Here’s Cliff Waldron’s 1973 recording, Jimmy Arnold on banjo, Gene Johnson on mandolin.  At 5:30 

youtu.be/jn8PxcX1fiI?si=rRiIwG2UvFM453nD

Fine choice, Chuck. I know you like games, so here's a tough one: Name the ten G.L. songs you most enjoy singing -- not necessarily those you consider his best. Mine, in alphabetical order:

1) Alberta Bound  2) Christian Island  3) Did She Mention My Name?  4) Early Morning Rain

5) Home from the Forest  6) Mother of a Miner's Child  7) North Ontario (second half of Cabaret)

8) Song for a Winter's Night  9) Steel Rail Blues  10) Ten Degrees and Getting Colder

(Bonus tracks -- covers): The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (Ewan MacColl)                                                                                  Me & Bobbie McGee (Kris Kristofferson)                                                                                                      On Susan's Floor (Shel Silverstein)

Your serve.                                                                                                  

I have a tough time remembering song/tune titles, but I will probably never forget Early Morning Rain and Leaves of Grass. Haven't played or sung either one in a long time. Might give that a try today.

Wow, Leaves of Grass, that’s an obscure number.
I do Did She Mention My Name at gluebrass jams, I did Second Cup of Coffee once also. I sing Changes (Phil Ochs) that Gord had on his first album. I like Home From the Forest,, I do a fingerstyle arrangement of If You Could Read My Mind,, I sing Early Morning Rain (“Dawn’s Depressing Downpour”) , also 16 Miles to Seven Lakes, The Way I Feel,, Long River ,, Song for a Winter’s Night (fingerstyle guitar) , I like the music to “I’m Not Sayin’” and “For Lovin’ Me” but the lyrics are chauvinistic,, Gord despised those when he got older. We used to do Alberta Bound in a band I was in years ago,, but haven't sung it for ages. The guy wrote so many good ones,, Bill Emerson loved Lightfoot songs,, as did Tony Rice, Alison Krauss, Mac Wiseman,, on & on 

ps, I've been meaning to learn Redwood Hill now for a long while,, but haven't yet,, it's a beaut

John,
You may remember when Gord sang "Leaves of Grass" on his Live at Massey Hall album, the audience was so hushed that if someone had dropped a pin it would have sounded like a crowbar.
A beautiful and very moving song.

I never had that album,,, I had the first 7 ,,, when things got more ee-lek-trik,,, well, u know

Chuck,
I sure do know. I bought every album of his as it came out, starting with the first -- the one which shows him slouching in a chair, holding his Martin, with his hair slicked back like Tony Manero's. His later, "rockier" work left me cold as well, but during those years when he followed the folk-country muse there wasn't anyone better. The two best singer-songwriters who came slightly after him -- in the 80s -- were Stan Rogers and Eric Bogle.

Other singer-songwriters I liked in the 1960’s, early 1970’s (some with limited output) - Tom Paxton, Ian Tyson, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Cockburn, Neil Young, Donovan, Phil Ochs, James Taylor, Jim Croce, Gordon Bok. I’m probably forgetting some…. oh yeah, Stan Rogers - saw him with brother Garnet in a small cafe in Guelph before he got big. 

A great list of singer/writer all-stars, Chuck.
I saw Stan and Garnet in one of their last concerts -- just before Stan's untimely, tragic death -- in Paine Hall at Harvard. In the audience was the seaman from Scituate, Mass. who kept up his courage while awaiting rescue after a shipwreck by singing Stan's "Mary Ellen Carter" -- a tribute to the power of music. "Rise again!"

quote:

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Originally posted by Tim Jumper

A great list of singer/writer all-stars, Chuck.
I saw Stan and Garnet in one of their last concerts -- just before Stan's untimely, tragic death -- in Paine Hall at Harvard. In the audience was the seaman from Scituate, Mass. who kept up his courage while awaiting rescue after a shipwreck by singing Stan's "Mary Ellen Carter" -- a tribute to the power of music. "Rise again!"

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Given the current trajectory of songwriting, I doubt we will ever again see  a watershed era of singer songwriters like we experienced in the late 60s and 70s. Other periods may have produced more material, but I think this era brought the work of the songwriter to a wide audience in a way that was new then and is now gone forever.

