donderdag 27 januari 2022

Talking Blues (1926) / New Talking Blues (1928) / Talking Dust Bowl Blues (1940) / Talking Columbia (1941) / Talking Union (1941) / Talking Atomic Blues (1947) / Talkin' New York (1961) / Talking Vietnam Blues (1964)


Chris Bouchillon 1926’s “Talking Blues” is credited as creating the “talking blues” song format, which would later be adopted and popularized by numerous folk and country artists, including Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, and Johnny Cash.



In April, 1926 the Bouchillon brothers went to the Atlanta studios and recorded two songs under the name "The Greenville Trio," neither of which were ever to be issued. But to wrap up the session, they did two other numbers under Chris's name, "Talking Blues" and "Hannah." Chris did the vocalizing, Uris played guitar, and on "Hannah," Charley played the fiddle. 
The recording director at the session, Frank B. Walker, later recalled: "I thought the singing was the worst thing I had heard, but... I liked the way he talked.... He had a little thing called a 'blues thing' and he tried to sing it. I said, 'Don't sing it, just talk it.'" 

Here are the lyrics of "Talking Blues" by Chris Bouchillon:

If you want to get to heaven, let me tell you how to do [it]:
Grease your feet with a little mutton stew.
Stand right out of the devil's hands,
And slide right over in the promised land.
Go easy. Make it easy. Go greasy.

Standin' in the corner by the mantelpiece,
Up in the corner by a bucket of grease,
I greased my feet with a little axle grease,
Went slippin' up an' down that mantelpiece,
Huntin' matches, Cigarette stubs, Chewin' tobacco.

Make up the bed, gal; make 'em up nice.
Ol' preacher Johnson gonna be here tonight.
He's a chicken eater. Loves cake. Loves the sisters too.

Standin' on the corner, standin' like a man,
Standin' on the corner with a bucket in my hand.
Standin' on the corner with a bucket in my hand,
Waitin' for a sop by the white folks' hand,
'Lasses, Sweet'nin' 'taters, Cold biscuits.

Down in the wildwoods sittin' on a log,
My finger on the trigger and my eye on a hog.
I pulled the trigger and the gun said "blip."
Jumped on that hog with all my grip.
Did you scrape him? Eatin' hog-eye. Love chit'lin's.

Behind the hen-house the other night,
It was awful dark an' I had no light.
I scrambled 'round; I got a hold of a goose.
The white folks say you gotta turn him a-loose.
Jumped gulleys. Rode bushes. Dodged bullets too.

Behind the hen-house on my knees,
I thought I heard a chicken sneeze.
It was only a rooster sayin' his prayers 
And a-givin' out the hymns to the hens upstairs,
Just a-preachin', Hens a-singin', Rooster's prayin'.

They put me in the jailhouse on my knees.
All they give me was a pan of peas.
The peas was red and the meat was fat.
I got stuck on the jailhouse just for that.
Got frazzy(?). Impotent. Wanted to fight.

There ain't no use me a-workin' so hard.
I got a woman in the white folks' yard.
When she'd kill a chicken she'd save me the feet.
She thinks I'm a-workin' but I'm loafin' in the street,
Havin' a good time, Talkin' about her, To other women.

There ain't no use me a-workin' so hard.
I got a woman in the white folks' yard.
When she'd kill a chicken she'd save me the head.
She thinks I'm a-workin' but I'm lyin' in the bed,
Sleepin', Havin' a good time, Dreamin' about 'er.


Many of the lines Bouchillon sang/spoke were already well-known in the South as song lyrics. 

A few of the verses were also present in another black spiritual: "Poor Mourner"/"You Shall Be Free"


The first verse of Chris Bouchillon's "Talking Blues" was published by E.C. Perrow in 1913 in the article Songs And Rhymes From The South in vol 26 of The Journal of American Folk-Lore.




The first verse was also published in 1925 on page 225 of On The Trail Of Negro Folk Songs, a book with traditional Negro folk songs collected by Dorothy Scarborough.
 



That first verse was also published in 1928 on page 135 of  American Negro Folk Songs collected by Newman Ivey White.




The 5th verse of Chris Bouchillon's "Talking Blues" was published in 1911 by Howard Odum as song # 86 in his Negro Folk-Song and Folk-Poetry on page 370 in Vol 24, No 94 of The Journal Of American Folk-Lore.
 


The 5th verse was also published in 1928 on page 139 of  American Negro Folk Songs collected by Newman Ivey White, and is at least as old as 1884.


The verses 9 and 10 in Chris Bouchillon's version were also well-known in the South.
Chris is talking about "white folks" in the third person here repeatedly because he is representing a character who is black. Talking rhythmically was an important part of black and white entertainment long before some of it became widely known as "rap". 




