Mostly Music Covers

Sea Shanties   I have had this topic as one of 21 ideas in my draft folder for some time and the plan was to release it for International Talk Like a Pirate Day Sept 19, 2020, but I never got around to writing it. I thought about getting to it after I saw the movie about the singing group Fisherman's Friends as well. Now, sea shanties are making news thanks to Nathan Evans and Tik Tok, Youtube and other social media, so it's time to jump on the bandwagon! I have mentioned before I have a friend of Irish descent, and the classic Irish drinking songs are closely related to (if not a few of them considered) sea shanties themselves. Add to this that I'm half Newfoundlander on my mother's side, also - my close friend from a Haven Port in the UK so I'm somewhat familiar with the genre. What is a Sea Shanty? The simple answer is " What Will You Do With a Drunken Sailor? " But there is an interesting history to the songs that have endured the test of time. I gave

  Folk Rock II In the first instalment on Folk Rock , I talked about the origins and the founders of the genre such as Bob Dylan and The Byrds. I stand by my observation that for the most part, the genre hosts songs rather than artists. The February 2020 post has become my most viewed since then and actually doubles the next in line, Bohemian Rhapsody .  Perhaps this genre has become more popular with the current state of the world and it's coming up on Google searches, so I thought it might deserve a second part. This means a bit more exploring and then moving beyond the formative years of the 60s and early 70s. What defines a Folk-Rock song? On the surface it is simply a blend; you take a folk song and add elements of Rock and there you have it. The perfect example is the first song that got labelled "Folk Rock" which was the cover of Dylan's " Mr. Tambourine Man " by The Byrds. It was recorded January 20, 1965 and released on April 12. But that one is eas