Tag: Folk

The Daily Roots….. Down a Folk Music Rabbit Hole

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The Kingston Trio Nick Bob John started Me Down the Folk Music Rabbit Hole

A Random Album Pick – The Kingston Trio – Nick Bob John

This morning I randomly picked out an album from a crate of vinyl that was near me. The album was The Kingston Trio‘s album Nick-Bob- John. Released in 1964, the album was their first recording on the Decca label. The trio was extremely popular from 1958 through 1963 There first 5 albums peaked at No. 1 on the charts and were certifed Gold Records.. That explains why their albums are so numerous at Goodwills.

When I first realized that good albums could be found at Goodwills I started to search out folk music from the 1950s and 1960s. And The Kingston Trio albums were the easiest to find. I found this album interesting because by this time John Stewart had joined the trio.

The First Spin

I put the album on and started to do write a blog post. The first song was “Midnight Special” a song I have heard countless times over the years. My ears really perked up when I heard the third song “Someday Soon” an Ian Tyson song that has been covered by many of my favorite artists. My favorite cover though is by Judy Collins!

Down the Folk Music Rabbit Hole

Then came “Gotta Travel On” and this is when the ground started to split and a rabbit hole emerged! When I first went to Google to find out more about the song I saw a result that said Gotta Travel On words ad lyrics by Bob Dylan I thought that’s not right. When I looked back at the back of the album I saw that the songwriter was Paul Clayton.

Now that makes sense Clayton was very active in the early folk scene in Greenwich Village and I knew Dave Van Ronk had written about him in Van Ronk’s he Mayor of MacDougal Street

So I searched Google for info on the relationship between Van Ronk, Clayton and Dylan.. Here’s what i found out

Further Down the Folk Music Rabbit Hole…….

Traveling on with The Weavewrs sent me further down the folk music rabbit hole

Next, I discovered that the song went back a long way and that while some say The Kingston Trio introduced the song. However, The Weavers had actually recorded it several years earlier. The sent me down the rabbit-hole to find my Weaver albums to see if I had one with “Gotta Travel On”. Bingo! And it’s even in the slightly referenced in the album title Travelin’ On with the Weavers. The song ends the album! Here’s What they wrote about the song.

Here again was the fragment of a song with an appealing rhythm we wanted to preserve. We wrote new lyrics to tell a lonesome tale: who has not felt.

What the Liner Notes Taught Me

Finally, when I pulled out the Weaver album I also pulled out The Weavers Greatest Hits. When I looked at the songs I recognized the majority of them including the likes of: “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine” “Wimoweh” and “Rock Island Line” Hey is that the Johnny Cash song? Yep.

Anyway I saw that many of these songs were written by Paul Campbell. and Kisses Sweeter than Wine and Rock Island Line were written by Paul Campbell and Joel Newman. Who were these songwriters??? Off again to Google, etc

Paul Campbell is a pseudonym used by The Weavers (Pete Seeger, Lee Hays, Fred Hellerman, and Ronnie Gilbert) between 1948 and 1953 to copyright their arrangements of traditional folk songs. It allowed the group to claim songwriting credit for adapted material, such as “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine”

Now the question is who is Joel Newman? The answer Huddie Ledbetter aka Lead Belly.

Another of the things I learned from the liner notes on Travelin’ On with the Weavers involved “Kumbaya.” When they first encountered it, all they had was the word “Kumbaya,” brought back from Africa, and a rhythm that sounded like a lullaby. So they wrote it as a lullaby.

All of this from pulling one random album off a shelf.

A Folk Music Rabbit Hole Playlist

Molasses Creek Music from “An Island Out of Time”

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Molasses Creek

Originally Posted July 2012 Reposted and Updated Nov 2025

The other band that I’ve been listening to over the last few days is Molasses Creek and their new album An Island Out of Time.  The island in question is Ocracoke Island, NC. which according to their website is:

Only accessible by ferry, Ocracoke is an enchanting step out of modern times into a world of captivating natural beauty, rich maritime history, ghostly shipwrecks, heroic lifesavers, crafty pirates, and a community of 900 independently minded residents.

 An Island Out of Time is  the twelfth albums they’ve recorded over the past 19 years. In April of 2012, An Island Out of Time  reached the #4 spot on the National Folk Radio DJ Charts! (It is now at number 61, which is where  I spotted it)

About Molasses Creek

Molasses Creek’s is a collaboration of some great musicians including:  Gary Mitchell (guitar/vocals), Fiddler Dave Tweedie (fiddle/vocals), Lou Castro (dobro/bass/vocals), Marcy Brenner (mandolin/banjolin/bass/vocals), and Gerald Hampton (mandolin/upright bass). Their musicianship is for me the highlight of the album and their vocals and harmonies are not far behind!  