 There were many  musical variety TV shows that were hosted by talented songwriters showcasing their own work as well as that of their contemporaries.  A few that come immediately to mind are Mac Davis, Ray Stevens, Glen Campbell, Jim Stafford and Sonny & Cher.  I'm sure I'm forgetting some, but all these folks hosted TV shows centered on songwriting.  What a great time to be alive!

I have to confess a little melancholy at the thought that this era is definitively over and it's essence will almost surely be captured and immortalized in a song written entirely by artificial intelligence.

The history to be written in the future will be composed by AI while the memories and musings of mere humans will lose all veracity in the face of the digital onslaught of data.

My tinfoil hat fits too tight

I couldn't get it off last night

I dreamed about androids and robots and space

and awoke with a quizzical look on my face

The computer stole my lyric and melody too

The songs are all ending

What should we do?

We will all rage against the machine , Jon , and “rise again”!

A quick honorary mention of a few other (Canadian) singer-songwriters of that era; Willie P. Bennett (Music in Your Eyes, White Line) , who I had the good fortune of working on a project with,, Gene MacLellan (Snowbird , Put Your Hand in the Hand) ,, Murray MacLauchlan (Farmer’s Song, Revelations, Child’s Song)

Jon,
Every time I go into a store and am aurally assaulted with what evidently passes for "music" these days, I have similar dark thoughts.
Thank God for the old songs.
As the Irish saying has it: "The world will pass away, but love and music will endure."

Speaking of Stan Rogers and tying it in with our beloved banjo,, I’ve posted this before , , I was assailed with hisses and boos by the gathering unwashed masses ,, so I’ll spring it on yooz guys.
Robbie McCoury playing “Northwest Passage” which I, yes “I”, believe is a takeoff on Rogers’ song. Waddya think?  (the second link is Rogers' recording, for comparison [no long treatises, pls])

youtu.be/3KpmgJFpA1Y?si=8Sk7pXGbwRmQxjfI

https://youtu.be/a9-ZGfidpow?si=IzuccY9rfxXHBWnH

p.s., somewhere I read that Larry Perkins wrote it,, but I can't fing evidence of that anywhere

Whoa,, I did find the elusive evidence…

That's some staggerin' red-hot banjer pickin', but I'll stick with Stan and company's recording (which included his daddy singin' bass).

Yes,, I honour your opinion,,, but,, is the banjo composition à breakdown version of Stan’s song?  This bone of contention is what led to the cyber catcalls and Bronx cheers when I presented this theory before.

And, to quote Adam (I think) , “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”

youtu.be/AJqhiJZY_IQ?si=_NoagCB9M9ANgbrw

quote:

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Originally posted by Tim Jumper

Jon,
Every time I go into a store and am aurally assaulted with what evidently passes for "music" these days, I have similar dark thoughts.
Thank God for the old songs.
As the Irish saying has it: "The world will pass away, but love and music will endure."

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We all know that every generation complains about the younger generation's music, but it does feel like there is some fresh hell afoot with music being composed and performed entirely by computers.  

It will interesting to see what direction the counter-culture takes when AI takes over mainstream music.  With hero-worship being such a central part of pop music it might be a while before "video kills the radio star".   Maybe we'll see live music return to porches and parlors?  It is truly an interesting time to be alive!

Chuck,
If Rob's is a breakdown version of Stan's song, I don't hear it. But being more'n half deaf, I don't hear a lot these days!
Thanks for the you-tube link. All those Rogers boys sure can sing.

Jon,
Agreed. (And I love your use of Dorothy Parker's "fresh hell.")

.

This is Chris Jones and Night Drivers' version of Ribbon of Darkness when I played banjo for Chris.

https://youtu.be/hfHlJIY-vdA?si=4JQza3lICyznA0mL
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Doug Knecht

This is Chris Jones and Night Drivers' version of Ribbon of Darkness when I played banjo for Chris.

https://youtu.be/hfHlJIY-vdA?si=4JQza3lICyznA0mL
 

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So good, Doug.  Love your banjo break. - out of D formation?

quote:

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Originally posted by chuckv97

quote:

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Originally posted by Doug Knecht

This is Chris Jones and Night Drivers' version of Ribbon of Darkness when I played banjo for Chris.

https://youtu.be/hfHlJIY-vdA?si=4JQza3lICyznA0mL
 

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So good, Doug.  Love your banjo break. - out of D formation?

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I think I tuned to D tuning and tuned the 5th string up to an A:  aDF#AD