#997. Lineage of Song: “John Barbour”

 

Great Big Sea

One of my very favorites from GBS, the best track, ironically, from the Something Beautiful album, the one marking the departure of Darrell Power from the band for having drifted too far away from its folk origins.

#996. Lineage of Song: “Scolding Wife”

Great Big Sea

Irish Roots

Here’s Newfoundland’s Great Big Sea again. They introduced me to a lot of traditional songs. Sometimes I think I’d like nothing more than to just sit back as the folds of history embrace me in their lyrics.

#995. Lineage of Song: “Rant and Roar”

 

Great Big Sea, “Rant and Roar”

“The Ryans and the Pittmans”

The next several entries lean heavily on Great Big Sea and their emphasis on traditional songs. One of the original members, Darrell Power, actually left because he thought they strayed too far from the classics.

#994. Lineage of Song: “The Rattlin’ Bog”

The Clancy Brothers

 

Irish Descendants

Schooner Fare

Grew up with Schooner Fare, which is how I learned how to appreciate good music (and why I fell so completely in love with Great Big Sea, the only band I’ve found who did what Schooner does better), so it’s always a fine excuse to highlight them. Got to see the Clancy Brothers once, and they made a big deal out of playing “Rattlin’ Bog” as a North American original, since they usually stick to Irish standards (this was post-9/11, so they did it in tribute). Like Great Big Sea (natives of Newfoundland), the song originates in Canada among Irish descendants who formed the Irish Rovers.

Irish Rovers