What others say about the band:

 The band’s combination of harmony, humor, and love for the island they call home gives their work a distinct sound and vision.
~ Sing Out Magazine

Molasses Creek seamlessly blends traditional sounds with a contemporary vibe. They are extraordinary musicians with an uncanny blend.
~ Sandy Oxx, Executive Director of the Carroll Country Arts Council

My Thoughts

So if you haven’t heard them check them out, as for me as always I have their back catalog to check out!!

Well, you know I love the fiddle player in most bands and Dave Tweedie joins my ever growing list of favorites, so here is a video that features Dave and some great fiddling! (oh, and I always enjoy the instrumentals on most albums)

Post Update

Usually this point in a post there is a video or playlist. But tonight I want to add some extra thoughts. Since I’ve written this post I have listen to less and less folk and bluegrass music. Actually, when I first started this post I didn’t really remember Molasses Creek. But once I saw the album cover memories of the band came floating back. Finally, when I listened to the album I said “Yes” I remember the band now! Great vocals and songs and even better instrumentals. You yes I still thinks Dave’s fiddle playing is outstanding!

So here instead of a short playlist of the tracks on An Island Out of Time here’s the whole album!

An Island Out of Time

Artist’s Website

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Discography

  • Catch the Wind — 2019
  • People Get Ready — 2016
  • Waterbound — 2015
  • Something Worth Having — 2014
  • Follow the Heron Home — 2009
  • Strangest Dream — 2006
  • Deepwater — 2003
  • Citybound — 1998
  • A Very Silly Travel Companion — 2002
  • Wildheart — 1996
  • Ocracoke Island II (The Sequel) — 1994
  • Ocracoke Island — 1993

Molasses Creek in 2025
Molasses Creek may not be releasing new studio albums these days, but the band remains very much alive on Ocracoke Island. They continue to perform locally, appear at community events, and keep their connection with fans through annual concerts, special gatherings, and their long-running involvement with Ocracoke’s arts scene. Even without new recordings, their mix of harmony singing, island storytelling, and tight instrumental work still makes them one of the most beloved voices of Outer Banks folk music.

My Last Words

Molasses Creek’s music is like a fine wine — it can be savored long after it was first poured. And as for me, I fully intend to keep enjoying every drop.

Stan Rogers Anchors a Canadian Style Folk Monday

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Folk Monday kicked off with Endless Wire spinning on the turntable — Gordon Lightfoot sounding as warm and familiar as ever. Something about Lightfoot always puts me in a good place, and today it set off a whole chain reaction.

While the album played, I started revising older posts, and the first one that surfaced was my write-up on Dave Gunning’s Lift. I’d forgotten how much I liked that record — and how many East Coast voices Gunning pulls into his work. Here’s the updated post if you want to take a look:

👉 Link to the Dave Gunning / Lift post

All that got me thinking…

The Canadian Connection

Lightfoot led to Gunning, and suddenly I realized how many Canadian voices have shaped my listening over the years. They’re not all alike, but they share that same mix of storytelling, heart, and wide-open Northern landscapes:

  • Gordon Lightfoot – the foundation
  • Dave Gunning – modern East Coast voice with Stan Rogers’ storytelling DNA
  • Ian Tyson – I may need to pull out Cowboyography next
  • James Keelaghan – one of the finest storytellers working today
  • Stan Rogers – I knew I had one of his albums somewhere… turned out to be two

And just like that, I was all the way down the Canadian folk rabbit hole — the good kind — which led naturally to putting Stan Rogers on the turntable next.

By this point, I was fully down the Canadian folk rabbit hole — the good kind.

Stan Rogers First on the Turntable

Fogerty's Cove - Stan Rogers

Once I dug a little deeper into my shelves, I found the two Stan Rogers albums I’ve picked up over the last couple of years. First on the turntable: Fogarty’s Cove.

Fogarty’s Cove was Stan’s debut, released in 1977 on Barnswallow Records — a label he later purchased and turned into Fogarty’s Cove Records. My copy is the 1979 pressing on that very label, which feels just right for the music.

