The Ballad of Cappy John & other songs of Coastal Maine
FRED GOSBE- Vocals, 12-string guitar, 6-string guitar, 5-string viola (yes, really), Fiddle, Bass , Mandolin, Tin Whistles, Dobro, Harmonica, Dijeridu, Bok Whistles, Bowed Psaltry Guest Mu [+]The Ballad of Cappy John & other songs of Coastal Maine
FRED GOSBE- Vocals, 12-string guitar, 6-string guitar, 5-string viola (yes, really), Fiddle, Bass , Mandolin, Tin Whistles, Dobro, Harmonica, Dijeridu, Bok Whistles, Bowed Psaltry Guest Musicians JULIA LANE - Background vocals, Celtic harp MARK McNEIL - guitar, bass, percussion, chorus vocals CLAIRE CURTIS - concertina, chorus vocals GARY CLANCY - bass
All compositions copyright Fred Gosbee except "The Old Liars", and "The Fisherman's Life"; copyright Julia Lane Produced By Fred Gosbee and Julia Lane
These songs are my sketches of some of the folks who have lived and worked on the Maine coast over the last 300 years. There's a love song of a captain for his ship, several tributes to people real and imaginary, songs of history and work, songs of longing.
The Maine character has always been shaped by our close connection with the land and the sea. It isn't always an easy relationship. A hard land with a hard climate means a lot of hard work, but beneath the tough hide that these folks wear is a heart that understands the value of community and of belonging to a place.
All the lyrics for this album can be seen on our web site http://www.castlebay.net/cjlyric.html
FRED GOSBEE is known especially for his finely crafted narrative ballads about Maine characters and history. He was born and grew up in rural central Maine and has collected and performed folk music for over thirty years. His grandparents moved to Maine from New Brunswick in the 1920's and as a child he heard his older relatives singing the old woodsmen's songs and playing fiddle and accordian. He dabbled in the viola as his arms were long enough to reach. During high school, he had training in standard band instruments becoming one of the best tuba players in the state. He has experience with a wide variety of performance groups including orchestras, marching bands,and church and school choirs. At the University of Maine he studied folklore under Sandy Ives as well as engineering. Inspired by the folk music he heard, Fred took up the banjo and guitar. His interest in woodworking led him to begin designing and building guitars and a lute. After college, Fred Gosbee moved to the coast and became a shipfitter at
|
 |