MF 018 Folksong Student Papers

Northeast Archives of Folklore and Oral History: MF 018 Folksong Student Papers

Number of accessions: 35
Dates when interviews were conducted: 1960s – 1980s
Time period covered: 20th century
Principal interviewers: various
Finding aides: transcripts
Access restrictions: yes
Description: Papers written by Eh 34 Ballad and Folksong (1965-1969, taught by Ives), Fo 134 Folksong in America (1970-1979, taught by Ives), Ay 123 Folksong (1980-1988), and ANT 423 Folksong (1989 on) (the latter two may have been taught by Ives, but the course catalog doesn’t list instructors).

NA0462 Barbara Harriman and Ned Smith for FO 134, spring 1968, Bangor, Maine. Diary of song collecting in the Bangor area – fragmentary collection. Text: 10 pp. diary.

NA0471 Various, interviewed by Carol Heilsberg for FO 134, spring 1968, Ashland, Maine. Diary of unsuccessful search for French-Canadian songs or woods songs in the Ashland area. Text: 29 pp. diary.

NA0495 Various, interviewed by Ruth Drake for FO 134, spring 1968, Bucksport, Orland, and Island of Verona, Maine. Paper deals with Amos Hanson, a songwriter and singer, and the collector’s attempts to gather material on this local songwriter; some data; some leads for future researchers. Text: 9 pp. paper.

NA0496 Various, interviewed by Donna Davis for FO 134, spring 1968, Guilford, Maine. Field notes of an unsuccessful hunt for folksongs in the Guilford area and includes texts of two poems: “The Hoboes of Maine” and “The Drive on Cooper Brook.” Text: 13 pp. paper.

NA0497 Various, interviewed by James Hersey for FO 134, spring 1968, Bangor and Rumford, Maine. Paper deals with John McInnis, a songwriter and singer, also known as “Beaver Jack” and his songs. Accession includes a map of the area where his songs are known. Text: 24 pp. paper, map.

NA0502 Doug Archer, Sue Files, Jim Kendricks, and Wayne Carpenter, interviewed by Stephen Files for FO 134, April 1969, UMaine, Orono, Maine. Accession includes a student paper, two mimeographed compilations of fraternity songs, and an accompanying tape reel. Archer, Files, Kendricks, and Carpenter sing bawdy songs and chants. The paper titled “Dirty Songs” is divided into three sections, the first giving words to songs collected at a party; the second presenting songs collected from Archer, Files, Kendricks and Carpenter; and the third containing two groups of mimeographed sheets of fraternity songs: “Stag Songs of Maine Alpha, Sigma Phi Epsilon” (bawdy songs) and “Official Lyrics of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity” (non-bawdy songs). Most material was tape recorded. Songs include “Mini the Mermaid,” “The Chicken Song,” “Christofo Columbo,” “Brassiere,” “She Likes to Gang Bang,” “Roll Me Over in the Clover,” and many others. Text: 88 pp. partial transcript. Recording: T 0274 – T 0275 / PM 0089 3/4 hour.

NA0519 Dale Potter, interviewed by Ann Mooney and Linda Hannigan for FO 134, April 17, 1969, Mattawamkeag, Maine. Accession includes a student paper, five photographs, personal correspondence, and an accompanying tape reel. Their paper gives background about Mattawamkeag and the informant, transcribed interview sections and song lyrics, two lists of songs recorded from Potter in the 1950s by Prof. Horace Beck, and other brief correspondence. Potter talks about woodsman song-maker, Joe Scott, but mostly sings and plays harmonica dance tunes like “The Old Man and the Old Woman,” “Deacon Foster’s Pew,” “The Miller and The Major,” “ The Irish Immigrant,” “Clancy’s Wooden Wedding,” “The Irish Patriot,” “The Late Evening Dew,” and others. Text: 7 pp. transcript w/ brief catalog. Recording: T 0275 / PM 0091 / CD 0004 1 hour. Photos: P 1039 – P 1043.

NA0521 By Lynn Pelletier for FO 134, spring 1969. Paper deals with sources and background information on “John Roberts,” an obituary poem (Laws C-3), collected from old newspapers. Text: 10 pp. paper. Recording: PM 0441.

NA0522 Charles Nevells, Sr., interviewed by Thomas MacNaughton for FO 134, March 22, 1969, Stonington, Maine. Paper titled “Project for Folksong in America” which details the collecting of folk songs in Stonington and includes the text for one song, “Maine,” by Charles Nevells. Text: 13 pp. paper.

NA0524 Dock Boggs, interviewed by Frederick Seyford for FO 134, April 1, 1969, at his home in Needmore, Virginia. Tape contains interview plus dubbing of two Folkways LPs of Dock Boggs’ music. Paper gives background of the project and biographical information about Boggs and a transcript of the recorded interview. Boggs, an Appalachian banjo player, recording artist, and ex-coal miner, talks about his banjos; his work in the mines; auditioning to make phonograph records in the 1920s; white and black music in the southern mountains; playing for dances; one of Dock’s tunes called “Davenport”; his banjo style; new and old music; background of “Just an Old Coal Miner”; and a few songs such as “Sugar Blues” and “Papa’s in the Cold, Cold Ground.” RESTRICTED. Text: 37 pp. transcript, brief catalog, student paper. Recording: T 0277 – T 0278 / PM 0444 3/4 hour.

NA0525 Ernest B. Lord, interviewed by Douglas Baston for FO 134, spring 1969, Wells, Maine. Paper deals with a collection of Lord’s songs, which he sings for his grandchildren; includes poems and rhymes, traditional songs by Charlie DeWitt. Text: 39 pp. text. Recording: PM 0445.