While the needle dropped, I realized I never really knew how young Stan was when he died — only that I’d heard Gene Shay mention it years ago. A quick stop at Wikipedia filled in the gaps:

About Stan Rogers

Stanley Allison Rogers (November 29, 1949 – June 2, 1983)[1] was a Canadian folk musician and songwriter who sang traditional-sounding songs frequently inspired by Canadian history and the working people’s daily lives, especially from the fishing villages of the Maritime provinces and, later, the farms of the Canadian prairies and Great Lakes.[2] He died in a fire aboard Air Canada Flight 797, grounded at the Greater Cincinnati Airport, at the age of 33. Wikipedia

Before his death in 1983, Stan — with his brother Garnett often co-producing — released five albums. He stayed a staple of the folk community long after, with live releases, tribute concerts, and, of course, the annual Stan Rogers Folk Festival up in Canso, Nova Scotia.

Listening again, it’s easy to be reminded why Stan’s music has stuck around. His baritone, that hint of Celtic phrasing, the DADGAD-tuned guitars — and the songs themselves. “Northwest Passage,” “The Mary Ellen Carter,” “White Squall,” “Make and Break Harbour”… they all still land.

Barrett’s Privateers – from Fogerty’s Cove – Stan Rogers

But the one that always leaps out, no matter how many times I hear it, is “Barrett’s Privateers.” Before I wander any farther down this Canadian trail, here it is — the perfect way to wrap up this Rogers detour.as Remembering Stan Rogers, which peaked at number 36 on the RPM Country Albums chart.

If the day stays at this pace, who knows where I’ll end up — maybe ending the night with Tyson’s “Four Strong Winds” or Keelaghan’s For now, I’m calling this the first stop on what’s turning into a full-on Canadian Folk Monday. I’ll circle back soon with Tyson, Keelaghan, and maybe a few vinyl surprises I dig out of the stacks.

Dave Gunning – Lift We All Need One

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Lift - Dave Gunning

Today I listened to Lift the new album from Canadian singer-songwriter Dave Gunning. I first listened to Gunning’s music a few years ago, I listened to his 2012 album No More Pennies. Dave’s music fits in that niche of folksinger’s who write great story songs. Guys like fellow Canadians James Keelaghan and Gordon Lightfoot….from the Toronto Star…

Gunning is the next big thing in the True North of Song, an artist as compelling, as assured and attentive to every nuance of the writing process, as Lightfoot, Cockburn and Stan Rogers before him.”

Dave Gunning’s Career

The recording career of rootsy East Coast singer/songwriter Dave Gunning now spans 21years and 10 earlier albums.

Dave Gunning’s Award‘s

two Canadian Folk Music Awards and eight East Coast Music Awards,

2012 Juno Award nomination for his acclaimed album … a tribute to John Allan Cameron.

He was the winner of the Indie International Song Contest (for his song, “Hard Workin’ Hands,” co-written with Ron Hynes) and has been a finalist in other major international songwriting contests.

About Lift

Lift is Gunning’s 11 th album and was leased on his own imprint Wee House of Music . All 13 tunes are Gunning originals ,though 9 of the songs were co-written by a variety of talented friends/peers. The co-writers list includes fellow East Coasters Matt Andersen, Catherine MacLellan, and Thom Swift, plus American Sally Spring.

Gunning also recruited a list of musicians to help on the album. The list include:

I particularly liked the pedal steel from Asa Brosius!

Dave writes this about Lift .……

Gunning acknowledges that “this album has more personal and introspective songs than my past recordings. I do still love songs that are about things and tell a real story, like the songs of Stan Rogers. They inspire me.”

A fine example of that here is “I Robbed The Co. Store,” which tells the true story of a group of British settlers in Nova Scotia in the 1770s forced to steal from a storehouse reserved for troops just so they could feed their families. A more contemporary song with a Pictou County setting is “They Don’t Do That No More.” “That one is inspired by the fight we have here against a pulp mill that is just an environmental disaster,” explains Gunning. The mournful sound of the pedal steel punctuates his lament that “there’s poison on the harbour floor.” It’s a song one of Dave’s key inspirations, the late folk great Pete Seeger, would have been proud to call his own. Read More

So Check Out Dave’s Music!

Here’s Dave performing “Sing It Louder” from Lift – Dave says this about the song….

The Video

 “Sing It Louder,” is actually a tribute to Seeger. “My goal was to write a song you could imagine him singing,” says Gunning. “As folk singers we should all aspire to carry the torch of Pete Seeger and his message of social justice.”

I do believe, Pete would be proud!

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About Dave Gunning

Dave Gunning is a Canadian folk singer-songwriter born in Pictou County, Nova Scotia. Gunning credits the first live concert he ever observed, a 1981 double bill of John Allan Cameron and Stan Rogers, to be a major driving force in shaping the direction his life would take as a musician. That show changed my life. Wikipedia

Born: Pictou County, Canada