EARLY IDAHO SONGS OF THE MONTH- November 2008

The Big Combine . Lyrics for this song are in the book Rebel Voices - an I.W.W. Anthology, published in 1964 by Jocye L. Kornbluh, Ed. This book indicates that the song was collected by noted musicologist Archie Green from Glenn Ohrlin, a working cowboy and traditional musician then living in Mountain View, Arkansas. Ohrlin evidently got the song from Jock Coleman, who worked as a cowboy and harvest hand around Pendleton, Oregon and was known as the "Poet Lariat" of the region. The song is a rare example of a Wobblie influenced song pertaining to farming in the northwest. The lyrics and location where the song was collected suggest that it came from the wheat farming region of eastern Washington/Oregon and northern Idaho. The structure of the song clearly is indicative of the popular song "Casey Jones", which was used for many Wobblie songs. "Casey Jones" also was a much-used Wobblie metaphor for non-union scabs. This rendition is by Gary Eller on vocals, guitar and banjo.

The Idaho Panhandle March and Two-Step. Sheet music for this fun instrumental, composed by Geo. C. Murphy of Coeur d'Alene and published in 1913, is in the Museum of North Idaho. The sheet music cover states "As played by the Coeur d'Alene City Band during the annual July regatta" and "With vocal chorus for mixed quartet". Although the sheet music is for piano, the song likely was written for a brass band. The rendition here by Cynthia Marlette on piano was recorded at the Coeur d'Alene First Presbyterian Church.
 
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© Bona Fide 2006-8. This page last updated on November 3, 2008.