Ritchie,Jean British Traditional Ballads Southern Mountains 1 CD

Ten years after British scholar Cecil J. Sharp declared the traditional English ballad a "moribund" art form, he discovered a rich and thriving tradition of ballad-singing in America's southern Appalachian Mountains. Jean Ritchie, a tradition-bearer from Appalachian Kentucky, shares some of her favorite "story songs" of murder and romance. "Hangman" and "Old Bangum" feature the Appalachian dulcimer, a type of fretted zither unique to the region. Liner notes include an introduction by Ritchie, notes by Kenneth J. Goldstein, a bibliography on the ballads collected by Francis Child, and historical information and lyrics for each song.

1. Gypsy Laddie (Gypsy Davy) 2. False Sir John 3. Hangman 4. Lord Bateman 5. House Carpenter 6. Lord Thomas and Fair Ellender 7. The Merry Golden Tree (Golden Vanity) 8. Lord Lovel 9. Old Bangum 10. Barbara Allen 11. Fair Annie of Lochroyan