Discography

Unrecorded Originals

Covers

It's A Hard Life [Written by Nanci Griffith] -

Nanci says her Welsh and Scottish great grandmothers, though they agreed on little else, both considered this her most important original song because, she says, it "proves [she] was paying attention as a child." Recorded live at Club Passim April 30, 2002, this is for Beril, who was there that night and loves hearing me sing this song. And most importantly, to Nanci, for being a bastion of class and creativity, always; and for opening the door to contemporary folk music for me in the first place.

Midnight Special [Written by Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter] -

When Leadbelly wrote this tune in the first half of the 1900s, he probably didn't figure my friends Sam Petsonk and Jon Gradman (aka the South Street Bluegrass Band) and I would be playing it at Brandeis in 2004; but after seeing Odetta sing it live, I asked the guys if we could try it. The Midnight Special was the name of a train that ran past the jail where Leadbelly was imprisoned in the '30s, which carried prisoners' wives seeking a Governor's pardon for their men. The inmates used to say that if the train's headlight shone on them as it approached, it was an omen that they would soon be freed. This recording is from a show April 27, 2004 at Chum's. That's Jon on slide guitar, taking us down to the Delta with a little blues groove, Sam on banjo and singing his favorite verse, Sam and Jon's friend Aaron on mandolin, and my vocals and rhythm guitar. To Odetta, with thanks, and to Leadbelly, and everybody out there singing the old songs. This is how we keep them alive. (Amen.)