Hear My Sad Story: The True Tales That Inspired "Stagolee," "John Henry," and Other Traditional American Folk Songs, by Richard Polenberg
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Hear My Sad Story: The True Tales That Inspired "Stagolee," "John Henry," and Other Traditional American Folk Songs, by Richard Polenberg
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In 2015, Bob Dylan said, "I learned lyrics and how to write them from listening to folk songs. And I played them, and I met other people that played them, back when nobody was doing it. Sang nothing but these folk songs, and they gave me the code for everything that's fair game, that everything belongs to everyone." In Hear My Sad Story, Richard Polenberg describes the historical events that led to the writing of many famous American folk songs that served as touchstones for generations of American musicians, lyricists, and folklorists.
Those events, which took place from the early nineteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries, often involved tragic occurrences: murders, sometimes resulting from love affairs gone wrong; desperate acts borne out of poverty and unbearable working conditions; and calamities such as railroad crashes, shipwrecks, and natural disasters. All of Polenberg's account of the songs in the book are grounded in historical fact and illuminate the social history of the times. Reading these tales of sorrow, misfortune, and regret puts us in touch with the dark but terribly familiar side of American history.
On Christmas 1895 in St. Louis, an African American man named Lee Shelton, whose nickname was "Stack Lee," shot and killed William Lyons in a dispute over seventy-five cents and a hat. Shelton was sent to prison until 1911, committed another murder upon his release, and died in a prison hospital in 1912. Even during his lifetime, songs were being written about Shelton, and eventually 450 versions of his story would be recorded. As the song—you may know Shelton as Stagolee or Stagger Lee—was shared and adapted, the emotions of the time were preserved, but the fact that the songs described real people, real lives, often fell by the wayside. Polenberg returns us to the men and women who, in song, became legends. The lyrics serve as valuable historical sources, providing important information about what had happened, why, and what it all meant. More important, they reflect the character of American life and the pathos elicited by the musical memory of these common and troubled lives.
Hear My Sad Story: The True Tales That Inspired "Stagolee," "John Henry," and Other Traditional American Folk Songs, by Richard Polenberg- Amazon Sales Rank: #288782 in eBooks
- Published on: 2015-10-27
- Released on: 2015-10-27
- Format: Kindle eBook
Review
"I never knew that 'Railroad Bill,' which I used to sing at summer camp, is about an African American outlaw (real name Morris) who terrorized Alabama in the 1890s. People had good reason to fear Bill, but that fear was also used as an excuse for the blatantly racist treatment of people whose only connection to him seems to have been the color of their skin. ('A number of Negroes have been arrested,' Polenberg quotes an 1895 news report. 'None of them will be permitted to go about for fear that they might sneak some information to Railroad.') Many of Polenberg's stories shed similar light on the uglier aspects of American history, and he tells them well."―Peter Keepnews, New York Times Book Review
"Well researched and packed with fascinating detail, Hear My Sad Story tells more than just the origins of popular folk songs. It tells an unflinching and honest story of America. At times viciously misguided and undoubtedly ugly, the country's history has nevertheless been documented through the lenses of those who witnessed these events and passed them down to subsequent generations. Celebrated in song, the tales outlined through the book’s nearly 300 pages seem poised to continue their grip on the fabric of society as we move further away from the actual events. As history continues to unfold, there are surely those amongst us today whose interpretations of modern events will be relied upon by future songwriters to help make sense of life in our time. It’s the American tradition. "―Jeff Strowe, PopMatters (January 7, 2016)
"Polenberg writes engagingly about the Crescent City at the turn of the last century, as he does about everything he addresses in this entertaining and enlightening book."―Jerome Clark, fRoots (Jan/Feb 2016)
"This thought-provoking study will help us to delve further into the reasons why so many of America's most popular songs have concerned white and male violence while obscuring black agency and side-stepping the terrorism of racism and male supremacy. Perhaps then we can better ask the questions we might have gleaned from these songs all along. Thanks to Richard Polenberg for pulling the covers off and allowing us to think more deeply about our history when we sing the folk songs that tell "my sad story."―Michael K. Honey,Missouri Historical Review(April 2016)
"Hear My Sad Story is an excellent book about folk songs and ballads that cover much of U.S. history in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Richard Polenberg draws on a wide range of fascinating primary and secondary sources to tell these stories in rich detail, particularly dealing with legal and political issues."―Ronald D. Cohen, Indiana University Northwest, author of Rainbow Quest: The Folk Music Revival and American Society, 1940–1970
"This fascinating book by one of the very best twentieth-century American historians draws on Richard Polenberg's enduring and continuing interest in folk music. Hear My Sad Story provides useful and illuminating background stories for a host of important American songs. Polenberg's good, crisp, readable prose ensures that anyone who likes folk music will enjoy this musical window onto the patterns of the past."―Allan M. Winkler, Miami University of Ohio, author of "To Everything There Is a Season": Pete Seeger and the Power of Song
"By giving equal weight to historical events and their reinvention as musical myths, Richard Polenberg creates a rich and colorful tapestry of fact and fable. The result is a thoroughly enjoyable and frequently illuminating volume."―Elijah Wald, musician, cultural historian, and coauthor of The Mayor of MacDougal Street
About the Author
Richard Polenberg is Marie Underhill Noll Professor of History Emeritus at Cornell University. He is the author of Hear My Sad Story: The True Tales That Inspired "Stagolee," "John Henry," and Other Traditional American Folk Songs and Fighting Faiths: The Abrams Case, The Supreme Court, and Free Speech, and is the editor of In the Matter of J. Robert Oppenheimer: The Security Clearance Hearing, all from Cornell.
