Letters to the Editor
Send letters to:Editor/ Dirty Linen/ P.O. Box 66600/ Baltimore, MD21239-6600/ USA,
or email to editor@dirtylinen.com. Letters may be edited for length.
Jug Mail
Digging down through my pile of mail, I was delighted to find the August/September '99 issue of Dirty Linen. In it, I discovered the most thoroughly reported story on the history of "Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions" I have yet to read. Michael Parrish really went to the sources for his in-depth coverage of this story. Thanks so much to Michael and the staff of Dirty Linen for a job well done.
— Michael Wanger
Producer, "Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions" CD (via email)
Where Credit's Due
During my career I was graced to have worked with such great friends as James Keane, Joanie Madden, Joe Burke, Michael Cooney, Jerry O'Sullivan, Noel Hill and many fine traditional Irish artists. It was therefore with great dismay that I found no writer's credit given me by De Dannan on their CD Hibernian Rhapsody for my original song "Captain Jack" ("Captain Jack and the Mermaid"). Although I have written their record company no label changes have ever been made and, consequently, anyone picking up this album would assume "Captain Jack" to be a "traditional" song. This brings to light the plight of songwriters like myself who do their work too well when it comes to composing songs with an old fashioned feel to them. Although it brings songwriters great joy to know our lyrics and melodies will be carried along through time in the true folk tradition, this still does little for those of us who rely on royalties to support us when we can no longer perform as musicians. I was forced to retire in 1994 due to multiple sclerosis and I must now look forward to my hard work of songwriting to support me.
I finally received a royalty payment from Shanachie Records, but they have never put my name as the writer of "Captain Jack" on the Hibernian Rhapsody album. I am still so pleased that Tommy Flemming sang my song... he does such a beautiful rendition of it. I am also very pleased that De Dannan stayed very close to my original arrangement. I just wish their record company would print my name in the album credits so that all the folk who are picking up my song to perform will know where it came from. I have already heard that "Captain Jack and the Mermaid" has been performed for ages now as a "traditional" folk song. I had always hoped that I would create at least one song in my lifetime that would have the staying power of some of the world's greatest folk songs and perhaps I have accomplished that after all. The story behind my writing of "Captain Jack" can be found on my website: members.tripod.com/megdavis/index.html
I continue to get letters from all over the planet about my music and I want to send my warmest wishes to all who have kept in touch with me now that illness has stopped me from performing.
— Meg Davis (its-a-hoot@usa.net)
Tempest in an Irish Teapot, Part III
As regards my taking exception to "The Irish make saints out of singers like Niamh Parsons" quote, firstly I apologize to Rod Campbell [Letters, D.L. #84], who seems to feel that I have mounted a personal attack. The truth is that it never occurred to me that said quote was penned by anyone who would ever read Dirty Linen or who knew anything about the music. Moreover I missed the bilingual pun, being unaware that "Niamh" is derived from "naiomh," which means "saint" in Gaelic. I assumed from the style that it was some yuppie trying to sound hip, like the author of the recently used blurb on the Hayes-Cahill live record who calls it a "Celtic complement to Steve Reich's quartets or Miles Davis' 'Sketches of Spain.'" (Does this mean anything at all?) Obviously my not liking such blindingly purple prose isn't going to stop Green Linnet from using it or know-nothings from writing it. But I am sorry for assuming that Mr. Campbell falls into the latter camp since obviously he doesn't. I will plead innocent, however, to the charge of having called Parsons a sean nós singer — I said she had mastered sean nós techniques, which can hardly be argued.
— Duck Baker (via email)