Chris Bouchillon's record was issued in February 1927, and quickly became one of the year's biggest hits: it would eventually sell over 90,000 copies in the next three years. It defined, at least for the record industry, a new type of genre: "the talking blues"

(o) Chris Bouchillon (1926) (as "Talking Blues")
Recorded November 4, 1926 in Atlanta, GA
Released on Colummbia 15120
 


Listen here:




17 months later Chris Bouchillon made a new recording of his Talking Blues, but a new set of, mostly his own, lyrics.
 

HERE ARE THE COMPLETE LINERNOTES: FW05232.pdf



3 months later Herschel Brown covered the new Bouchillon-version.

(c) Herschel Brown (1928) (as "New Talking Blues"
Recorded July 30, 1928 in Atlanta, GA
Released on Okeh 45247




Listen here:




(c) Harmon Canada (1929) (as "The Talkin' Blues")
Recorded August 9, 1929 in Richmond, IND
Released on Gennett 6972 and Supertone 9554
Re-released on Champion 15808 and 45173 (as by Joe Smith)




4 more "talking blues" versions from the 1930's:

Bill Gatin, "Talkin' Blues" (Decca 5122, 1935)


Curly Fox, "Curly's New Talking Blues" (Decca 5185, 1936)
Jesse Rodgers, "Jesse's Talking Blues" (Bluebird B-6143, 1935)
Roy Shaffer, "Talking Blues" (Bluebird B-8234, 1939)



Around 1940 Woody Guthrie picked up the “talking blues” song format. 
He may have been familiar with Chris Bouchillon's record or maybe he tuned into the Grand Ole Opry one day and heard Robert Lunn, "The Talking Blues Man", who popularized the genre in the 1930's.
Woody, though, gave the talking blues a characteristic twist, exchanging the joke-book cracks for political satire, leaving a signpost to be followed in the 1960's by his admirer, Bob Dylan.

Here below a few of the various versions Woody cut in the 1940's

(c) Woody Guthrie (1940) (as "Talkin' Dust Bowl Blues")
Recorded April 26, 1940 in New York
Released on Victor 26619 as part of Victor album P27 "Dust Bowl Ballads vol 1" 
 





Listen here:



But a month earlier, Guthrie had already recorded this song under the supervision of Alan Lomax for the Archive of Folk Culture at the Library of Congress in Washington.

(c) Woody Guthrie (1940) (as "Talkin' Dust Bowl Blues")
Recorded March 21, 1940 in Washington D.C.



Listen here:



After this Woody used the same “talking blues” song format for "Washington Talkin' Blues" and "Talking Columbia", two out of many songs written for the Bonneville Power Administration, the power company in charge of the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River, built to provide electricity among farmers in the whole Pacific Northwest region

(c) Woody Guthrie (1941) (as "Washington Talkin' Blues")
Recorded May 1941

Listen here:



(c) Woody Guthrie (1941) (as "Talking Columbia")
Recorded May 1941.

Listen here: 




On March 10, 1947 on CBS radio, Woody Guthrie also sang "Talkin' Blues" (almost identical to the original "Talking Blues" by Chris Bouchillon)


Listen here:



In May 1941 The Almanac Singers, with Woody Guthrie as a member, also recorded their version of the "talking blues" as a political protest song style. In the same month they also performed that song "Talking Union" at Madison Square Garden for 20.000 striking transport workers.

(c) The Almanac Singers (1941) (as "Talking Union")
Recorded  May 1941 in Central Park West, New York City
Released in July 1941 on Keynote album # 106 (consisting of three 78 RPM records)




Listen here:




When Earl Robinson opened the first People's Songs office on the West Coast, Vern Partlow became one of its earliest members. After interviewing scientists on the consequences of a nuclear war, Partlow wrote "Old Man Atom". Earl Robinson suggested the "talking blues" song format as a musical setting.
Laced with irony, the song circulated among other singer-songwriters after its appearance as "Talking Atomic Blues" in the January 1947 People's Songs Bulletin. 



(o) Vern Partlow (1940's) (as "Talking Atomic Blues")
Probably a demo recorded in the 1940's, which ended up on the next CD Box
Listen here:




(c) Pete Seeger (1948) (as "Talking Atom")
Recorded early 1948 for Irwin Silber and Brownie McGhee's Encore label.


Listen here:




Ernest Tubb wrote a version of the "talking blues", which, instead of "If You Want To Go To Heaven" starts with "If you want to get in trouble, I'll tell you how to do it. Get a guitar, and then you're into it".
Apparently Tubb himself didn't record the song. 

