"Peggy Gordon" is a Canadian folk song that has become popular in many English-speaking countries. As a folk song it was first collected in the 1950s and 1960s in Canada, mainly in
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
.
History
In the 1820s and early 1830s, a song called "Peggy Gordon" was published on American song-sheets: in New York and in Boston (available at the libraries of
Brown University
Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
, RI and the
New York Historical Society
The New-York Historical Society is an American history museum and library in New York City, along Central Park West between 76th and 77th Streets, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The society was founded in 1804 as New York's first museum. ...
).
A couple of decades later, a song called ”Peggy Gordon” was mentioned in
Fitz-Hugh Ludlow's story ''The Primpenny Family''. The story was published in serial form in the magazine ''
Vanity Fair'' in 1861, mentioning the song in chapter VI in a conversation between Mr. Kineboy and Miss Primpenny: .
The chorus of Kineboy's performance is very similar to the chorus of present-day versions:
Another version of this song, in the form of a
vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
song called ''Sweet Maggie Gordon'', was published in New York from 1880. The song tells a story of a man who is madly in love with a woman of this name and how he longs to be with her.
In 1938, a song called ''Sweet Peggy Gordon'' was recorded by Herbert Halpert in
Sloatsburg
Sloatsburg is a village in the town of Ramapo in Rockland County, New York, United States. Located east of Orange County, it is at the southern entrance to Harriman State Park. The population was 3,039 at the 2010 census. The village is named ...
, New York. The name of the singer was Mort Montonyea.
Folk song tradition
The song “Peggy Gordon” has been recorded by many artists. One of the first commercial recordings was by Canadian folk singer
Alan Mills in 1959 on the album ''Canadian Folksong''. It was recorded by
Charles Jordan on the 9-LP set ''Canadian Folk songs, A Centennial Collection'' in 1966, issued in 1967.
Also around this time it was recorded by Toronto folk singer
Bonnie Dobson
Bonnie Dobson (born November 13, 1940, Toronto, Ontario, Canada)["Bonnie Dobson"< ...](_blank)
.
Bonnie Dobson - Vive La Canadienne (2010 re-issue)
artistdirect.com
The song was featured in the film '' The Proposition'', sung by one of the Irish outlaws.
The Melvins
Melvins (sometimes The Melvins) are an American rock band formed in 1983 in Montesano, Washington. Their early work was key to the development of both grunge and sludge metal. Initially, they performed as a trio but later also sometimes appeare ...
’ cover of the song on their 2010 album, '' The Bride Screamed Murder'', was described as "a serenely bizarre version of the Canadian folk song".
Covers
*Liam Clancy
Liam Clancy ( ga, Liam Mac Fhlannchadha; 2 September 1935 – 4 December 2009) was an Irish folk singer from Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary. He was the youngest member of the influential folk group the Clancy Brothers, regarded as Ireland's ...
''The Clancy Brothers
The Clancy Brothers were an influential Irish folk music group that developed initially as a part of the American folk music revival. Most popular during the 1960s, they were famed for their Aran jumper sweaters and are widely credited with popu ...
and Tommy Makem
Thomas Makem (4 November 1932 – 1 August 2007) was an internationally celebrated Irish folk musician, artist, poet and storyteller. He was best known as a member of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. He played the long-necked 5-string banjo ...
: In Concert'' 1967 (Columbia Records LP)
*The Dubliners
The Dubliners were an Folk music of Ireland, Irish folk band founded in Dublin in 1962 as The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group, named after its founding member; they subsequently renamed themselves The Dubliners. The line-up saw many changes in personn ...
''Live at the Albert Hall'' 1969 (Major Minor SMLP 44 LP)
*John Allan Cameron
John Allan Cameron, (16 December 1938 – 22 November 2006) was a Canadian folk singer, "The Godfather of Celtic Music" in Canada. Noted for performing traditional music on his twelve string guitar, he released his first album in 1969. He ...
