I wrote the song “The First One” for my mother. After attending college, she married and had five children. I was the fourth. My life has been immensely blessed by having her as my mother and guiding light.
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.
Valentine’s Day always makes me think of the various stories, movies, and songs I associate with love relationships—and also simply ones that make me feel glad to be here. May you have a Happy Valentine’s Day and remember fondly your own list of things that you enjoy.
Thanksgiving 2020 is going to be a much-reduced affair for most of us, but here is a little reminder of how it has been in years gone by.
Back in the late 1800s Christina Rossetti wrote a long poem, “In the Bleak Midwinter,” and then later Gustav Holst (of The Planets fame) wrote a melody that is usually associated with the piece. Though occasionally found in some hymnals, the song is not as familiar as other Christmas carols.
Oh, Christmas Tree—the song that is now a Christmas carol began as a German folk song that celebrates the fir tree—a symbol of faithfulness and constancy.
This pandemic year has given me a different kind of Auld Lang Syne—a lonely one, yes, but one that recalls in this unusual way some of the wonderful people in my life.
There is an old bit of folklore that claims women shouldn’t whistle—i.e., “A whistling woman and a crowing hen always come to no good end.” But I don’t believe it.
One of the oldest ballads still popular around Christmastime is “The Cherry Tree Carol.”
Dona nobis pacem—Latin for “grant us peace.” My wish for this holiday season is that our dear and fragile human world learns to live peacefully together. My friend Ilze joins me on this lovely traditional round. All the best to you and yours.
This is a medley of some of the many Christmas songs my friend Ilze Akerbergs and I have recorded over the last decade or so. Nearly all of the instrumentation is Ilze, and she is the one who knew how to splice together bits from each song into a single piece. I hope you enjoy the medley.
This is a medley from the first Christmas CD Ilze Akerbergs and I made back in 2010. After fifteen years of creating annual albums to send out to friends and family at Christmastime, we have decided to take a break. But here is a medley from that first year. We hope you enjoy it.
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.
Winters here in Indiana have become milder as climate change has affected the seasons, but when I was young and living in northern Indiana, you could still find ponds to skate on part of the year. My middle brother, Steve, taught me to ice skate and gave me some good, practical advice—try to relax as you fall. I regard his advice as a good metaphor for life in general, so a few years ago I wrote this song highlighting that advice. I hope you enjoy it.
