mp3: Copper Kettle – Click To Play A. F. Beddoe claims to have written this song in 1953 as part of the folk opera “Go Lightly, Stranger.” However Pete Seeger says he heard the song in 1946, sung by a tall stranger named Frank. Joan Baez learned the song from Bob Gibson and recorded it … Continue reading "Copper Kettle"…

mp3: Old Time Religion – Click To Play “Old Time Religion” is a classic Spiritual from the Old South! It’s something to think about in these days of Scientific Delirium Madness! Lyrics: [G] Give me that old time religion, Give me that [D] old time [G] religion, Give me that old time [C] religion, Lord … Continue reading "Old Time Religion"…

mp3: Stella Got A New Dress – Click To Play Bob Gibson wrote this song with Bob Camp in the early 60s. Gibson was my first influencer for folk music. In 1957 He came to the Latin School of Chicago and performed a 45 minute set that blew me away! I ran up to Louise … Continue reading "Stella Got A New Dress"…

m4a: 1840 When We Were There – Click To Play 1840 was the golden age of sail. The ships were still mostly wind powered and required a great deal of physical labor to operate. The crews used work songs to coordinate their efforts. This song is new. I wrote it to capture the feel of … Continue reading "1840 When We Were There"…

Mp3: Hard Travelin’ – Click To Play Camilla and I have been on the road since the beginning of September and are going to sea this week. We’ve been doing some hard traveling!!! This is a great Woody Guthrie song. Lyrics: [G] I’ve been havin’ some hard travelin’, I thought you knowed I’ve been havin’ … Continue reading "Hard Travelin’"…

Mp3: 1842 – Click To Play One of my favorite sea chantey melodies is “Go To Sea No More” so I’ve written new lyrics to it about a packet ship during the golden age of sail 1842! Lyrics: [Em] In eighteen and [D] forty-two, our packet ship set Em] sail, With winds a-howlin’ through the … Continue reading "1842"…

Mp3: Hey Lilee – Click To Play “Hey Lilee” is a song I played with the Limeliters on my first professional recording, “Tonight In Person.” We recorded it live at the Ash Grove folk club in Los Angeles in July of 1960. Although I didn’t receive credit on the album, I made a lot of … Continue reading "Hey Lilee"…

Mp3: King’s Highway – Click To Play This is a gospel song I used to sing with a folk group I was in called “The Frets” in 1957. Johnny Carbo on 5-string banjo, Lou McDonald on conga drum and me on 6 and 12-string guitar. Johnny Carbo owned the Cafe Oblique coffee house where we … Continue reading "King’s Highway"…

mp3: Happy Birthday – Click To Play The original song was “Good Morning To You” sung to teachers at the beginning of the school day. A dispute arose as to who the legitimate authors were and it was eventually taken over by Warner/Chappell Music who made millions of dollars in licensing fees for movies and … Continue reading "Happy Birthday"…