(c) Red Murrell (1949) (as "Ernest Tubb's Talking Blues")
Recorded August 1, 1949 in Hollywood, CA
Released on Capitol 57-40229


Listen here:



In 1958 John Greenway covered  "Ernest Tubb's Talking Blues", but his version was retitled "Talking Guitar Blues".


Listen here:



In 1959 Lonnie Donegan, inspired by John Greenway's "Talking Guitar Blues", recorded 2 versions.
One for the UK market and one for the US market.

(c) Lonnie Donegan (1959) (as "Talking Guitar Blues")
Recorded 1959 October 23, 1959 Pye Studios in London, UK
Released on Pye Nixa N.15237


Listen here:




In 1947 Woody Guthrie had written "Talkin' Subway" (as a poem) after experiencing New York for the first time. Originally published in 1947 (four verses only), not recorded (in this format) by Woody Guthrie.



In 1957 Pat Foster and Dick Weissman recorded an album full of Guthrie songs titled "Documentary Talking Blues". Sung in the familiar “talking blues” song format, they were the first to record Guthrie's 1947 poem.

(c) Pat Foster and Dick Weissman (1957) (as "Talking Subway")


Listen here:




In 1958, the musician and folk music scholar John Greenway recorded an album collection called "Talking Blues" on the Folkways label. His compendium included 15 talking blues songs by Guthrie, Tom Glazer, and others, and was, according to the music historian Manfred Helfert, the "obvious source" for the many 1960s forays into the genre by Bob Dylan. 
Besides the earlier mentioned "Talking Columbia", "Talking Guitar Blues" and "Old Man Atom", on this album John Greenway also included a version of the above mentioned "Talkin' Subway", supplemented with seven stanzas, obtained by Dr. Greenway from Woody personally at a later date and had never been published or recorded before.


John Greenway's 1958 version of "Talkin' Subway" was the likely inspiration for Bob Dylan's "Talkin' New York".

(c) John Greenway (1958) (as "Talkin' Subway" Blues")



Listen here:




Bob Dylan not only recorded "Talkin' New York" (1961) in the “talking blues” song format, but also
"Talkin' Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues" (1962) and "Talking World War III Blues" (1963).

(c) Bob Dylan (1961) (as "Talkin' New York")
Recorded November 20, 1961 in Columbia Recording Studio in New York City
Released on his debut album





Listen here:



(c) Bob Dylan (1962) (as "Talkin' Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues")
Recorded April 25, 1962 in Columbia Recording Studio in New York City
Officially released in 1991 on Bootleg Series Vol 3



Listen here:



(c) Bob Dylan (1963) (as "Talking World War III Blues")
Recorded April 23, 1963 in Columbia Recording Studio in New York City
Released on the album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan.



Listen here:




(c) Peter, Paul & Mary (1963) (as "Talkin' Candy Bar Blues")


Listen here:




In 1964 Phil Ochs was the first artist to sing a protest song to refer to Vietnam by name.
For his performance Ochs also used the familiar “talking blues” song format.

(c) Phil Ochs (1964) (as "Talking Vietnam Blues")


Listen here:




And in 1968 Tom Paxton used the “talking blues” song format for his anti Vietnam war statement with a good sense of humor.

(c) Tom Paxton (1968) (as "Talking Vietnam Potluck Blues")


Listen here:




And when Johnny Cash recorded a song, that described his trip to Vietnam with his wife June Carter Cash, he chose the “talking blues” song format to describe his dissent against the Vietnam War.

(c) Johnny Cash (1971) (as "Singing In Viet Nam Talking Blues")
Recorded April 13, 1971 in Columbia Studios, Nasville, TN







US singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III, one of a small group of artists labelled 'new Bob Dylans' in their early career, recorded a critically acclaimed parody/tribute song called "Talkin' New Bob Dylan" on his 1992 album 'History', to coincide with Dylan's 50th birthday.

(c) Loudon Wainwright III (1992) (as "Talkin' New Bob Dylan")


Listen here:




And here's a truck load of talking blues versions:






maandag 24 januari 2022

Black Snake Blues (1926) / That Black Snake Moan (1926) / Black Snake Moan (1927)


"(That) Black Snake Moan" is a song written and recorded by American country blues musician Blind Lemon Jefferson and was inspired by singer Victoria Spivey's "Black Snake Blues".

Both songs are structured in the AAB blues pattern using 12 bars, a very common structure in blues music. Many Blues songs are structured using the AAB format.

