Folk Songs of the Southern Appalachians as Sung by Jean Ritchie

Jean Ritchie remains one of the greatest balladeers of this century. Folk Songs of the Southern Appalachians is a glimpse into the heart of this remarkable talent. . Her performances over the last fifty years have played a considerable role in the resurgence of interest in folk music, and several of her original songs are among the most popular additions to the modern folk repertory

"A musical glimpse of a unique American cultural enclave when railroads, coal mining, and hillbilly radio were everpresent."Come-All-Ye"A delightful crystallization of the best, in an age now surfeited with the far-less-than-best."Folklore Society Bulletin

Stephen Addison said So good I have two copies. I originally borrowed this from a library. Years later I found a copy, and bought it on the spot. Years after that I got a copy from Amazon. Nice arrangements of old time tunes. Well worth the cost. Her other books are also worth buying. The tunes are simple with simple harmonies - a good beginning for your own versions.. ken said Five Stars. Asd advertised. Uncommon As an amateur singer of folksongs, country, and "oldies", I was looking for a book with familiar tunes and lyrics. Although I only recognized a few of Ms. Ritchie's songs, I found the histories of each song very interesting. I took a chance and purchased the book, not sure of what I was getting. What I got was a nice read about the history of song, and a new interest in a person who obviously has a

Jean Ritchie is the best known and most respected singer of traditional ballads in the United States. Chords are indicated for accompainment, and a new audiography and videography have been added to this edition.. This new edition has faithfully retained all seventy-seven line scores of the songs and added four new ones, Loving Hannah, Lovin' Henry, Her Mantle So Green, and The Reckless and Rambling Boy. The youngest daughter of one of the most famous American ballad-singing families, the Ritchie family of Perry County, Kentucky, Jean carries on her family's legacy as a singer of folk songs and traditional ballads. The Child ballads, lyric folksongs, play party or frolic songs, Old Regular Baptist lined hymns, Native American ballads, "hant" songs, and carols brought together in this collection were assembled by family members who actively sought out fragments of tunes and completed them by adding or embellishing verses and melodies. The original headnotes and photographs tell the history of the song as well as how it became a part of the family's life. The music found here tells the story of the ""Singing Ritchie Family."" Built upon a foundation of balladry inherited from old-world Scotland, the family's repertoire was certainly eclectic but not haphazard