Barbry Allen- Workman (KY-WV) 1982 Seeger REC
[From the CD: I Want To Go Where Things Are Beautiful from Seeger's 1982 recordings of Nimrod Workman. It's unknown when and where Workman learned this version.
R. Matteson 2015]
Review Excerpts by Stephen M. Deusner; February 26, 2009
When he recorded the sessions that make up I Want to Go Where Things Are Beautiful, he was 87 years old but had a mighty voice, a keen sense of humor, and a strong memory, recalling songs he had learned at the beginning of his life. Born in rural Kentucky in 1895, he began working in the coalmines at 14, and when he retired more than 40 years later, it was only due to a slipped disc and black lung.
These sessions were recorded by Mike Seeger, a musician and folklorist (and Pete Seeger's half-brother) who received an NEA Folk Arts grant to document Workman's vast repertoire of songs. He spent several days at the singer's home in East Tennessee, interviewing and capturing his off-the-cuff performances.
A few tracks later, he's savoring the nonsense syllables of "Sourwood Mountain" and testifying mightily on the
traditional "Barbara Allen".
Barbry Allen- Nimrod Workman, recorded in 1982 by Mike Seeger
"Do you remember Saturday night,
We were at the ball together,
You gave your hand to ladies all around,
And slighted Barb'ry Allen?"
[only stanza transcribed]