Both songs use the same musical setting, but with adapted lyrics, in 1926, Blind Lemon Jefferson recorded the song as "That Black Snake Moan" on Paramount records. Some months later he re-recorded the song for the Okeh label as "Black Snake Moan".
His version sold much better than Spivey's, and therefore his recording is more widely known to this day.
Initially Victoria wasn't very happy with what Blind Lemon had done, the more they were good friends from years ago. After a good talk they could laugh about the whole thing.

Read all about this here: hadaball.pdf



Victoria Spivey's original version of "Black Snake Blues" also credits Jesse J. (Lonnie) Johnson, although he doesn't participate in this recording.
2 years later Spivey made a new recording of "Black Snake Blues" for the Okeh-label. (SEE FURTHER ON IN THIS POST)
This time Lonnie Johnson participated on guitar and vocals, but his name disappeared as co-composer.


(o) Victoria Spivey (1926) (as "Black Snake Blues")
Recorded May 11, 1926 in St Louis, MO.
Released on Okeh 8338
 



Lyrics:
Mmmm Ah Ah Ah Ah Aaah Ah Ah Ah Ah
Aaah Ah Ah Ah Aahaa Ah Ah Ah
Johnny blow it just like it ain't never blown before

Some black snake been suckin my rider's, hear me cry, Lord I mean it
Some black snake been suckin my rider's tongue.
You can tell by that I ain't gonna stay here long

'Cause my left eye is jumping, my flesh begins to crawl,
I said my left eye is jumping, my flesh begins to crawl,
Bet you my last dollar, another woman's kickin' in my stall.

Oooh, I ain't gonna tell you no more,
Oooh, I ain't gonna tell you no more,
Stay from my window, don't knock at my backdoor.

I'd rather be a catfish swimming in that deep blue, low beneath a submarine, behind a floating boat,
I'd rather be a catfish, low in that deep blue sea,
Tryin to stay in Texas, treated like they wanted to do me.

Oooh, I ain't gonna tell you no more,
Oooh, swimming in that deep blue sea
Tryin to stay in Texas, treated like they wanted to do for me.

It's a mean black snake that's carried me his gate, taught me to my mistake, and hard for me to take,
It's a mean black snake that's doing me this way.
If I ever go back south, I'm going back there to stay.

Listen here:




(c) Martha Copeland (1926) (as "Black Snake Blues")
Recorded September 14, 1926 in New York City
Released on Columbia 14161-D
 



Listen here:




(c) Blind Lemon Jefferson (1926)  (as "That Black Snake Moan")
Recorded November 1926 in Chicago
Released on Paramount 12407
 



Lyrics:
Aaah - I ain't got no mama now
Aaah - I ain't got no mama now
She told me late last night, "You don't need no mama no now"

Mmm, mmm, black snake crawlin' in my room
Mmm, mmm, black snake crawlin' in my room
Some pretty mama better come and get this black snake soon

Ohh-oh, that must have been a bed bug, baby a chinch can't bite that hard
Ohh-oh, that must have been a bed bug, honey a chinch can't bite that hard
Ask my sugar for fifty cents, she said "Lemon, ain't a child in the yard"

Mama, that's all right, mama that's all right for you
Mama, that's all right, mama that's all right for you
Mama, that's all right, most seen all you do

Mmm, mmm, what's the matter now?
Mmm, mmm, honey what's the matter now?
Sugar, what's the matter, don't like no black snake no how

Mmm, mmm, wonder where my black snake gone?
Mmm, mmm, wonder where this black snake gone?
Black snake mama done run my darlin' home


Listen here:




After Blind Lemon Jefferson re-worked Victoria Spivey's "Black Snake Blues" to "That Black Snake Moan", Martha Copeland also covered this version.

(c) Martha Copeland (1927) (as "The Black Snake Moan")
Recorded February 16, 1927 in New York City
Released on Columbia 14196-D
 


Listen here:




A few months later in March 1927 Blind Lemon Jefferson re-recorded a version for the Okeh-label.
(c) Blind Lemon Jefferson (1927) (as "Black Snake Moan")
Recorded March 14, 1927 in Atlanta, GA
Released on Okeh 8455
 



Listen here:



In May 1927, in Chicago, Blind Lemon Jefferson recorded another version as "Black Snake Dream Blues".
And in March 1929 as "That Black Snake Moan No. 2".



Also in May 1927, in New York City, on 2 consecutive recording sessions for the Perfect-label, recordings were made of both the Spivey version and the Jefferson version.

(c) Sis Quander (1927) (as "Black Snake Blues")
Recorded May 1927 in New York City
Released on Pather Actuelle 7530 and Perfect 130






(c) Viola McCoy (1927) (as "Black Snake Blues")
Recorded May 1927 in New York 
Released on Romeo 385


Listen here:




(c) Rosa Henderson (1927) (as "Black Snake Moan")
Recorded May 1927 in New York City
Released on Pather Actuelle 7529 and Perfect 129
 


Listen here:




In 1928 Victoria Spivey herself also made a new recording of "Black Snake Blues".
This time Lonnie Johnson isn't mentioned as co-composer, although he participated on guitar and vocals.

