Ken Goldstein and Howard Glasser
Two Americans, the folklorist and the enthusiast
Goldstein in collected in and around Strichen in 1959/60
Glasser collected in the West and the North East in 1960 and 1963
Ken Goldstein based himself with the Stewart Family of Fetterangus in 1959/60, and recorded prodigiously, from Lucy Stewart and her nieces Elizabeth and Jane Stewart, and also from other fine singers. He copied most of these recordings to the archives of the SSS, but gems still languish in the archives of Ole Miss University in Mississippi, along with other later recordings in Scotland, and recordings of professional Scots performers on visits to the USA,.
I have been privileged to hear some of the Buchan tracks, courtesy of archivist Greg Johnson, and am telling much more about Goldstein's work in a website I am developing called goldsteinandscotland.com.
Howard Glasser toured around the West and North East recording in 1960. In 1963 he came back and spent a week sitting recording in Jeannie Robertson's Aberdeen house. Below are a few of the gems he recorded there and shared with Scots friends. Nearly all his work is held hostage behind US library walls, awaiting specialist archivist manipulation.
The Nicht I Went Tae Jeannies
Made and sung by Willy Whyte, a good friend of Jeannie & Isaac
The Yowie Wi The Crookit Horn
Jeannie Robertson
A song apparently about sheep-stealing, but in fact a lament for a stolen whisky still.
Huntly Toon
Lizzie Higgins
Jeannie and Isaac's daughter, another of the great voices.
Glasgow Green
Jeannie Robertson
Your dancin days are done, mak a coatie for yer loon.
The Coo Wi The Iron Tail
Jimmie MacBeath
Another giant of the Folksong revival, a leather-voiced footslogger with a tremendous repertoire.
The song is about an oudoor iron-handled water pump.
Gatherin Nuts
Jeannie Robertson
Apples And Pears
Jeannie and her neice
The Birks O Aberfeldy
Jeannie's neice
In March 1960 Goldstein recorded two hours of material from the 'Stewart and Robertson family' in New Pitsligo. He lists several other surnames, and I surmise that this is a gathering of various travellers in the home of the Stewarts/Robertsons.
They sang big ballads and bothy ballads and C&W ditties, shared astonishingly bawdy rhymes, and told personal experiences of seeing ghosts. Accordion playing was accompanied by whistling, spoons playing, whistling and lilting.
The material was not copied to Tobar An Dualchais, the titles are often listed problematically, and informants are not always given.
Here are a few tracks.
Sugar In The Morning
Then popular song
Accordion and spoons
Accordion spoons whistling and lilting