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Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Would Make a Great Addition to a Music Lovers Library By Christine @ Constantly Moving the Bookmark This isn’t just a book about music; it’s a book about history, slavery, racial conflict, murder and love, all presented in the lyrics of songs. Pretty much any part of living life has at one point or another been turned into a ballad or song of some type. Music has been the teller of news and history since before books and newspapers; it’s a long standing tradition.As with the type of books people read or movies they enjoy music is a personal thing. Not everyone enjoys the same kind. When people ask me what kind of music I like my response is “pretty much anything as long as I can understand the lyrics”. Like a good book I enjoy songs that tell a story.When I was growing up there was no such thing as shouting “shotgun” to get the front seat and having control over the radio (or the comfy chair and the television). Whatever my dad was listening to on the radio – that’s what everyone listened to – so I grew up listening to Stompin’ Tom Connors sing “Bud the Spud”, Gordon Lightfoot singing about “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” and Red Sovine with his tearjerker “The Teddy Bear Song”. I guess some of it took because I still like listening to ballads.When I saw the tag line for this book “The true tales that inspired “Stagolee”, John Henry” and other traditional American folk songs” it pique my interest. To read the story behind the story sounded interesting. Although there were only a few songs I could claim familiarity with (Tom Dooley, Casey Jones) it did not diminish my enjoyment about hearing the “back story” of the others. Sometimes it was murder, sometimes it was news, a lost love or life’s hardships and sometimes the subject was just an interesting person the balladeer knew. Inspiration can strike from the strangest places.Mr. Polenberg has obviously done his research to give his readers a well-written book about the history of folk songs. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys folk music and the story behind the iconic songs. It would be a nice addition to any music library.* I received this book at no charge via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review *
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Fascinating! By Darcia Helle This book is a combination of history, sociology, true crime, and, of course, music. I was fascinated by it all.The author clearly did extensive research, not just regarding the history of the songs, but also the circumstances surrounding the events. With each song discussed, Polenberg places us right in the midst of these people's lives. We're part of the society in which they live. We feel the struggle to survive, the racism, the sorrow, and the pride. We see the truth behind the people immortalized in song, and how those songs evolved over time.I wish this book had an accompanying soundtrack. While I knew many of the songs, there were some I'd never heard of, and it would be ideal to have them all available to listen to as we read. Polenberg does share snippets of each song's lyrics as we go along. None of the song lyrics are shared in their entirety, which is a bit of a disappointment but also understandable. Many of these sounds went through dozens, if not hundreds, of changes over time.A foreknowledge of these folk songs is absolutely not required in order to enjoy this book. The stories stand on their own, with or without having heard the songs.This book is a profound look at early American culture, and should appeal to readers looking to experience a piece of that history.*I received an ebook copy from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.*
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Murder, mystery, nayhe and music By Rhetta Akamatsu There's something about murder, mystery and diaster that imiiprints a song on history. Crimes like those that inspired "Tom Dooley" and "Frankie and Johnny," for instance, would have een long forgotten if they had not become the stuff of folk songs. Jesse James, John Henry and other folk legends have also inspired songs that are still sung today. Any folk enthusiast can attest that there are a lot more sad songs in anyone's song bag than there are happy ones. And that is the point of "Hear My Sad Song." The book is chock full of murders, mining disasters, railroad accidents (remember "Casey Jones?:), outlaws and yes, sad stories. It is not cheerful reading, but it is fascinating, and belongs in the collection of anyone interest in folk music or American popular history.
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