(c) Victoria Spivey and Lonnie Johnson (1928) (as "New Black Snake Blues part 1 and part 2")
Recorded October 13, 1928 in New York
Released on Okeh 8626
 


Listen here:




(c) Charles Underwood (1930) (as "Black Snake Moan"
accompanied by Hack's String Band
Recorded September 29, 1930 in Richmond, IND
Released on Gennett 7311 and Champion 16144




Listen here:




And in 1935 Leadbelly covered Blind Lemon Jefferson's "Black Snake Moan".
Although he retitled it "New Black Snake Moan", there was nothing new about his version.
So when his version was re-released in 1949, the correct original title was applied.

(c) Lead Belly (1935) (as "New Black Snake Moan")
Recorded January 23, 1935 in New York City
Released on Paramount 9003.




In 1949 this version was re-released with the original title.


Black Snake Moan / 'Fore Day Worry by Leadbelly (Single; Paramount; 14017): Reviews, Ratings, Credits, Song list - Rate Your Music

Listen here:




(c) Brownie McGhee (1951) (as "Black Snake Moan")
Released in 1951 on the Folkways album: "Traditional Blues Vol. 1"


Linernotes of the album are here: FW02421.pdf

Listen here:




For his cover-version of  "Black Snake Moan", Jack Elliott also throwes in the second verse from Blind Lemon Jefferson's "Match Box Blues"

(c) Jack Elliott (1964) (as "Black Snake Moan")


Listen here:




In 1967 Clifton Chenier recorded a version of "Black Snake Blues", which was undeniably inspired by Blind Lemon Jefferson's "Black Snake Moan" (especially the 2nd verse)


Listen here:




(c) Blues Goblins (2002) (as "Black Snake Moan")
wrongly credited to Leadbelly 
Released on debutalbum Blues Goblins


Listen here:




(c) Samuel L. Jackson (2007) (as "Black Snake Moan")
In the movie of the same name.


Listen here:




And here's a live version of Victoria in 1963 in Germany.







SEE ALSO NEXT DISCUSSION ON:   SecondHandSongs

maandag 10 januari 2022

The Sweet Trinity (1685) / The Golden Vanity (1862) / The Lowland Sea (1902) / The Golden Willow Tree (1925) / The Lowlands (1928) / Noordzee (1965)

This folksong was collected by Francis James Child as "The Sweet Trinity (The Golden Vanity)", and is Child 286. Child collected 3 versions (A,B and C version)--> see further on in this post
It is also collected as 122 in the Roud Folk Index. The song is known under several other names besides "The Sweet Trinity" and "The Golden Vanity": "The Lowland Sea", "The Golden Willow Tree" "Merry Golden Tree" and "The Turkish Revelry".
The captain of a variously named ship, initially "The Sweet Trinity", but usually "The Golden Vanity", expresses deep concern over the ship's safety due to the presence of an enemy ship (initially "a false gallaly"), but usually of Turkish, French or Spanish sail, and in American versions, British. 
A cabin boy offers to resolve the danger, and the captain promises various rewards if he will do so. The cabin boy swims to the enemy ship, bores holes in its hull, and than swim backs to his own ship, whereupon the captain refuses to make good on his promises and usually will not even let the cabin boy back on board so he drowns. In some versions the cabin boy proceeds to sink the ship on which he served, using the same method of boring holes in the hull.


More than 100 versions were collected by Bertrand Harris Bronson in volume 4 of his highly praised "Traditional Tunes of the Child Ballads" book series.


The recently popularized version of the "Golden Vanity" (as "Turkish Revelry") is sung by Loudon Wainwright III on the double CD "Rogue's Gallery" (issued in the wake of the Pirates of the Caribbean film series)
Wainwright's version stems from Paul Clayton's version, "The Turkish Revelee", recorded in 1956 on his most popular album "Whaling and Sailing Songs from the Days of Moby Dick". 
Clayton transcribed and learned his version from a recording, "The Turkish Rebelee", of one of the best American traditional singers, Horton Barker.
But as we see below Horton Barker wasn't even the first to record a version of this traditional ballad. 
In 1925 Welby Toomey recorded "The Golden Willow Tree", which has the same melody and almost the same lyrics. You can listen to sound clips further on in this post.


3 versions of  "The Sweet Tinity / Golden Vanity" were published in 1898 in James Francis Childs The English and Scottish Popular Ballads volume 5 part X.

