H ILLINOI UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN PRODUCTION NOTE University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library Large-scale Digitization Project, 2007. IQJ 4- NIVE SITY e InoIS 624,9 *"v^ AprilApri 7, 1961 Vol. 1 No. 1 TERzRY, McGHEE MAKE CAMPUS SCENE AUTOHARP The Campus Folksong Club, in co-oper- We thought it would be a good idea atioation with the University MCA, is proud to lead off our first issue with an ex- to presentp Sonny Terry and Brownie Mc- planation of our goals for Autoharp. Ghee,Ghee two of the finest folk and blues Autoharp was originally conceived as a singsingers in America, on Wed. April 26, convenient method of announcing events at8:at8:OCpm, in Latter Hall at the YMCA. and such which would be of interest to the members of the Campus Folksong Club. Folk blues is a field of music that But, as you can see, the original idea few singers today include to any extent has grown quite a lot. inin theirt repertoires, and few singers can sing folk blues as do Sonny Terry and We decided that the newsletter BrownieBrow McGhee. Their "feel" for these could serve another function, that of songsongs, Sonny Terryts harmonica and distributing traditional material and BrowBrownie McGhee's guitar, is unequaled comments about traditional material to anywhere,anywi club members. Brownie and Sonny are two of the Leading off our folio section are last survivors of the magnificent tribe two traditional songs: words, music, and of sstrolling folk musicans that included chords contributed by club members. The the great Leadbelly, Blind Willie Johnson songs in this issue are rather well BlindBlin Boy Fuller, Blind Lemon Jefferson, known, but we hope, in the future, to and Big Bill Broonzy. publish sfngs which are not easily ob- tainable elsewhere. Sanders Terrell (Sdnny Terry) was born in Greensbor., Georgia, and raised . Which leads to another point Our on a farm in North Carolina. As a re- own resources for searching out tradit- sult of two childhood accidents, Sonny ional material are extremely limited, isis bblind, but his blindness did not pre- and we would appreciate any contributions vent him from becoming a self-taught which you could make to this department. harmharmonica player and entertainer with the If you have any songs which your grand- medicine shows. mother taught you, we would love to have them. But don't feel left out if your Walter Brown (Brownie) McGhee was grandmother couldn't sing. If you know born in Knoxville, T&nnessee. His guit- some songs which you learned from rec- ar pplaying was like Sonny's harmonica ords, or friends, or books, please send playplaying, indirectly brought about by them in* tragtragedy. At the age of four Brownie was stricken with poliomyelitis. His early Articles about folk singers will profprofessional career was spent in minstrel also make up an important part of our and carnival shows and it was there that folio section. In this issue you willfind he aeventually met Sonny Terry. Their in- an article about folk singers, and in- (continued page 2, coln. 1) (eontinved page 2, col.2) (1) 7 g4. 4 Terry, McGhee cont... Au8 HELPI dividual talents seemed te mesh, and Workers unitel Contrary to pop- only can be explained by, as Brownie ular belief, newsletters do not grow on says and Sonny agrees, "We understand trees. They can be the fruits of hard each others time." labor done by a few, or the pleasantries of moderate labor done by many. The Sonny Terry has the unique ability services for which you are needed extend to take an instrument that is usually from writing short articles and typing not considered suitable for the perform- copy to finding out the background mat- ance of serious music, and to transform erial and authenticity of folksongs and it into a natural and effective express- folklore. ion of his art. In his harmonica, there is a variety of tonal quality that is Remember, Nature works best in mul- incredible. When these sounds are com- tiple and so does a newsletterl (This bined with Brownie's natural guitar tal- does not necessarily condone Dr. Koch's ent and the poetic expression of his policies) voice there is produced some unusual lis- tening which defies musical explanation* Join the Autoharp staff NOWI Con- Together the team of Sonny Terry and tact Larry Klingman, Fl. 6-7355. Brownie McGhee has become folklore. Tickets for the concert are $1.25, KNOW YOUR OFFICERS? and may be purchased at the desk of the University YMCA and will be available at This semester's elected officers the door on a first come, first serve and appointed committee chairmen are as basis. follow: President........... Dick Kanar MAILING ADDRESS Vice President......John Schmidt Newspapers bloom with contributionsl Share your favorite folksongs and folk- Treasurer...........Andy VonFoerster lore with us -- send all contributions to: Secretary...........Jackie Henry AUTOHAAP Campus Folksong Club Committee Chairmen 322 Illini Union University of Illinois Concert........Joyce Leming Urbana, Illinois Folksing....... Vic Lukas WELL, WHAT DO YOU THINK? HUH? Newsletter.....Larry Elingman Constructive criticism of Autoharp Seminar...... .Al Gustafeson is well taken. Send us your suggestions for improving Autoharp, and let us know Workshop...... .Bob Sine what you would or woud not like to see included in it. This is your paper, so let us know what you wanti Autoharp cont... future issues, we hope to continue bring- AUTOHAVP is published semi-monthly by the ing you articles of this type. Here a- Campus Folksong Club of the University gain you can help us. If you are inter- of Illinois* ested in writing an article on folklore, folk music, or folk singers, we would be Staff: very happy to receive your contributions. Donna Boatedo Larry Klingman Linda Crum Jerry Gullivan Our folio section will be consecu- Josh Jankowiak Diane Wells tively numbered and indexed once a year to help you in collecting this material. folio: 1 FOLKSONG ON CAMPUS BY ARCHIE GREEN Is there a proper setting for folksong on a university campus? Where can a cowboy ballad be sung to approximate the camaraderie of a campfire? Is there any way to clean up a salty foc'sle piece for a mixed audience? What happens to biting topical commentary on the non-political stage? Is there any value in twisting a rough and brutal blues into an entertaining bit of froth so as to turn the image of a chain-gang into a children's summer camp? These questions are not purely rhetorical. To wrench a ballad or blues out of its culture context for concert presentation is, by definition, an act of violence. Yet college audiences cannot invade, en masse, Appalachian mountain hamlets, or Nova Scotian fishing villages to hear "pure" folksong. If traditional folksong is to be heard on campus, other than via record and tape, it must be heard by importing true folksingers, or by imparting to collegiate singers of folksongs some respect for traditional material and styles. These are three main arenas on a campus where folksong can be heard: 1) The fraternity-sorority house where, at times, a sense of community develops that re-creates the "singing gathering" of the frontier quilting bee or barn raising; 2) The formal concert, generally stylized and elegant, with kleig lights playing on tenor's guitar or soprano's corsage; 3) The informal folksing, hootennany, or wing ding by amateurs singing and performing for self-pleasure. These three categories are not mutually exclusive, but each has a distinc- tive flavor that sets it off from the others. Every participant or listener can judge the extent to which a given form -- Greek letter house, concert, felksing -- cleaves to tradition. folio: 2 FINNEGAN'S WAKE Autoharp's deep appreciation goes to John Walsh for the following contribution. This song is a product of the Dublin music halls of the Mid-Victorian period. Songs of this rollicking nature were once both popular and plentiful in Ireland, but with the rise of the Gaelic League and the conscious attempts to increase the national pride of the Irish, many of these songs dropped from circulation, being too "Handy Andy-ish" for the patriots. The Finnegan of the song, who dies only to wake at the first touch of the magic elixir, is taken as Finn MacCool, the ancient Celtic Warrior hero who personifies Ireland. (Hence, Finnegan=Finn again) note: the chords for this song are C, F, and G , which can be arranged in other ways besides the 0ne below. I•~~ ~~~~" •"a ~L ~~ di ,,- " ai t" [ ,j -i i 1 ! -', -l F,----- J vF & GF C i 'W Ami, L ~i ~ •- ~ ~ ~ ~ 1 I L I*'[16=q ,!.. - 4 E• •I i I' • . -l" dp d I r r• , i . .. "'. "' . .. • [d " 1 ', I . F ! ' . " . .. .C F - ..... .. L .... J ,- _-, L -' • ' ' ' ,''.^,-A I I It c' !•al" I I I I I I I • I .iJ I _ . J J I , 1 I It i f . 11 i °n I i 11 l l ,IIL].l I I • i A i • I I A z4 . - __ zwI I folio: 3 FINNEGAN'S WAKE Tim Finnegan lived in Watkins Street A gentleman Irish mighty odd, He had a tongue both rich and sweet, An' to rise in the world he carried a hod; Now Tim had sort of a tipplin' way With the love of the liquor he was born An' to help him on with his work each day He'd a drop of the craythur every morn. Chorus: Whak fol the dah, dance to your partner Welt the floor your trotters shake.