Stephen Foster Covers

Stephen Foster—this country's first first great pop song writer—died over 150 years ago, but his songs still get covered almost more than anyone else. Here are two recent examples: 

• Sammy Miller and The Congregation performing "Gentle Lena Clare" 



• Emmylou Harris and Joan Baez performing  "Hard Times Come Again No More"

Ring Them Bells

Mary Black and Joan Baez covering one of my favorite Bob Dylan songs, "Ring Them Bells".

Give Me Cornbread When I'm Hungry

Emmylou Harris, Joan Baez and Jackson Browne perform "Give Me Cornbread When I'm Hungry". Plus Emmylou Harris does a little dance.

Before the Deluge

Jackson Browne & Joan Baez - "Before the Deluge"

Joe Hill

Here is Joan Baez at Woodstock, in 1969, singing "Joe Hill". Hill, a labor organizer, was convicted of murder, and executed by a Utah firing squad in 1915. The execution was controversial. President Wilson twice ask the Governor of Utah to stop the execution.

A new book contains recently discovered evidence that Hill was not guilty of the murder. The Pittsburg Post-Gazette has this article about the book: Examining a Labor Hero's Death

Baez also performs "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot".

Kris Kristofferson & Friends

No Depression posted this video on Facebook today. If I had seen it earlier, I would have included it in yesterday's post.

Kris Kristofferson, Joan Baez and John Prine performing Prine's song "Hello In There"

Murder Ballads

I said a couple weeks ago that I would do a post of Murder Ballads, and I guess Halloween is an appropriate time to do that. So here they are.

To start off here is Ralph Stanley and Patty Loveless performing "Pretty Polly".



Many murder ballads originated somewhere on the British Isles, and then the events were relocated to this side of the ocean when they were brought over and performed in the United State. "The Knoxville Girl" originates from an Elizabethan poem titled "The Cruel Miller". Here is Jim & Jesse McReynolds' version of that song.



Most of the videos of murder ballads are by men, but here is Joan Baez performing "The Lily of the West". Also in this one—unlike the previous two—it is not the girl that gets murdered.

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I am not sure if this last song counts as a murder ballad or not. It deals with the consequences of a murder, and not the murder itself. But I am including it anyway. Also—compared to the previous songs—this is a recent song, having been written in 1959 by Danny Dill and Marijohn Wilkin. Here is Dave Matthews and Emmylou Harris' version of "Long Black Veil".