 
 
The text above is also on the next link:   Child Ballads - Narrative

The complete lyrics of version A are here: Child Ballads #286 version A - Lyrics
 
The complete lyrics of version B are here: Child Ballads #286 version B - Lyrics 

The complete lyrics of version C are here: Child Ballads #286 version C - Lyrics


Transcription of the 3 versions in Child's book is also here:


The A-version of Child Ballad #286 was originally printed as a broadside during the period 1682-85 by Joshua Conyers, “at the Black-Raven, the 1st shop in Fetter-lane, next Holborn.”
It was included in the Pepys Ballad collection (Volume IV, 196 #189) and is entitled "Sir Walter Raleigh sailing in the Low-lands".
 
Click on the PIC below to enlarge:




The B-version of Child Ballad #286 was originally published in 1862 in Chrisopher North's A Memoir of John Wilson (compiled by Mrs. Gordon = John Wilson's daughter).
As "The Goulden Vanitee" (given with an air of no value) is was sung around 1840 at a convivial meeting at Lord Robertson's by Mr Peter Fraser of Edinburgh.

Here's the concerning page from the 1862 Memoir of John Wilson




The C-version of Child Ballad #286 ("The Golden Vanity or The Low Lands Low") was originally printed and sold as a broadside by Pitts, Printer, Toy and Marble Warehouse, 6 Great St. Andrew Street, 7 Dials.
Dated between 1820 and 1844. In this version the enemy is a Turkish galleon.




SEE LARGER PICTURE HERE:    74896395.30.jpg (1000×1311)

The C-version of Child Ballad #286 ("The Golden Vanity or The Low Lands Low") was also printed and sold as a broadside by H. Such, Newsvender, &c. 123, Union Street, Borough, London.
Dated between 1849 and 1862. In this version the enemy is a Spanish galleon.

 



In 1869 two versions "The Goulden Vanitie" and "The Golden Vanity or The Low Lands Low" were published in William Hugh Logan's songbook Pedlar's Pack.


(these versions ended up in 1898 as resp the B-version and the C-version of Child Ballad # 286)



In 1889 the ballad was published in Roxburghe Ballads Volume 6. In the comments editor J Woodfall Ebsworth states that this broadside wasn't printed before 1682, and: the ballad may have appeared earlier, but not before 1663.





In the US a version with only one original verse was published with music as a college/minstrel song as early as 1868 in Carmina Collegensia: a complete collection of the songs of the American colleges by Henry Randall Waite.
 





In 1890 Sabine Baring-Gould published "The Golden Vanity" in Songs of the West.
Collected, words and music, in 1889, from James Olver, Launceston, Cornwall.
 



Here are the Baring-Gould's notes on song # 64 "The Golden Vanity"


And here's a midi of Baring-Gould's version from 1890: 064goldenvanity.mp3



Around 1902 George Hyde Pownall wrote new words to this old sea song. This version was modelled after the C-version of Child Ballad #286, except for the tragic end in the last verse, which was replaced by a happy ending.
With a new musical arrangement by Edward Branscombe it was published in Australia in 1902, and it was retitled "The Lowland Sea".



Lyrics:

There was a gallant ship sailing from the north countrie,
And she went by the name of the Golden Vanity.
But they feared she would be taken by the Turkish enemy.
That sailed upon the lowland, lowland, lowland,
That sailed upon the lowland sea.

Then out spake the cabin boy, "what will you give to me 
If I do make an end of the Turkish enemy?"
"My daughter you shall wed (Fairest in the North countrie),
If you sink them in the lowland, lowland, lowland,
You sink them in the lowland sea".

Then the boy swam out o'er the waters deep and wide,
And he bored a mighty hole in the Turkish galleys' side,
Oh! white grew the foam as she plunged in the tide
And she sank below the lowland, lowland, lowland,
She sank below the lowland sea.

Then the boy turned round and back again swam he,
And he cried out to the skipper of  the "Golden Vanity",
But the skipper turn'd away and he laughed scornfully,
And he left him in the lowland, lowland, lowland,
He left him in the lowland sea".

Then he floated round the ship and came near the starboard side,
And he looked up at his mess-mates and bitterly he cried,
Oh mess-mates take me up, for I'm sinking 'neath the tide,
And I'm drowning in the lowland, lowland, lowland,
I'm drowning in the lowland sea".

Then they drew him up aboard and they praised him joyfully,
Who had saved them from the hand of the Turkish enemy,
And the skipper gave his daughter (Fairest in the North countrie),
When they sailed from the lowland, lowland, lowland,
They sailed from the lowland sea.




