I'm 73yo and in my youth I listened to my mother's folk records, including several Niles albums. She said that she had seen Niles sing when she was younger. I still collect folk song recordings and have collected as many Niles recordings that I can find. Twenty some years ago I transcribed some of his recordings and sent them to early internet sites that showed song lyrics.
I grew up in the Bluegrass region, but never heard of Niles until I saw the brief clip taken from this segment in Scorsese's "No Direction Home." I was captivated by Niles's performance. In my mind, he was taking the Appalachian songs back to their roots in something like medieval madrigals. I have since visited the John Jacob Niles Center at the University of Kentucky, seen his unique handmade dulcimers up close, stopped by his old homestead at Boot Hill Farm, and attended several lovely services at St. Hubert's Episcopal Church, whose beautiful wooden doors he hand-carved and inscribed with verses from the Psalms. There, I had the honor of meeting and chatting with Ron Pen, Niles's biographer. I have been wondering for years where Scorsese lifted his clip from. Thanks for sharing this.
From this cool article "WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT . . . JOHN JACOB NILES" by Graham Reid: He won over the writer Henry Miller who said this of listening to Niles' recordings: “Our favorite was I Wonder As I Wander, sung in a clear, high-pitched voice with a quaver and a modality all his own. “The metallic clang of his dulcimer never failed to produce ecstasy. He had a voice which summoned memories of Arthur, Merlin, Guinevere. There was something of the Druid in him. “Like a psalmist, he intoned his verses in an ethereal chant which the angels carried aloft to the Glory seat. When he sang of Jesus, Mary and Joseph they became living presences. “A sweep of the hand and the dulcimer gave forth magical sounds which caused the stars to gleam more brightly, which peopled the hills and meadows with silvery figures and made the brooks to babble like infants. “We would sit there long after his voice had faded out, talking of Kentucky where he was born, talking of the Blue Ridge mountains and the folk from Arkansas . . ."
I'm 73yo and in my youth I listened to my mother's folk records, including several Niles albums. She said that she had seen Niles sing when she was younger. I still collect folk song recordings and have collected as many Niles recordings that I can find. Twenty some years ago I transcribed some of his recordings and sent them to early internet sites that showed song lyrics.
I grew up in the Bluegrass region, but never heard of Niles until I saw the brief clip taken from this segment in Scorsese's "No Direction Home." I was captivated by Niles's performance. In my mind, he was taking the Appalachian songs back to their roots in something like medieval madrigals. I have since visited the John Jacob Niles Center at the University of Kentucky, seen his unique handmade dulcimers up close, stopped by his old homestead at Boot Hill Farm, and attended several lovely services at St. Hubert's Episcopal Church, whose beautiful wooden doors he hand-carved and inscribed with verses from the Psalms. There, I had the honor of meeting and chatting with Ron Pen, Niles's biographer. I have been wondering for years where Scorsese lifted his clip from. Thanks for sharing this.
thank you for uploading this!
Been looking for this full clip for years. Thank you so much!!!
same
Thank You .
Awesom .***** !
An American treasure!
From this cool article "WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT . . . JOHN JACOB NILES" by Graham Reid: He won over the writer Henry Miller who said this of listening to Niles' recordings: “Our favorite was I Wonder As I Wander, sung in a clear, high-pitched voice with a quaver and a modality all his own.
“The metallic clang of his dulcimer never failed to produce ecstasy. He had a voice which summoned memories of Arthur, Merlin, Guinevere. There was something of the Druid in him.
“Like a psalmist, he intoned his verses in an ethereal chant which the angels carried aloft to the Glory seat. When he sang of Jesus, Mary and Joseph they became living presences.
“A sweep of the hand and the dulcimer gave forth magical sounds which caused the stars to gleam more brightly, which peopled the hills and meadows with silvery figures and made the brooks to babble like infants.
“We would sit there long after his voice had faded out, talking of Kentucky where he was born, talking of the Blue Ridge mountains and the folk from Arkansas . . ."
I wish there was more JJN footage.
Appalshop has some
@@wheatiemattiasich Yes, I have seen that film, it is wonderful.
one can only laugh at this nonsense. thank you!!