Quote:
Originally Posted by Berni
I read something once about Johnny Cash being gangsta 'cause of lyrics like "I shot a man in Reno , just to watch him die...." but that notion goes way, way back with old songs like Knoxville Girl. A Truer Sound (blog) posted a murder ballads comp a while back. If it's not available anymore let me know and I'll send it to you. A wonderful, scholarly site, Old Weird America, is an in-depth analysis of Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music. Plenty of historical fodder there. Gee, I'm starting to miss grad school!
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Old country blues songs were talking about murder long before hip-hop came around, I agree. If anything, gangsta rap is just a continuation of some of those old blues songs from Blind Willie McTell, Johnson, etc.
A Truer Sound still had the comp. I have most of those songs but some I don't, what a treat!
The Anthology of American Folk Music is great, I dl it a while back but only listened to a bit, but loved it.
Has anyone listened to "The Executioner's Last Song: Vol. 1-3"? It's a John Langford project, filed under John Langford & The Pine Valley Cosmonauts. The first song is a rendition of "Knoxville Girl". Steave Earles version of "Tom Dooley" is a must listen. If I had a better connection with the interweb, I'd upload it and provide a link.