Product Description
In this unique collection, Rich Pawling and the “Boys” bring the history of America to life through the songs of the past – including the songs of the Conestoga wagoners, canalmen, railroad workers, and coal miners. This blend of folk/traditional vocals and bluegrass acoustic styles is presented in an entertaining manner that will bring a smile to listeners of all ages. 50 minutes. CD – $10.00 (includes sales tax)
SONG LIST
1. Wabash Cannon Ball (Traditional) –One of America’s favorite railroad songs; describes a mythical hobo train highballing across the country. (Late 1800’s to early 1900’s)
2. Conestoga on the Jordan Road(The Turnpike’s a Hard Road to Trabbel) (Traditional) – Conestoga wagoner song sung in the taverns during the 1750-1850 heyday of the turnpikes (wagon roads).
3. Allein und Doch Nicht Ganz Allein(Alone and Yet Not All Alone) (German Hymn) – Sung by her mother, this hymn reunited Regina Leininger with her family following her 1755 capture at the Penn’s Creek Massacre and nine year captivity during the French & Indian War.
4. Simon Slick (Traditional) – A popular song of the canal boatmen of the 1800’s.
5. Hard Times Come Again No More (Stephen C. Foster, 1855) – A photo of life in America during the mid-1800’s written by America’s beloved songwriter, Stephen Foster.
6. Paddy on the Railroad (Traditional)- Irish Gandy Dancer song which kept the rail-spikers in beat as they built America’s railroads.
7. John Henry (Traditional) – Railroad song that tells of an African-American man who helped to construct the Big Bend tunnel on the C&O Railway (ca. 1873).
8. Gray Coat Soldier (Words & Music by Van Wagner & Matthew Harrison, 1996) – Expresses the emotion of a rebel soldier after the April 9, 1865 surrender at Appomattox.
9. Buffalo Skinners (Traditional) – A song of the west during the days when outfits of men went onto the Great Plains to kill the buffalo for their hides.
10. Jesse James (Traditional folk ballad attributed to Billy Gashade, 1882) – Tells the story of brothers Frank & Jesse James who robbed 12 banks, 7 trains, and 5 stages in 11 states and territories between 1866 and 1882. Jesse (alias J.D. Howard) was killed on April 3, 1882 by Robert Ford, one of the James gang.
11. Gospel Medley (Little Brown Church, Amazing Grace, There’s Power in the Blood) – A medley of gospel tunes sung during the revivals of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.
12. The Hard-Working Miner (Traditional) – Sung by blind fiddler, James Howard of Harlan County, KY in the early 1900’s. Describes the dangers and hardships of working in a coal mine.
13. Down in a Coal Mine (Traditional) – Probably the best known mining song of the hard coal (anthracite) region; published in 1872.
14. My Sweetheart’s the Mule in the Mine (Traditional) – The unofficial “national anthem” of the coal miner; pictures the bond between the mule boy and his “sweetheart”, the mule in the mine.
15. Good Ol’ Mountain Dew (Traditional) – Appalachian American Ballad & Folk Song
16. Which Side Are You On? (Words by Florence Reece, 1931) – A fiery union song from Harlan County, KY, sung to the tune of an old Baptist hymn; words written by Florence Reece, wife of local union organizer, Sam Reece.
