"The Black Velvet Band" (Roud number 2146) is a traditional folk song collected from singers in Australia, England, Canada, Ireland and the United States describing how a young man is tricked and then sentenced to transportation to Van Diemen's Land (Australia).
It was published as a broadside ballad by Swindells of Manchester some time between 1796 and 1853
An additional note says: Tune: "Tars Of The Blanch"
In this version the young man visited the little town of Barking and the girl with the black velvet band deceived him on Ratcliffe Highway, after which a judge sentenced him to a free passage to Van Diemen's Land.
Ratcliffe Highway is the old name for a road in the East End of London, now called The Highway, then one of three main roads leaving London. It was in a dangerous and run-down area of seedy businesses, dark alleys and dilapidated tenements.
SEE ALSO: Ballads Online
An American song called "The Girl In The Blue Velvet Band", credited to Cliff Carlisle, has a similar plot and is loosely based on "Black Velvet Band". Here the young man is tricked by a beautiful girl with a Blue Velvet Band and then sent to San Quentin prison.
It was recorded by Bill Monroe, Doc Watson and Mac Wiseman among others, but Carlisle himself recorded it first in 1934.
(c) Cliff Carlisle (1934) (as "The Girl in the Blue Velvet Band")
Cliff Carlisle: Vocals, yodeling and steel guitar
Recorded August 28, 1934 in New York
Released on Romeo 5-12-61 and on Perfect 5-12-61
On the label we see that William Ronald "Bill" Calaway, who was an A&R man for Bill Carlisle, gets a writing credit.
Listen here:
Or here:
(c) Tex Fletcher & Joe Rogers (1937) (as "The Girl in the Blue Velvet Band")
Recorded June 2, 1937
Released on Decca 5403
Listen here: The Girl In The Blue Velvet Band
Hank Snow adapted the lyrics a bit and the song became a complete tearjerker.
(c) Hank Snow (1937) (as "The Blue Velvet Band")
Recorded November 8, 1937
Released on Bluebird B-4635
Listen here:
(c) Bill Carlisle (1947) (as "The Girl in the Blue Velvet Band")
Recorded October 1946 in Cincinnati OH
Released on King # 638
Here the sole writing credit goes to Cliff Carlisle (Bill's brother)
Listen here:
(c) Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys (1949) (as "The Girl in the Blue Velvet Band")
Recorded October 22, 1949 in Nashville TN
Released on the B-side of Columbia # 20648
Listen here: Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys.mp3
(c) Mac Wiseman (1959) (as "The Girl in the Blue Velvet Band")
Listen here:
Starting in the 1940's the first recordings of "The Black Velvet Band", which was most likely the ORIGINAL source for "The Girl in the Blue Velvet Band", were released.
In 1942, Helen Hartness Flanders recorded Fred Brackett performing the song in Stacyville, Maine, USA
SEE song #293 on the next link: Quinn_Flanders Ballad Index
(c) Fred Brackett (1942) (as "Black Velvet Band")
Recorded May 10, 1942 in Stacyville, Maine, USA
Listen here (at 15 min and 55 seconds in the MP3 file below:
In 1952 Peter Kennedy and Sean O'Boyle recorded Paddy Doran performing the song in Belfast.
(c) Paddy Doran (1952) (as "The Black Velvet Band")
Recorded July 24, 1952 in Belfast
It was released on a Folktrax cassette # FTX 168
Listen here:
On July 28, 1953, Peter Kennedy recorded Mick McAlinden performing the song in the Cloughmore Hotel in Rostrevor.
(c) Harry Cox (1955) (as "The Black Velvet Band")
Recorded in 1955 by Ewan MacColl
Listen here:
Or here:
(c) Ewan MacColl (1957) (as "Black Velvet Band")
Ewan MacColl: vocals, with Peggy Seeger: backingvocals and guitar
Released on the album "Bad Lads and Hard Cases" (Riverside label RLP 12-632
Also released on the Australian Wattle-label
Listen here:
(c) The Bushwhackers (1957) (as "Black Velvet Band")
Released on Wattle A11
Listen here:
(c) The Wolfe Tones (1966) (as "The Black Ribbon Band")
(c) John Kelly (1967) (as "Black Velvet Band")
Nr 1 Hit in the Irish Charts)
(c) Dubliners (1967) (as "Black Velvet Band")
Nr 15 Hit in the UK Charts
Listen here:
(c) The Irish Rovers (1968) (as "Black Velvet Band")
Recorded July 31, 1967 in LA
Released on the B-side of their Top 10 US hit "The Unicorn"
Listen here:
(c) RUM (1972) (as "De Vuurrooien Band")
More versions here:
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten