Jeff Warner- A Collectors Notebook at tynefolk
Jeff was booked to perform during his six week tour of the U.K and we took advantage of introducing a 'Collectors Notebook' night at tynefolk to learn more about the Warner families history.
Jeff, accompanied by Banjo, Concertina and Dancing Doll (as well an occasional joining of Phil Tyler) put on a super night of Traditional American Song collected by his Mother and Father (Anne and Frank) with the odd story from their collecting days in the North Carolina Outer Banks, the Southern Appalachian Mountains and other rural places on the Eastern Seaboard starting in 1938 and onwards. Songs that were carefully written down and freely given by those families with strong links to the country's pioneering beginnings, folks with great names like 'Tink Tillet' and 'Yankee John Galusha'
So, after experiencing some obvious English material that had travelled West two centuries ago, there was also some interesting American song from Ballad to 'Polly Wolly Doodle'
Frank and Anne Warner were the first to perceive the wealth of traditional song available and were the first to use electronic recording means well before other scholars new about field recordings and if you want to know more about this very interesting collection then I would recommend their book 'Traditional American Folk Songs' ISBN 0-8156-0185-9/WATAP
