Here is one of my favorite songs to sing--House of the Rising Sun. I recently realized that I didn't have many pictures that included me--mostly because I am the one taking the picture. So here are a few with just me or me and some friends (or relatives) just for fun. Enjoy!
When my oldest brother, Dick, died I knew he held a strong faith that he would be going to a better world. I am reminded of the folksong Wayfaring Stranger, a song of comfort in these difficult times..
Though Juneteenth (June 19th) is a day of celebration, it is also a reminder of how much suffering has been and continues to be caused by racism in America and throughout the world.
My father, Charles E. Dolby, was born and grew up in Huntington County. His parents were Frank and Gertrude (Beghtel) Dolby. For most of his adult life he lived on Vine Street in Huntington. This folksong, The Great Silkie, tells of a mythical father in Norway.
People in positions of power who turn their backs on the people who have helped make this an admired and potent nation remind me of the skipper in The Golden Vanity, a folksong from the days of sailing ships. The foe is no longer some mythical “Turkish enemy” but rather our own leaders who fail to protect, serve, and cherish the people of this democracy. Vote them out.
Professor Geoffrey Joyce wrote an article for The Conversation July 8, 2020, titled “5 COVID-19 Myths Politicians have repeated that just aren’t true.” I adapt his “ 5 myths” here and call out the current administration for offering our people tall tales instead of the truth.
I took the liberty of reinterpreting what the House of the Rising Sun might be.
I share this old ballad and some photos as a tribute to some of the many people I have enjoyed singing with over the years. Thanks, everyone. Singing together is such a joy!
Going to college, getting married, having a child, starting a career—those are the kinds of things that young people often find urging them on with hope toward the future.
I invite you to join Ilze Akerbergs, Greg Philippsen, and me in singing this old African-American spiritual Michael Row the Boat Ashore in memory of all those we have lost.
“The Derby Ram” is an old English folksong that claims our amazing ram has a tail that reaches from the Midlands in England all the way over to St Patrick’s Cathedral in Ireland and rings its bell. It’s a fun song, best as a sing-along. Please join in.
My earliest memories of my father, Charles Dolby, are of him building things.
One of the oldest ballads still popular around Christmastime is “The Cherry Tree Carol.”
Though it is painful to see the wounds our world has suffered, continues to suffer—still I am thankful that I have had this chance to experience life in this amazing universe. Happy Thanksgiving!
I cannot help but express my dismay at Trump’s re-election. I chose this traditional spiritual to express my grief.
There have been a lot of songs, books, movies, and sermons about life after death. A song that captures much of the feeling behind such materials is the gospel song “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?”
My former colleague, Bill Wiggins, wrote a book about Juneteenth--O Freedom!. And Sam Cooke wrote a song the expresses the hope we should all share. I'll sing the song for you here. Read the book if you have a chance.