"The Lowland Sea" was probably introduced around 1902/1903 by Edward Branscombe himself as a member of the Gentlemen of the Westminster Abbey Glee Party, when they were touring in Australia.
In 1901, following a tour of South Africa, Branscombe had assembled the Westminster Glee Party and toured the Commonwealth performing a repertoire of English part songs, glees, madrigals and sea shanteys.



And here are THE RECORDINGS: 


In 1910 Mr. Harry Dearth recorded "The Lowland Sea" with an arrangement by Eric Coates.
The lyrics and melody for this version are copied from the Edward Branscombe arrangement here above. So Eric Coates is probably only responsible for the piano arrangement.

(o) Mr Harry Dearth (1910) (as "The Lowland Sea")
Recorded January 28, 1910 in London
Matrix 4070f
Relaesed on His Master's Voice 02260
 


In October 1910 this record is reviewed in a HMV catalogue

 

Here's the complete catalogue: 029I-HMVNX1910X10-0000A0.pdf

Here's the recording date from CHARM: Search Results for coates, lowland sea

Listen here:


But already in 1906 Mr Harry Dearth had recorded a version in London for the Odeon-label.
This version is still on my wishlist.




In 1912 Peter Dawson recorded the Branscombe-arrangement. This arrangement was later copied by Richard Dyer-Bennet (1941), Burl Ives (1952), Susan Reed (1954), Chad Mitchell Trio (1962), Jay & The Americans (1963), Rory Block (1984), Tom Paxton (1986), Peter, Paul & Mary (1990) 
Also in a Swedish version by Hootenanny Singers (1964) and in the Dutch version by Boudewijn de Groot (1965).        Listen to sound clips further on in this post.

(c) Peter Dawson (1912) (as "The Lowland Sea")
Recorded July 9, 1912 in London
Released on Zonophone Record # 892
 



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In 1921 Prof. Dr. Isaac Garfield Greer recorded an unnumbered cylinder recording.
It is now part of the Frank C. Brown collection.

(c) I.G. Greer (1921) (as "The Sweet Trinity (Golden Willow Tree)")
Recorded June 24, 1921 in Boone, Watauga County, North Carolina



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In 1925 Welby Toomey recorded a version, where the ship is called "The Golden Willow Tree"
This version is different in melody from the "Lowland Sea" version arranged by Branscombe.
The melody in the Welby Toomey's version was subsequently used in many (American) versions of this traditional sea shantey: Bascom Lamar Lunsford (1935), Carter Family (1935), Justus Begley (1937), Horton Barker (1939), Almanac Singers (1941), Paul Clayton (1956), Pete Seeger (1957), Peggy Seeger (1957), Lonnie Donegan (1960), Bob Dylan (1992) and 


(o) Welby Toomey (1925) (as "The Golden Willow Tree")
Recorded November 13, 1925 in Richmond, Indiana
Released on Gennett 3195



Re-released in 1927 as by Clarence Adams






(c) James Forman (around 1928) (as "The Golden Vanity")
Recorded by James Madison Carpenter in Leith, Scotland


Released in 1980 on the next Folktrax cassette


Listen to 3 versions here:






(c) Duncan Bell (around 1928) (as "The Golden Vanity")
Recorded by James Madison Carpenter in Lambhill, Scotland




In 1935 Bascom Lamar Lunsford recorded a version where the ship is called "Merry Golden Tree".

(c) Bascom Lamar Lunsford (1935) (as "Merry Golden Tree")
Recorded February 27, 1935 for the Columbia University in New York City.






A few months later the Carter Family recorded the Merry Golden Tree-version.
Probably they had learned it from Bascom Lamar Lunsford.
But their version was retitled "Sinking in the Lonesome Sea"

(c) Carter Family (1935) (as "Sinking in the Lonesome Sea")
Recorded May 5, 1935 in New York
Released on Vocalion 03160


Listen here:




(c) Justus Begley (1937) (as "The Golden Willow Tree")
Recorded in October 1937 in Hazard, Kentucky
Released on Archive of American Folk Song label # AAFS 31






Or here:




(c) Horton Barker (1939) (as "The Turkish Rebelee")
Recorded April 19, 1939 near Chilhowie (Smyth County), virginia

Released on the next album  Virginia Traditions

SEE PAGE 13 and 14 on the next link: BRI00002.pdf

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(c) Almanac Singers (1941) (as "The Golden Vanity")
Pete Seeger, five-string banjo, recorder, vocal; Woody Guthrie, guitar, vocal; 
Peter Hawes, vocal and Millard Lampell, vocal
Recorded July 7, 1941 at Reeves Sound Studios in New York City
Matrix R-4174
Released in 1941 on 78 RPM General 5016B as part of the album Deep Sea Chanteys and Whaling Ballads (General G-20)
 



