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American Roots Publishing Presents
BEAUTIFUL DREAMER: THE SONGS OF STEPHEN FOSTER
May 25, 2004
Although America's
first notable folk music composer, Stephen
Collins Foster, died 140 years ago, his
legacy lives on in the hundreds of songs he
left behind. To celebrate his enormous gift
to our culture, American Roots Publishing
will release Beautiful Dreamer: The Songs
of Stephen Foster with Emergent Music on
August 24
"When many of us were
kids, we sang 'Oh Susanna,' 'Camptown
Races,' and 'Old Folks At Home' in music
class," says American Roots Publishing
founder Tamara Saviano. "Now, while
some children may be familiar with these
songs, they probably are not singing them
in class. In all likelihood, most children
never heard of Stephen Foster."
"It's just one example of why we
formed American Roots Publishing,"
adds board secretary Kathi Whitley.
"American oral histories are a dying
art. It's sad because those stories show
respect for the lives and experiences of
those who have come before us. And, just as
importantly, they document memories for
once those lives are over, that knowledge
is lost forever."
Beautiful
Dreamer: The Songs Of Stephen Foster is a
collection of Foster's most beloved
compositions--and lesser-known exquisite
parlor songs of his day--sung by some of
today's most respected musical artists. The
album includes:
1. Raul Malo - "Beautiful Dreamer"
2. Alison Krauss with Yo Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, Mark O'Connor -
"Slumber My Darling"
3. BR-549 - "Don't Bet Money On The Shanghai"
4. Alvin Youngblood-Hart - "Nelly Was A Lady"
5. Judith Edelman - "No One To Love"
6. The Duhks - "Camptown Races"
7. John Prine - "My Old Kentucky Home, Goodnight"
8. Henry Kaiser - "Autumn Waltz"
9. Beth Nielson Chapman - "In The Eye Abides The Heart"
10. David Ball - "Old Folks At Home" (Swanee River)
11. Michelle Shocked & Pete Anderson - "Oh! Susanna"
12. Grey De Lisle - "Willie We Have Missed You"
13. Mavis Staples - "Hard Times Come Again No More"
14. Ollabelle - "Gentle Annie"
15. Roger McGuinn - "Jeannie With The Light Brown Hair"
16.
Suzy Bogguss - "Ah, May The Red Rose Live Always"
17. Will Barrow - "Holiday Schottisch"
18. Ron Sexsmith - "Comrades Fill No Glass For Me"
The compilation was produced by Steve Fishell and David Macias.
"In an extended April, 2004
interview with LA Times music critic Robert
Hilburn, Bob Dylan reflected on how he
learned to write songs: 'Anyone who wants
to be a songwriter should listen to as much
folk music as they can, study the form and
structure of stuff that has been around for
100 years. I go back to Stephen Foster.'
Dylan's quote was our inspiration for this
project," says ARP Treasurer and
producer Steve Fishell. "We wanted to
learn more about this brilliant person who
wrote over 200 popular songs before the end
of the Civil War. What we found was a
treasure trove of haunting melodies, lyrics
that could be achingly sad or hilariously
funny, and dozens of obscure Foster songs
rarely heard today. The project could
easily have become a boxset. It seems a
fitting debut for American Roots
Publishing."
Beautiful Dreamer:
The Songs of Stephen Foster features a
diverse array of musicians and instruments
from around the world. Sessions took place
in Los Angeles, Austin, New York City,
Memphis, Orlando, Nashville and London.
Recorded in Berkeley, California, Henry
Kaiser's instrumental, "Autumn
Waltz," showcases Robin Petrie on the
santour, a 17th century instrument native
to Turkey, Iran and Iraq. and similar to
the modern-day hammered dulcimer. Kaiser's
track also features percussionist Mark Bell
on the davul, or Turkish bass drum, the
riqq, an Egyptian tambourine, and the
Persian toumbak, or wooden hand drum.
Beth Nielsen Chapman's haunting
rendition of "In The Eye Abides the
Heart" features Gabe Rhodes on the
pump organ and the glass armonica, which
was invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1761.
Steve Fishell plays an acoustic Hawaiian
guitar dating back to the early 1920's on
Mavis Staples' soulful reading of the
Foster standard "Hard Times Come Again
No More," and BR-549 use a Chinese
gong at the conclusion of "Don't Bet
Money On The Shanghai."
Some
artists went to great lengths to create a
timeless setting: Grey De Lisle recorded
her vocals through vintage microphones and
recording gear, then mastered directly to
vinyl and finally, re-played the vinyl
phonograph disc and recorded it digitally.
You can hear the needle drop at the top of
her track.
All of the proceeds from
Beautiful Dreamer: The Songs of Stephen
Foster will benefit American Roots
Publishing, a nonprofit organization
dedicated to preserving American regional
culture through literature and art. Goals
are accomplished by supporting artists who
honor regional culture through their work
and by linking them with communities in
focused educational programs.
America is more than Hollywood hype, DC
politics and the New York Stock Exchange.
People are hungering for authenticity in
the way they live their lives, in the books
that they read, the music they listen to,
and the products they purchase. To bring
the music of Stephen Foster to children and
communities across the country, American
Roots Publishing will partner with the
Future Farmers of America for the
educational component of the Stephen Foster
program.
More information about the
program, including media materials for
Beautiful Dreamer, will be available May 31
at americanrootspublishing.org and stephencollinsfoster.com
Available August 24 on Emergent Music
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