Listening to some ancient Appalachian ballads as rendered by Custer LaRue with the Baltimore Consort. I first discovered Custer LaRue through two of these ballads, which were on the soundtrack of an obscure little chase movie titled “The Hunter’s Moon.”
The movie was set in the Appalachians during the Depression; here’s the synopsis.
A violent and dangerous tyrant who dominates the inhabitants of a mountain sees his authority threatened by the arrival of a World War I veteran and decides to hunt and kill him.
And here’s a Youtube clip:
If I remember rightly (having seen the movie 17years ago) it wasn’t a bad low-budget deal. The music really caught me and I tracked it down. Had forgotten about it for a while, but I fired it up today and was again transported.
These are old English/Scottish ballads — some dating back to medieval times — that would have been commonly known on the Appalachian frontier from the 18th Century well into the 20th.
The album from which they are drawn is titled “True Lover’s Farewell: Appalachian Folk Ballads.”
For good measure, I’ll throw in “Barbara Allen” from a different album. One of the most famous of the Appalachian ballads that sailed across the sea and penetrated the wilderness with the hardy and hardbitten frontiersmen of the New World.
Matthew says
It seems like every other time I post I end up recommending a book or something, but this post made me think of the writer Manly Wade Wellman. He wrote a series of stories about a folk musician named John who wandered the North Carolina hills encountering various forms of supernatural evil. Appalachian ballads played a major part in the stories. John would sing them and sometimes they would even form the basis of the plot. Wellman actually lived in the Appalachians and knew many folk musicians.
JimC says
That sounds really cool.
Keith West says
Wait, you haven’t read the John the Balladeer stories? You’ve missed out.
Another writer who uses ballads is Sharyn McCrumb. The first of her Ballad series is If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O. It’s a straight-forward mystery, but the second in the series (The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter) is where the stories become Southern Gothic. Jim, if you haven’t read these, they’re right up your alley.
JimC says
I have not. I HAVE read a couple of McCrumb’s books. Particularly remember one about a couple of anti-Confederate guerrilla’s.
Keith West says
McCrumb has two series, maybe three if you count the NASCAR books. The Ballad Books are the ones you want to read. (The others are good but don’t deal with the frontier.) Once the series gets going, the books often have parallel plots, one in the pioneer days and one contemporary.
http://www.sharynmccrumb.com/ballad_overview.asp
JimC says
Cool. In my wheelhouse for sure. Like the parallel plot motif.
Matthew says
Here’s the collection
https://www.amazon.com/Fears-Devil-Manly-Wade-Wellman-ebook/dp/B01BPMZVF0/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1466455505&sr=1-1&keywords=manly+wade+wellman
Wellman was an interesting guy. He published in Weird Tales alongside Howard and Lovecraft. He wrote one the first Native American mysteries “A Star for A Warrior” which beat out a story by William Faulkner at a contest at Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. Faulkner wrote an angry letter about it.
He was born in Africa, but spent most of his life in the Appalachians.
http://www.manlywadewellman.com/Wellbio.html
Matthew says
This has nothing to do with this particular post, but it is of interest…
http://mentalfloss.com/article/81424/retrobituary-olive-oatman-pioneer-girl-who-became-marked-woman
deuce says
Wellman was a mentor to Karl Edward Wagner and David Drake. Read his CAHENA for a great account of the Berber queen who fought the Muslims invading her lands. A fine novel.
Davide Mana says
Ah, love the Baltimore Consort and Custer LaRue!
Although I discovered them through their collections of Medieval and Elizabethan songs.
And I second the motion: get yourself the John the Balladeer collection by Wellman.
And read it listening to Custer LaRue!
JimC says
Sounds like a mandate from all directions.
Keith West says
Consider it so. I’ll check and see if I have a spare copy of the short stories. If I do, I’ll send them your way. The novels are more scarce, and I know I don’t have duplicates of those.
JimC says
You are a fine fellow Keith West.
Matthew says
The novels can be hard to get. I’ve read about two. Everything I’ve heard says the stories were the best, though.
A lot of his work is out of print. A non-fiction book Rebel Boast was nominated for a Pulitzer.
https://www.amazon.com/Rebel-Boast-First-Bethel-Appomattox/dp/1888295015