulcimer, though!
sospello
July 20, 2010
Good to be one of the first to hear your new posting and know the dulcimer came from Tennessee, my home state. Is the arrangement yours or the traditional setting from Amherst for the ballad. I am sorry I missed that broadcast of “Prairie”, will have to look for it or an audio clip.
