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Books by D.J. Butler
Category Archives: Song
Essential Classics: The Child Ballads
If you read many liner notes or recollections of sixties folkies, you will inevitably come across references to the Child Ballads, expressed either exactly like that or else as follows: “this song is a variant of Child #86.” “Child Ballads” … Continue reading
Stephen Foster (II): I Dream of Jeannie and Beautiful Dreamer
As part of my ongoing crusade for cultural literacy, here are two more Stephen Foster songs. And that last one really needs an encore. Seriously, Stephen Foster was the bomb.
Stephen Foster (I): Oh! Susanna and Hard Times, Come Again No More
Stephen Foster was the great American songwriter of the nineteenth century. Here are a couple of his you may recognize.
Dave Alvin
Here’s another great Californian, songwriter and guitarist. Here is with “Downey Girl”, backed by the Guilty Women. The Downey girl of the title, by the way, is Karen Carpenter.
Tom Russell
I’ll salute California this weekend. Here is a great Californian songwriter, Tom Russell, with one of the great tracks off his recent Blood and Candle Smoke. This is “East of Woodstock, West of Vietnam”.
Guilty Pleasures: Nick Cave
Nick Cave is the love child that in some alternate Bearded Spock universe was born to John Wilmot and Flannery O’Connor. He’s a different kind of “guilty pleasure”. He’s a terrific writer, and very powerful, but the… er, vocabulary content… … Continue reading
Guilty Pleasures: Neil Diamond
In honor of Neil Diamond’s recent announcement of his impending (third) marriage, I post a number by him. It’s not quite right to describe Neil as a guilty pleasure, because he’s an amazing songwriter who has demonstrated real staying power … Continue reading
Outsider Genius: Skip Spence
And here is Skip Spence:
Outsider Genius: Blaze Foley
I spent several evenings at World Con in Reno the other week filking. Filk is (and probably always will be) something of an outsider art. I’m going to honor the filkers I met and heard this weekend by posting songs … Continue reading
Bully That
Here’s the audio / sham video for “Bully That” (lyrics posted earlier this week). Sorry, I meant to capo it up into G minor, but I forgot until I already had most of the tracks down in the E minor … Continue reading