''Here Comes John Allan Cameron'' 1969
* The Quare Fellas (Dublin City Ramblers) ''A Fond Tale'' 1970 (CBS 63997 LP)
*Ryan's Fancy
Ryan’s Fancy was an Music of Ireland, Irish folk music group active from 1971–1983. The band consisted of multi-instrumentalists Denis Ryan (singer), Denis Ryan, Fergus O'Byrne, and Dermot O'Reilly, all of whom were Ireland, Irish immigra ...
''Curraghs, Minstrels, Rocks and Whiskey'' 1971 (Gunn GBY LP 1003 LP)
*The Corries
The Corries were a Scottish folk group that emerged from the Scottish folk revival of the early 1960s. The group was a trio from their formation until 1966 when founder Bill Smith left the band but Roy Williamson and Ronnie Browne continued ...
''Sound the Pibroch'' 1972
*Happy Traum
Happy Traum (born Harry Peter Traum, May 9, 1938, The Bronx, New York) is an American folk musician who started playing music in the 1950s and became a stalwart of the Greenwich Village music scene of the 1960s and the Woodstock music scene of t ...
''Relax Your Mind'' 1975
*Paddy Reilly
Patrick "Paddy" Reilly (born 18 October 1939) is an Irish folk singer and guitarist. Born in Rathcoole, County Dublin, he is one of Ireland's most famous balladeers and is best known for his renditions of "The Fields of Athenry", "Rose of Allen ...
''At Home with Paddy Reilly''
*Pecker Dunne
Patrick "Pecker" Dunne (1 April 1933 – 19 December 2012) was an Irish musician and seanchaí.
Dunne was born in Castlebar, County Mayo, "in the old county home". His family were Irish Travellers
Irish Travellers ( ga, an lucht siúil ...
''The Tinkerman'' (1987, re-released 2001)
*Buddy Wasisname
Kevin Luke Blackmore, who performs under the stage name Buddy Wasisname, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, comedian, and dramatist from Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Blackmore is best known as leader of the band Buddy Wasisname and the Other ...
''Miracle Cure'' (1992)
*Sinéad O'Connor
Shuhada Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor on 8 December 1966; ) is an Irish singer-songwriter. Her debut album, ''The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and charted internationally. Her second album, ''I Do Not Want What ...
''Sean-Nós Nua
''Sean-Nós Nua'' is the sixth studio album by Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor, released on 8 October 2002, by Vanguard Records. It consists of traditional Irish songs, the title meaning "new old-style" and also referring to the popular style of t ...
'' 2002
* Brian Kennedy ''On Song 2'' 2005 (CURCD-160)
*The Chieftains
The Chieftains are a traditional Irish folk band formed in Dublin in 1962, by Paddy Moloney, Seán Potts and Michael Tubridy. Their sound, which is almost entirely instrumental and largely built around uilleann pipes, has become synonymous wi ...
(with the Secret Sisters) ''Voice of Ages''
*The Corrs
The Corrs are an Irish family band that combine pop rock with traditional Irish themes within their music. The group consists of the Corr siblings, Andrea (lead vocals, tin whistle, mandolin, ukulele), Sharon (violin, keyboards, vocals), Car ...
''Home'' 2005
*Marc Gunn
Marc Andrew Gunn (born March 17, 1972) is an American musician and podcaster.
Gunn rose to prominence as the autoharp-playing half of the Brobdingnagian Bards. He and partner Andrew McKee developed a following with weekly performances on the ...
*The High Kings
The High Kings is an Irish folk group formed in Dublin in 2008. The band consists of Finbarr Clancy, Brian Dunphy, Darren Holden, and Paul O'Brien. As of 2020, the group had released five studio albums, four live albums, and two live DVDs, an ...
''Friends for life'' 2013
*Roddy Campbell- Peigi Ghordain( in Scots Gaelic) -Back To Barra (2005)
References
External links
Maritime Folk Songs: from the Collection of Helen Creighton
Maritime songs remembered by an older generation of Canadians, mainly from Nova Scotia.
*
{{Authority control
Peggy Gordon