Release Date: January 27, 2004.
Recording Time: 69 minutes.
Recording Date: 1934 - 1980.
Release Info: Compilation (ROUNDER 82161-1830-2) Studio Recording.
Styles: Country Blues, Field Recordings, Folk Blues, Traditional Folk, Work Songs, Zydeco.
Here are legendary performances by the great Jelly Roll Morton and Lead Belly, and historic field recordings of French and English-speaking jure, zydeco, ring shouts, and work songs. This is the most varied album in the Deep River of Song series, and it illustrates the cultural richness of Louisiana's varied population and geography. Recorded by Alan Lomax, John A. Lomax, and Ruby Terrill Lomax 1934-1940, and Paul Yeager, c. 1980. Remastered to 20-bit digital from the original metal and acetate field recordings. These unique historic discs contain imperfections and surface noise typical of their era.
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With the impressive girth of Alan Lomax's collection of field recordings and the immediate accessibility of so many of these recordings, choosing a single disc to satiate those curious of the historical significance of Lomax's recordings is near impossible. Deep River of Song: Louisiana - Catch That Train might not be the most logical place to start unless the listener is interested particularly in the unique music of Louisiana, but there are some very important documents here in the context of folk music, most notably the interview with Jelly Roll Morton at the end of the collection. Many of the tracks here are absolutely ferocious and upbeat a cappella ring shouts, but some early zydeco also appears here, as well as early Leadbelly recordings and musical contributions by Morton. What Lomax caught on tape over his long career of traveling is absolutely unbelievable, and Deep River of Song: Louisiana - Catch That Train is certainly no exception -- a priceless window into a time when music was a way of life, a style of communication, a working man's companion, and a celebratory, interactive way to pass the time. ~ Gregory McIntosh
Credits: Octave Amos - Fiddle, Primary Artist; Barry Jean Ancelet - Song Notes, Translation; Sam Ballard - Primary Artist, Vocals; Matthew Barton - Preparation for Release; Cleveland Benoit - Primary Artist, Vocals; John Bray - Guitar, Primary Artist, Vocals; Joe Brown - Vocals; Joe Washington Brown - Primary Artist; Sampson Brown - Primary Artist, Vocals; Anna L. Chairetakis - Collection, Preparation for Release; Austin Coleman - Primary Artist, Vocals; Shirley Collins - Photography; John Cowley - Introduction, Liner Notes; Gideon d'Arcangelo - Series Consultant; Michael Donaldson - Disc Transfers; Edward Ducrest - Primary Artist, Washboard; Dr. David Evans - Series Editor; Charles Gobert - Banjo, Primary Artist, Vocals; Jeffrey A. Greenberg - Collection; Ellen Harold - Associate Editor; Joe Harris - Guitar, Primary Artist; Bess Lomax Hawes - Series Consultant; Darby Hicks - Primary Artist, Vocals; Wilson "Stavin Chain" Jones - Guitar, Primary Artist, Vocals; Phil Klum - Mastering; Ernest Lafitte - Composer, Primary Artist, Vocals; Kings Langley - Liner Notes; Lead Belly - Primary Artist; Huddie Ledbetter - Guitar, Speech / Speaker / Speaking Part, Vocals; Alan Lomax - Engineer, Primary Artist, Producer, Series Compilation, Series Research; John A. Lomax - Engineer, Producer, Spoken Word; Ruby T. Lomax - Engineer, Producer; Pete Lowry - Series Compilation, Series Research; Paul Junius Malveaux - Composer, Harmonica, Primary Artist; Joe Massie - Primary Artist, Vocals; Fred Milburn - Drums, Primary Artist; Jelly Roll Morton - Piano, Primary Artist, Vocals; Anderson Moss - Accordion, Primary Artist, Vocals; Bill Nowlin - Series Coordinator; Jimmy Peters and the Ring Dance - Primary Artist, Vocals, Washboard; Steve Rosenthal - Mastering Producer, Restoration; Nathan Salsburg - Copy Editing; Traditional - Composer.
Tracklist:
01. Hallelujah (Lamb On The Altar) - Washington Brown And Group
02. New Calvary - Washington Brown And Group
03. Lord, Lord, Shorty - Joe (Washington) Brown And Group
04. Good Lord - Joe (Washington) Brown And Group
05. Catch That Train - Sam Ballard
06. Big Leg Ida - Sam Ballard
07. Julie Montgomery - Unidentified Male Section Group
08. Bye-Bye, Bonsoir, Mes Parents - Paul Junius Malveaux And Ernest Lafitte
09. J'ai Fait Tout Le Tour Du Pays - Jimmy Peters And Ring Dance Singers
10. Là-Bas Chez Moreau - Cleveland Benoit And Darby Hicks
11. Je Veux Me Marier - Jimmy Peters And Ring Dance Singers
12. Moi Malheureux - Joe Massie
13. Si Li, Lé Bat - Joe Massie
14. Bonsoir, Petit Monde - Paul Junius Malveaux And Ernest Lafitte
15. Zydeco Pas Salé - Anderson Moss And Group
16. Allons A Lafayette - Anderson Moss And Group
17. (Goodnight) Irene - Huddie Ledbetter (Lead Belly)
18. Mama Did You Bring Me Any Silver? - Huddie Ledbetter (Lead Belly)
19. (Little) Liza Jane - Stavin' Chain (Wilson Jones) And String Band
20. Trench Blues - John Bray
21. Baton Rouge Rag / Interview - Joe Harris
22. Winding Boy - Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton
23. Tiger Rag / Interview - Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton
Personnel: Austin Coleman - Vocals (1-4), Joe (Washington) Brown - Vocals (1-4), Sampson Brown - Vocals (1-4); Sam Ballard - Vocals (5, 6) Percussion [Steel Tamping] (6); Unidentified Male Section Group - Vocals, Percussion [Steel Tamping] (7); Ernest Lafitte - Vocals [Probably] (80; Paul Junius Malveaux - Harmonica [Probably] (8); Jimmy Peters And Ring Dance Singers - Vocals (9, 11); Jimmy Peters - Vocals, Washboard (9, 11); Cleveland Benoit, Darby Hicks - Vocals (10); Joe Massie - Vocals (12, 13); Ernest Lafitte - Vocals [Probably] (14); Paul Junius Malveaux - Harmonica [Probably] (14); Anderson Moss - Vocals, Accordion (15, 16); Edward Ducrest - Washboard [Steel Washboard] (15, 16); Fred Milburn - Drums (15, 16); Huddie Ledbetter - Vocals, Guitar (17, 18), Speech (18); Wilson "Stavin' Chain" Jones - Vocals, Guitar (19); Charles Gobert - Vocals [Possibly], Banjo [Possibly] (19); Octave Amos - Fiddle (19); John Bray - Vocals, Guitar (20); Joe Harris - Guitar, Interviewee (21); John A. Lomax - Interviewer (21); Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton - Vocals, Piano (22, 23).
Recorded 1934-1940 by Alan Lomax, John A. Lomax, and Ruby Terrill Lomax, and by Paul Yeager, c. 1980 (tracks 15, 16). Previously unreleased: 1 to 3, 5 to 7, 12 to 16.