Rhiannon Giddens has recorded in many genres of music. One of her interests is old-time American folk music. Here she performs an old-time folk music number by Libba Cotton. Cotton was a self-taught guitarist whose music was eventually recorded by Mike Seeger for Folkways Records (Cotton was working as a domestic for the Seeger family when they discovered her musical talent).
Thomas Merton wrote an early autobiography titled, The Seven Story Mountain. The title refers to Mount Purgatory in Dante's Divine Comedy. I don't know if Railroad Earth's song, "Seven Story Mountain," was inspired by Dante or Thomas Merton, but it is nevertheless a rich presentation, both lyrically and musically. I like to imagine it a Dante-inspired bluegrass number.
Railroad Earth, a "new grass"/Americana/roots music group was a happy
discovery for me. They took their name from the title of a short story
by Jack Kerouac, "October in the Railroad Earth."
Seven Story Mountain
Oh lord, to see a light, but fail in strength to follow,
Sometimes it's hard to let it go.
Oh lord, to fail in heart, and each day grow more hollow,
Sometimes I just don't wanna know.
But the road that led me here, it's begun to disappear.
Sometimes I wonder where I am.
Oh lord, to hear a voice, but let it fade and wallow,
Sometimes it's hard to let it to.
Oh lord, to find the words, but keep them in and swallow,
One day the top is gonna blow.
But the road that left me here, it's begun to disappear.
Sometimes I wonder who I am.
Oh lord, to stumble blind, for years without knowing,
Sunrise has burned my eyes again.
Oh lord, to crumble quiet, watching from the silence
Sunrise has burned my eyes again.
It's a seven-story mountain. It's a long, long life we live.
Got to find a light and fill my heart again.
It's a seven-story mountain. It's a long, long life ahead.
Got to find a voice and fill my throat again
Here's a nice blues number by Justin Johnson playing on a lap steel guitar that was built from an 1840s weather barometer by Roots Instrument aficionado, Charles Atchison. Wilson has other guitars made out of all kinds of materials from auto license plates to cigar boxes. He has other videos on his Facebook band page, Justin Johnson and also at https://www.youtube.com/user/justinjohnsonlive
"Worried Man Blues" is a song that falls into the categories of Folk Music and Roots Music. It was recorded in 1930 by The Carter Family, and in 1969 by Johnny Cash, who married into the Carter family. In between those recordings, it was covered by Big Joe Williams, Woody Guthrie, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, and the Kingston Trio. I has been covered in later years by Devo, Van Morrison, Elliott Murphy, and others. There is no more authentic rendering of the song than in this recording by Woody Guthrie.
