A sporting song is a folk song which celebrates fox hunting, horse racing,

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three el ...

and other recreations. Although songs about boxers and successful racehorses were common in the nineteenth century, few are performed by current singers. In particular fox-hunting is considered

politically incorrect ''Political correctness'' (adjectivally: ''politically correct''; commonly abbreviated ''PC'') is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in socie ...

. The most famous song about a foxhunter, " D'ye ken John Peel" was included in ''

The National Song Book ''The National Song Book'' (1906) was a collection of British songs edited and arranged by Charles Villiers Stanford and published by Boosey & Co London. The book's publication followed Stanford's work editing three volumes on the collection made ...

'' in 1906 and is now often heard as a marching tune. A. L. Lloyd recorded two EPs of sporting ballads; "Bold Sportsmen All" (1958) and "Gamblers and Sporting Blades (Songs of the Ring and the Racecourse)" (1962). The

High Level Ranters The High Level Ranters are a Northumbrian traditional musical group founded in 1964, best known for being one of the first bands in the revival of the Northumbrian smallpipes. Name and history The name was chosen as a combination of the loca ...

and Martin Wyndham-Read recorded an album called "English Sporting Ballads" in 1977. Logan English recorded an album ''American Gambling Songs'' in the 1950s.

John Jacob Niles John Jacob Niles (April 28, 1892 – March 1, 1980) was an American composer, singer and collector of traditional ballads. Called the "Dean of American Balladeers," Niles was an important influence on the American folk music revival of the 195 ...

recorded ''American Folk and Gambling Songs''. '' The Prospect Before Us'' (1976) by The Albion Dance Band contains two rarely heard hunting songs. In the UK,

The Watersons The Watersons were an English folk group from Hull, Yorkshire. They performed mainly traditional songs with little or no accompaniment. Their distinctive sound came from their closely woven harmonies. They have been called the "most famous fam ...

are the best-known performers of hunting songs. They sang "Dido, Bendigo" and "The White Hare of Howden" on their second album "The Watersons" (1966). The ballad " I'Anson's Racehorse" appears on ''A Yorkshire Garland'' (1966). Steeleye Span recorded "The Hills of Greenmore", an Irish fox-hunting song on their first album. " Skewball" is a song about a racehorse. Notable versions include those by

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspired ...

Peter, Paul and Mary Peter, Paul and Mary was an American folk group formed in New York City in 1961 during the American folk music revival phenomenon. The trio consisted of tenor Peter Yarrow, baritone Paul Stookey, and contralto Mary Travers. The group's reper ...

Lonnie Donegan Anthony James Donegan (29 April 1931 – 3 November 2002), known as Lonnie Donegan, was a British skiffle singer, songwriter and musician, referred to as the " King of Skiffle", who influenced 1960s British pop and rock musicians. Born in Scot ...

, Steeleye Span and

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...

. "Morrisey and the Russian Sailor" (Roud 2150) recounts a

Bare-knuckle boxing Bare-knuckle boxing (or simply bare-knuckle) is a combat sport which involves two individuals throwing punches at each other for a predetermined amount of time without any boxing gloves or other form of padding on their hands. It is a regulated ...

match between an Irishman and a Russian. As a folk-song it has been found in Ireland, the USA, Canada and Australia. It has been recorded by Joe Heaney. A well-known Irish reel "The Foxhunter" was recorded as an instrumental by

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 ...

Lúnasa Lughnasadh or Lughnasa ( , ) is a Gaelic festival marking the beginning of the harvest season. Historically, it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. In Modern Irish it is called , in gd, Lùnastal, and in gv, ...

and many others. Gambling songs often present the situation from the point of view of a repentant, aging gambler, looking back on his wasted life. The most famous such song is "

The House of the Rising Sun "The House of the Rising Sun" is a traditional folk music, folk song, sometimes called "Rising Sun Blues". It tells of a person's life gone wrong in the city of New Orleans. Many versions also urge a sibling or parents and children to avoid th ...

". Lonnie Donegan recorded "Gamblin' Man" as the B-side to "Putting on the Style" and took " Jack O' Diamonds" to number 1 in the UK in 1957. Other games such as tennis, boating and croquet were middle-class pursuits and are not mentioned in folk-songs. However, a collection of Victorian and Edwardian parlour songs, ''Play the Game'' was recorded by

Ian Partridge Ian Partridge (born 12 June 1938) is a retired English lyric tenor, whose repertoire ranged from Monteverdi, Bach and Handel, the Elizabethan lute songs, German, French and English songs, through to Schoenberg, Weill and Britten, and on to conte ...

, Peter Savidge and Jennifer Partridge with The Song and Supper Club in 2001. Whaling could be considered a type of hunting, but whaling songs are usually classed as sea shanties. The obvious successors to these songs are football songs, but they rarely describe actual matches. There are a number of Irish songs written by amateur songwriters from Ireland which celebrate notable achievements in hurling and Gaelic football. Rugby songs tend to be obscene. Country music songs such as "Those Gambler’s Blues” (1930) by

Jimmie Rodgers James Charles Rodgers (September 8, 1897 – May 26, 1933) was an American singer-songwriter and musician who rose to popularity in the late 1920s. Widely regarded as "the Father of Country Music", he is best known for his distinctive rhythmi ...

continue the tradition of lamenting the effect of gambling.

External references

Morrisey and the Russian Sailor

External references

See also