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The same recording was re-released in 1947 on 78 RPM Commodore 3006B as part of the album Deep Sea Chanteys and Whaling Ballads (Commodore CR-11)





(c) Richard Dyer-Bennet (1941) (as "The Golden Vanity")


Listen here: 




(c) Burl Ives (1952) (as "The Golden Vanity")
Recorded March 3, 1952 in the Decca Recording Studio in  New York City
Released on the next 45 RPM EP album set (Decca ED 511)



Listen here:




(c) Susan Reed (1954) (as "The Golden Vanity")



Listen here:




(c) Paul Clayton (1956) (as "The Turkish Revelee")


Listen here:




(c) Pete Seeger (1957) (as "The Golden Vanity")


Listen here:





(c) Peggy Seeger (1957) (as "The Golden Vanity")
Released early 1957 on the Riverside-label





Listen here:



On the same album Peggy's husband Ewan MacColl sang another version:

(c) Ewan MacColl (1957) (as "The Sweet Kumadee")

Listen here: 




(c) Lonnie Donegan (1960) (as "The Golden Vanity")
Recorded October 23, 1959 in the Pye Studios in London.
Released on the B-side of his millionselling song "My Old Man's A Dustman"


Listen here:




(c) Chad Mitchell Trio (1962) (as "Golden Vanity")
Recorded March 18, 1962 live at the Bitter End Coffee House in Greenwich Village, New York City


Listen here:




(c) Hootenanny Singers (1964) (as "Den Gyllene Fregatt")
Recorded 1964 at Metronome Studio in Stockholm
Released on the Polar-label






Listen here: 




In 1965 Boudewijn de Groot recorded a Dutch version titled "Noordzee" (based on the Edward Branscombe arrangement of "Lowlands Sea")
The lyrics were written by his Lennaert Nijgh, who wrote the majority of Boudewijn's lyrics

(c) Boudewijn de Groot (1966) (as "Noordzee")


Listen here:




With a new musical setting by Benjamin Britten and a libretto by Colin Graham, "The Golden Vanity Opus 78" premiered on June 3, 1967 at the Aldeburgh Festival by the Vienna Boys' Choir (Wiener Sängerknaben), to whom it was dedicated. But they weren't the first choir to record this version. After a quarrel with Britten, the work was subsequently dropped from their repertoire.


The first recording of The Golden Vanity was made at the Craighall Studios in Edinburgh in July 1968 by a choir from The Edinburgh Academy (conductor Brian Head; piano Keith Griffiths). 


Only 30 or 40 (private) copies of the LP above were produced. Apparently, the studios and the company with which Britten had a contract could not agree on terms for issuing the recording commercially.

Here's the first recording of Britten's Golden Vanity, that was officially released:

(c) Wandsworth School Boys' Choir (1970) (as "The Golden Vanity opus 78")
Conducted by Russell Burgess.
Piano: Bemjamin Britten.
Vocals [Bosun Golden Vanity] – John Wojciechowski 
Vocals [Bosun Turkish Galilee] – Terry Lovell 
Vocals [Cabin Boy Golden Vanity] – Barnaby Jago 
Vocals [Captain Golden Vanity] – Mark Emney
Vocals [Captain Turkish Galilee] – Adrian Thompson
Recorded October 10-11, 1969 at St John's Smith Square, London


Listen here:



Finally after more than 26 years, in June 1992, the Vienna Boys' Choir (Wiener Sängerknaben) made a recording of "The Golden Vanity opus 78".





In 1979 Lennaert Nijgh, who was briefly married to Astrid Nijgh, wrote new lyrics and a new musical arrangement for his then ex-wife.

(c) Astrid Nijgh (1979) (as "De Gulden Hoorn")



Listen here: 




(c) Rory Block (1984) (as "The Golden Vanity")


Listen here:




(c) Tom Paxton (1986) (as "The Golden Vanity")





(c) Peter, Paul & Mary (1990) (as "Golden Vanity")


Listen here:




(c) Bob Dylan (1992) (as "Golden Vanity")
Recorded live on April 24, 1992 in Waikiki, Hawaii



Listen here:




(c) Roger McGuinn (1996) (as "Golden Vanity")
Recorded for his Folk Den project





(c) Loudon Wainwright III (2006) (as "Turkish Revelry")


Listen here:




(c) Michiel Schrey, Richard Irwin, Sean Dagher, Nelson Carter, Nils Brown and David Gossage (2014)
(as "The Golden Vanity")


Listen here: 




More versions here: