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'the group' visits Puget Sound - Notes adapted from album
cover
'the group' sings folk songs – that part of American
history which only the people can keep alive. This is not
the kind of music which one learns from books or music teachers.
It is not the kind of music which is published in fancy volumes.
It is the music that is sung and listened to. The songs in
this album don't need to be written down, they live in the
voices of these five boys, as they have lived in the voices
of the men and women who have sung them in the fields, on
the roads, in the meeting halls and for enjoyment in their
homes, to their children and their friends.
The music of this album is Americana, and it gives the listener
the rare experience of realizing the versatility of 'the group'.
This is not an album of similar songs, but a lively cross
section of humor, sadness and fanciful storytelling. It is
as exciting as one of their performances.
What is it that makes 'the group'? The skillful blending of
harmony – in their special "style" - demonstrates their
ability as musicians; but it is a common desire to sing that
makes them creative folk artists. The excitement and pleasure
that the boys can communicate in performance has caused audiences
to break into show-stopping applause. The ingredients are
simple: a battered stool, two guitars, a banjo and five voices,
voices that can holler out the energetic defiance of DARLIN'
COREY or lend a melodic softness to the classic ballad TURTLE
DOVE. These boys have sung in over-crowded auditoriums, county
fairs and home shows. Their simple magic has captured night
club audiences and private banquets. But they need no spotlight.
'the group' has come to sing, whether at home or at parties,
in the open countryside or the finest night club, and the
love that they have for that singing reaches everyone who
has ever listened to them.
All of the boys have had musical backgrounds. Dave Coxwell,
who plays the banjo, is from San Mateo, California. Dave is
also an actor and a wonderful entertainer in his own right.
He usually M.C.'s. 'the group's appearances; his dry wit adds
a touch of comedy to each performance. Mark Graff is
from Olympia, Washington. He has had a continuous interest
in music and entertainment, and brings to 'the group' a well
trained, emotion-packed voice. His appreciation for good music
in any field, classical, jazz, folk songs, or popular, is
noticeable in his song treatments. Mark also plays a fine
guitar. Bill Hartwell is also from Olympia, Washington.
He has been active in choirs, musical contests and professional
singing for many years. Bill's musical knowledge and taste
is of prime importance to 'the group'. Their beautifully simple
DONEY GAL is an example. Mike Moloso is from Seattle
and is presently living in Walla Walla, Washington. Mike's
humor during a performance is strictly ad-lib, but his guitar
playing and emotional approach to the songs are filled with
feeling. He is the only married member of 'the group'. Kirk
Prindle is a stubby little ball of enthusiasm from Hillsborough,
California. Kirk, a pre-med student at college, has an earthy
voice full of robust life. He is one of these rare "fun singers"
who can start an entire room full of people singing, just
by opening his mouth.
The boys met at Whitman College in 1957 and discovered their
mutual zest for the folk song. 'the group' was a natural development,
and since then they have enjoyed the surprising success that
is climaxed with this album.
A meaningful and exciting interpretation, both vocally and
musically, is the aim and responsibility of any group such
as this. The boys have given each song the finest possible
tribute; they have not tried to popularize these songs. There
has been no commercializing, just that extra something that
they bring to everything they sing. 'the group' has taken
a tradition and given it a style - the living style of singers
who are creating American history. —MICHAEL LEIBERT
SIDE 1
THEY'RE LAYIN' EGGS NOW & HOORAY - Traditional 2:35
BLACK IS THE COLOR OF MY TRUE LOVE'S HAIR - Traditional 1:45
CHIMNEY SWEEP (Moloso) C.F.G. Publ.-BMI 2:31
TURTLE DOVE - Traditional 3:01
DARLIN' COREY - Traditional 1:15
WAYFARING STRANGER - Traditional 3:10
SIDE 2 DARLIN' - Traditional 2:35
HULLABALOO BELAY - Traditional 1:42
DRUNKEN SAILOR - Traditional 3:09
RAILROAD BILL - Traditional 2:17
DONEY GAL - Traditional 2:16
I AM A RAKE - Traditional 1:46
The songs have the flavor and variety of a "live" performance.
Track 1. THEY'RE LAYING EGGS NOW is an old college
drinking song and a perfect example of the humor and ribaldry
in 'the group's singing. HOORAY was brought to 'the
group' from a collection called "Songs of Juvenile Delinquency".
Both of these songs are show-stoppers.
Track 2. BLACK IS THE COLOR OF MY TRUE LOVE'S HAIR
is an Appalachian folk song. It is a fine example of 'the
group's ability to sing the ballad, the most difficult form
of folk music.
Track 3. CHIMNEY SWEEP is used by 'the group' as an
"everybody sing" song. It was written by Mike Moloso and inspired
by the Creole chant of the chimney sweepers in New Orleans.
It is an excellent song for Mike's own vibrant style of singing
and stands as an excellent example of the relative unimportance
of song verses in "fun singing."
Track 4. TURTLE DOVE is one of the most haunting songs
which the boys sing. The creative skill and the simplicity
with which they handle it is a tribute to their ability as
artists. This song is an old ballad that may be rightly called
a classic.
Track 5. DARLIN' COREY is another classic folksong
with tremendous bursts of energy in its ribald story. It is
from Kentucky and has a folk humor lacking in many modern
songs.
Track 6. WAYFARING STRANGER tells the moaning, mournful
story of the lowly farmer. The harmony and lyric quality of
this arrangement are calculated to give that same quality.
It is perhaps the best known song in the album.
Track 7. DARLIN' tells of the bitter resentment of
the worker toward his captain, who is the working man's eternal
scapegoat. Mark Graff succeeds in giving it a wailing blues
quality that shows his skill as an interpretive artist.
Track 8. HULLABALLOO BELAY is presented in 'the group's
style. It is an exciting song that tells the tale of a dissatisfied
man whose wife runs a boarding house. It too has a salty sea
flavor.
Track 9. DRUNKEN SAILOR is a sea chanty based upon
the song the sailors would sing as they hoisted up the anchor,
which becomes lighter and lighter as it rises. This accounts
for the increasing gusto of the song. It has been arranged
by Dave Coxwell.
Track 10. RAILROAD BILL was introduced to the singers
by Mike Moloso, who heard it in a coffee house in Seattle.
This folk song tells of a legendary armed outlaw who rode
railroad boxcars. It gives the singer a wonderful opportunity
to release his inhibitions.
Track 11. DONEY GAL is a western song which moves along
like a cowboy's pony, stopping occasionally to get a look
at the moon. Bill Hartwell's solo has the plaintive softness
of the beautiful western ballad.
Track 12. I AM A RAKE is a folk song which must have
come from either the river boats or the great westward migration.
It carries the brash excitement of the singers, and has a
lusty, bragging, 'man talk' quality.
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