8

This Magazine Column Still Lacks a Clever Title

Old Time Country: The Magazine of Traditional can get someof that international attention. CountryMusic is publishedquarterly by the Center for the Study of SouthernCulture, The University "Old time music" is a tricky term. In western of Mississippi, University, Mississippi, USA 38677, Canada(and possibly in parts of the U.S., notably the sameuniversity that publishesliving Blues. To the northern Midwest, as well) it refers to European get Old Time Country in Canada,send them $14.00 flavored dancemusic, waltzes, polkas, kolomaykas a year, which sounds like a bargain to me. The (if you're in that neck of the prairies), played by journal has some connectionto the Jimmie Rogers ensemblesthat are often heavy on piano accordion Memorial Association,but generallythe focus is on and saxes. In the southeasternU.S., that music is the music of the era that began with Rogers, not foreign, in at least a provincial sense;there, "old with the music of the era at which he was centered. time" refers to banjo/fiddle music, the genre that I mean, it's about old time Country Music, more developedinto bluegrass,though, of course,as time than it is about Old Time Music. You're more passesand memories become shortenedby sound likely to encounter Bashful Brother Oswald than bites & MTV, it's difficult for some folks not to Dock Boggs here, though, to be fair, the most think of bluegrass as "old time." That's one of recent issueincluded a feature on Riley Puckett, as many controversiesthat surface regularly in The well as reviews of discsby Uncle Dave Macon and Old Time Herald: A Magazine Dedicated To Old- Mike Auldridge. The not-always-implicit apologies Time Music. that accompanyreviews of books on Tin Pan Alley Appalachianold time music is of coursefamiliar and Pete Seegersuggest that the magazineappeals to Canadians, indeed, most banjo players and to readers with perhaps an unfortunately narrow fiddlers, not to mention guitarists or mandolinists, range of interests.It's hard to imagine that a serial started with some variety of that genre. Many in that specializes in any antique North American Canada's diverse folk music community will music with significant rural roots might have recognize the names of editor Alice Gerrard and readerswho are not "familiar with the late Muddy associate Bill Hicks. Gerrard has performed in Waters, who is known as the Godfather of the several aggregations,notably in quartets and duos Blues." with Mike Seegerand Hazel Dickens; Hicks was for Nevertheless, the magazine's own turf is an many years fiddler and singer with The Red Clay appealingone, and the articles and accompanying Ramblers. photos are most often fascinating. Recent issues The Old Time Herald features articles on such have included some Canadian content: Martin notablesas Tommy Jarrell, who, until his death in Rossander's"Old Time Music in Big Hill Country: 1985, was a national treasureand who, along with The Thirties" (7.4, Fall 1991) and my interview Fred Cockerham, passed on the North Carolina withWilfCarter, "We ShookHands" (8.2, Summer traditions of banjo and fiddle to more than one 1992), a reprint from the BULLETIN (June 1987). younger generation; Darby & Tarlton, recording They've also acceptedmy study of the CFCN Old figures from the Thirties, whose work may sound Timers for an upcoming issue.Finally, editor W.K. "old fashioned," today, but constituteda new wave McNeil is looking for a regular Canadian in its day as surely as have Reba McIntyre or correspondenton the subject of historic country Dwight Yoakum in ours; and Gerry Milnes, a music in Canada.Any of our readersfeel capableof scholar/collector/musician, staff folklorist at the tackling the job? It seemsto me that one important Augusta Heritage Centre at Davis and Elkins way to fight back againstundue cultural influence College in West Virginia, one of the younger from south of that border is to representour own generationwhich learned from Tommy Jarrell and heritage somewhatmore aggressivelythan we do, still liStensto Darby and Tarlton. on both sidesof the border. They say that Canadian Although the music of the southeasternregion of stuff don't get no respectuntil it's madeit in Britain the continent gets most of their attention, Old Time or the States-well, here'sa little comerwhere we Herald cannot be accusedof parochialism. Issues 9

in 1991included coverageof contradancing (a New central concern with Sing Out!, though how England tradition), African-American harmonica signficantly this affects any specific articles or players DeFord Bailey (whose blues harp playing issues varies with different editors and writers. openedthe Grand 01' Opry for many yearsand who Currently, it seemsto me, the politics are relatively must be considereda figure in two worlds), and mild; not necessarily an improvement, in my Chicano fiddler from New Mexico, Cleofes Ortiz. opinion, though you might like it better that way. Other areascovered include the folk music revival But most of those involved in the magazine are (always a controversial subject!), practical matters involved in social and political activities, and such for professionalmusicians and bands, and portraits matters do find their way into the magazine. of such events as the Galax, Virginia, fiddle As, for instance, in the current issue, which contest. Old Time Herald featureslots of beautiful features Raffi on its cover; he's made Sing Out!, photographsbeautifully reproducedon slick paper, not for his children's entertainments, though that and a few tunes, songs, and tips on playing. Four phase of his career is respectfully considered, but issuesin a year will costs $18.00 U.S. Write P.O. for the environmental advocacy in his current Box 51820, Durham, North Carolina, USA, 27717. songwriting. Also featured in this issue are cowboy singer and researcher Katie Lee and the singing Sing Out! The Folk SongMagazine can be justly Fisher family (Ray, Archie, and CilIa) of Scotland. consideredthe source of virtually all other folk Canadian performers are not overwhelmingly music publications; true, it was preceded by present in Sing Out!, but neither are they ignored. People'sSong Bulletin, which was staffed by many Ian Robb writes a column ("The British-North of the samepeople (PeteSeeger being the only one America Act"), and Vancouver Folk Festival of these still on the Board of Directors), but the honcho Gary Cristall is on the Board, so the Bulletin was relatively shortlived (and lucky to have magazine never forgets us entirely. had any life at all during thoseMcCarthy days), and In addition to Robb's frequently controversial Sing Out! has now blasted through three decades. column, Sing Out! offers a songwriters' column It's had its share of growing pains; for a period ("Courting The Muse"), Pete Seeger during the early 80s, it appearedto be a dicey (" Appleseeds"), storytellers ("The Endless Tale"), matter whether it would last much longer. Then, in and other columns, including what sometimes the late 60s, at the tail end of what some of the becomes a depressingly lengthy obituary ("Last folks there call the Folk Scare, editor Irwin Silber Chorus"). The review sections, especially of got some grandiose ambitions, expanded the recordings, are fairly extensive; I presume they magazine,and tried to get it on the stands;not a receive just about everything, since they've been bad idea, perhaps,but he overestimatedthe public's around so long. During some years (remember interest in genuine folk music (or even in good when Bob Dylan was booed off the Newport imitations or fascinatingextensions), as, indeed,he stage?), the letters column was a virtual (and overestimatedthe Now Generation'scommitment to entertaining) battlefield. Sing Out Corporation, P .O. left wing politics. Box 5233, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA 18015- Make no mistake, politics has always been a 0253. A year's subscription will run you $21.00. G.W:L.

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When I was sixteen, there was a big danceat the Police Detachment,and I felt sick when I looked at four men playing Poker. They were wealthy stockmen,sat at a long heavy board table. There were two revolverson the table and somepretty hot words. I think the womenwere so disgustedthat anything like this should be allowed, it never happenedagain. I am sure most of us were nervousand expecting to hear a shot any time. --Bella Chappell, Prairie Grass to Mountain Pass (Pincher Creek, Alberta)