NA0526 By Zoa Hawes for FO 134, spring 1969, UMaine, Orono, Maine. Paper deals with lullabies; musical scores included. Text: 30 pp. paper. Recording: PM 0446.

NA0528 Catherine McGraw, Jacqueline Ballou, Charles Wong, Jane Levesque, Judy Ouillette, James Brown, Suzanne Woodward, John Burgess, Martha Saucier, Ronel Delano, Louis Ornstein, Desiree Rastrom, Charlotte LaRochelle, Roseanna Castonguay, Gregg Small, interviewed by Cynthia Kurland for FO 134, spring 1969, UMaine, Orono, Maine. Paper deals with songs sung by children of Jewish, French-Canadian, Swedish, and Chinese background. Text: 210 pp. transcript and manuscript. Recording: T 0280 – T 0281 / PM 0093 1 hour.

NA0553 Jerry O’Brien, Millage Treadwell, Gilbert Royce, Blanche Royce, Fearman Chessie, interviewed by Belinda Boyce for FO 134, fall 1969, Springfield area, Prentiss, Lincoln, and Lakeville Plantation, Maine. O’Brien, Treadwell, G. Royce, B. Royce, and Chessie sing songs from the Springfield area; play harmonica tunes; discuss lumbering operations. Text: 36 pp. transcript w/ brief catalog. Recording: 1 1/2 hours T 0285 – T 0287 / PM 0107. Photos: P 0423 – P 0424.

NA0564 Albert Bean and Virginia Bean, interviewed by Florence Ireland for FO 134, March 9, 1970, Hudson and Winslow, Maine. The Beans talk about John Y. Miles, a local composer of songs and poetry, who was born in 1831 in Corinna and died in 1906 in Hudson. Accession includes student paper based on notes and a transcript of the interview, and an accompanying tape reel. The paper also contains additional notes about Guy Bubar, a legendary woodsman.; transcription of one of John Miles’ songs “Drowned at Pushaw Lake”; very brief mention of the poet Amos Hanson. Other informants for the paper include Harry Davis, Mrs. Annie Townsend, Barbara Townsend, Marion Marriott, Gertrude Davis, Clifton Mile. Text: 20 pp. transcript and manuscript. Recording: T 0287 1/2 hour.

NA0568 Harry Harold Dyer, interviewed by Jeanne Milton, April 1, 1970, Caribou, Maine. Dyer, retired lumberman, his life as recorded and written by his granddaughter, discusses woods work in the early twentieth century; working for the Fraser Lumber Company; description of a lumber camp; walking to work; progression of the cutting; ice carts to ice roads; his responsibilities at age 14; hauling yards; labor-saving techniques; making a gum book; salt pork for lunch; sings “Johnny Doyle” and “The Bloody Waterloo;” and plays harmonica and trots the feet, “Devil’s Dream,” “Money Musk,” “Casey Jones,” and “Yankee Doodle.” Text: 15 pp. transcript, plus 19 pp. biography and 5 pp. interviewer notes. Recording: T 0288, T 0289 / PM 0109.

NA0623 Clarence Kinney and Mac Kinney, interviewed by Dennis Tefft for FO 134, spring 1970, Mars Hill, Maine. The Kinneys sing songs. Paper includes description of the collecting session. Text: 56 pp. transcript with personal paper. Recording: T 0344 / PM 0536 1 1/4 hours.

NA0753 Alice Watson, Marietta Golding, Theresa Golding, interviewed by Timothy Ward for FO 134, spring 1973, Linneus, Maine. Watson sings a miscellaneous collection of songs with some songs sung by her friend M. Golding and her daughter T. Golding. Text: 13 pp. personal paper and brief catalog. Recording: T 0593 1 hour.

NA0759 Mr. Ashley Parlin and Mrs. Ashley Parlin, interviewed by Gary Sweatt for FO 134, April 19, 1973, New Vineyard, Maine. The Parlins talk about country and western music; singing by the Parlins. Also included: map. Text: 22 pp. partial transcript. Recording: T 0601 – T 0602 1 hour.

NA0760 Fred Smith and Cherry Noble (Mrs. Lucien) Frechette, interviewed by Jayne Lello for FO 134, April 22, 1973, Norway, Maine. 45 pp. Tape: 1/2 hr. w/ trans. Smith and Frechette (descendant of Maine fiddler, Mellie Dunham) talk about the Norway fire of 1894; the Norway Bum; and Joe Scott, song-maker. Paper titled “The Truth of the Norway Bum.” Text: 30 pp. transcript; 12 pp. personal paper. Recording: T 0603 1/2 hour.

NA0814 By Gail Purington for FO 134, spring 1973, Auburn, Maine. Paper titled “The Role of Music in a Middle-Class Family.” Text: 15 pp. paper.

NA0816 George Murphy, Cathy Johnson, Bob Harrington, and Jeff Putterman, interviewed by Cheryl Hudson for FO 134, spring of 1973, Maine. Murphy and Putterman (in separate interviews) talk about learning to play guitar; playing contemporary music (Beatles etc.); electric guitars; performing in public; playing contemporary folk music (Dylan and Peter, Paul, and Mary, etc.); developing their musical styles; attending Berklee School of Music (Putterman); getting paid to play; professional musicians. Harrington talks about learning to play at 19; influence to Neil Young; performing; getting paid to play; professional musicians. Johnson talks about learning to play guitar; folk music; performing not for pay; professional musicians. Text: 19 pp. transcript/index; 6 pp. introduction; 1 pp. interview questions. Recording: T 0739 1 hour.