Today was a day with rain, plunging temperatures, big wind, and a bit of time to address items that have been sitting undone for a couple of days. Not a bad day, all in all.
I'm not sure where it came from, but my musical thoughts headed off into 1960s folk tunes today. This was a time of protest songs and traditional folk songs. Many rock stars and groups began as folk artists. I recall seeing Denny Doherty in 1999 when he presented his autobiographical stage show "Dream a Little Dream." As a young man from Halifax he was deep into a number of folk scenes in NYC and rubbed shoulders with many other fascinating individuals of the day -- Yanovsky, McGuinn, Elliot, Sebastian and of course, Phillips. It was a heady time in the west Village at places like the Night Owl and The Bitter End. The latter is still there and I did see it when driving down Bleeker Street on a bus tour a couple years back. It had nothing to do with the tour, but I did inform my seat-mate about it. <smile> I loved the gentle sound of folk music. I do love the electric rock sound, too, but some times just call for a softer sound.
Today's selection is the song that stuck in my head as I worked away. It is from a major folk group of the time but the song seems to date back to the US civil war. It doesn't necessarily have an anti-war sentiment as others of the time did, yet it fit well with the '60s Zeitgeist. It is also a wonderful love song. This version has amazing harmonies and such clear, bell-like vocal tones. I love it. Enjoy!
The Cruel War is Raging -- Peter, Paul and Mary
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=cruel+war+peter+paul+and+mary
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