I lived in Dublin for most of the 70’s. Irish music as at its apex with the Chieftains, Planxty, Clannad, DeDanaan. We went to concerts every weekend. If there wasn’t one, we went down to O’Donagues and listened to the sessions.
Last night at a Session in Evanston WY at the end of the annual Celtic festival put on by The Arts Inc., one of the guys at the Session stood up and introduced this song to us (saying, in essence, "a lot of Irish music moves from east to west.... This song actually originated in the West and moved east". Then he sang it. Blew our minds. Norman Blake, who wrote this, as I learned, also wrote "You Are My Sunshine." Planxty is one of my wife's favorite bands. She introduced me to them within the last 3 years (we met about 3 years ago). And this Celtic festival that just finished was another outstanding round of musicians.
Norman Blake most certainly didn't write "You Are My Sunshine". It dates back to the 1930s and, depending on which account you believe, was either written by Paul Rice (of the Rice Brothers Gang) or by a Georgia musician named Oliver Hood, who taught it to Rice. Whatever the case, Paul Rice sold it to Jimmie Davis who copyrighted it in 1940. The Wikipedia entry for the song is very informative. Blake did record it for the "O Brother, Where Art Thou" soundtrack in 2000.
I had the great pleasure to see Planxty in the early eighties in Germany (and later Matt Molloy in his pub in Westport plus Andy Irvine who is one of my favorite singers at Bewleys Cafe in Dublin);true legends of Irish music and this song especially is heartwarming
Nice to hear this song in a Celtic setting. You might have mentioned that this song was written by Norman Blake in the 1970s -- the name of the song is Bill Gray.
Love this song that tin whistle gets me every time for 5:05 minutes I’m in love all over again I come here to listen daily to this version hope it never gets taken down
That tin whistle.... the musical equivalent of the atomic clock. Created by particle physicists to nano nano nano nano nano tolerances. More perfectly tuned than any other tin whistle ever was or ever will be. The quintessential tin whistle, the benchmark. The final tin whistle. Tin whistle absolut.
My friend introduced me to Planxty. I was only 20ish. I was going through a period without a girlfriend thus loneliness I was feeling a lot. I'd go home drunk, stagger into my bedroom, put Planxty on and fall asleep, waking up wondering what shenanigans I'd been up to the night before. Actually I got together with a lapsed Catholic called Bernadette who had Irish roots. She was a beautiful woman in spirit and flesh. God bless her!
Billy Gray rode into Gantry way back in '83 There he first met with young Sarah Maclane The wild rose of morning, the pale flower of dawning Hurled a springtime into Billy's life that day Sarah she could not see the daylight of reality In her young eyes Billy bore not a flaw Knowing not her chosen one, he was a hired gun Wanted in Kansas City by the law Then one day a tall man came riding from the Badlands That lie to the north of New Mexico He was overheard to say, he was looking for a Billy Gray A wanted man and a danger said law Well the news it came creeping to Billy fast sleeping There in the Clarendon Bar and Hotel He ran to the old church that lies on the outskirts Thinking he'd hide in the old steeple bell But a rifleball came flying, face down he lay dying There in the dust of the road where he lay Sarah ran to him, she was cursing the lawman The poor girl knew no reason, except that he'd been Killed Sarah still lives in that old white frame house Where she first met Billy some forty years ago But the wild rose of morning has faded with the dawning Of each day of sorrow the long years have grown And written on the stone where the dusty winds have Long blown Eighteen words to a passing world say "True love knows no season, no rhyme or no reason Justice is cold as the Granger County clay. " "True love knows no season, no rhyme or no reason Justice is cold as the Granger County clay.
@@seafire7701 Agreed. My lyrics for the song had that same mistake but the lyric is unmistakably ("heralded" a springtime into Billy's life that day) which perfectly fits and makes far more sense. Thanks for the correction and clarification!
green.... the isle and its sloping hills blue... the curtains of the concert hall red... the cheeks of the band members mix these colours and obtain elegant thrills
+Brongaene Griffin Other comment in same thread says "Take a look to the original by Norman Blake: /watch?v=yOK9WZtBerU" another comment specifies: this is a direct cover of Billy Grey - written by Norman Blake.
I lived in Dublin for most of the 70’s. Irish music as at its apex with the Chieftains, Planxty, Clannad, DeDanaan. We went to concerts every weekend. If there wasn’t one, we went down to O’Donagues and listened to the sessions.
Last night at a Session in Evanston WY at the end of the annual Celtic festival put on by The Arts Inc., one of the guys at the Session stood up and introduced this song to us (saying, in essence, "a lot of Irish music moves from east to west.... This song actually originated in the West and moved east". Then he sang it. Blew our minds. Norman Blake, who wrote this, as I learned, also wrote "You Are My Sunshine." Planxty is one of my wife's favorite bands. She introduced me to them within the last 3 years (we met about 3 years ago).
And this Celtic festival that just finished was another outstanding round of musicians.
Norman Blake most certainly didn't write "You Are My Sunshine". It dates back to the 1930s and, depending on which account you believe, was either written by Paul Rice (of the Rice Brothers Gang) or by a Georgia musician named Oliver Hood, who taught it to Rice. Whatever the case, Paul Rice sold it to Jimmie Davis who copyrighted it in 1940. The Wikipedia entry for the song is very informative.
Blake did record it for the "O Brother, Where Art Thou" soundtrack in 2000.
@@MattRingressi thanks for the info. I see now that Norman Blake would have been about 2 years old when you are my sunshine came out lol.
@@doofus0123 Glad to be helpful! Neat to hear Planxty's version of one of his songs!
One of my very favorite Irish bands. I've been playing them since the late 70s - they never get old!
that tune is by georgia/alabama boy Norman Blake.
I had the great pleasure to see Planxty in the early eighties in Germany (and later Matt Molloy in his pub in Westport plus Andy Irvine who is one of my favorite singers at Bewleys Cafe in Dublin);true legends of Irish music and this song especially is heartwarming
That tin whistle gets me every time. And I have listened to this more times than I care to count
Hits u where it counts
This is my campfire Music since ahhh wee teentard such a long time ago Im looking like these rambling oldies
Liam Og O’Flynn was a master musician RIP.
Nice to hear this song in a Celtic setting. You might have mentioned that this song was written by Norman Blake in the 1970s -- the name of the song is Bill Gray.
This is one of my favorite song of planxtys and i never tire of playing it.
Planxty just keep tipping the right boxes what a great band.
One of the most beautiful tune of the world. Christy Moore for president!
I played Planxty constantly 25 years ago and came across this by accident in 2014. I just love this track, an absolutely beautiful song.
I played them constantly fifty yeas ago. I still do.
Brilliant song..and Planxty class, as always..
One of the most beautiful songs ive ever heard.
So together , lovely performance, real musicians.
Love this song that tin whistle gets me every time for 5:05 minutes I’m in love all over again I come here to listen daily to this version hope it never gets taken down
That tin whistle.... the musical equivalent of the atomic clock. Created by particle physicists to nano nano nano nano nano tolerances. More perfectly tuned than any other tin whistle ever was or ever will be. The quintessential tin whistle, the benchmark. The final tin whistle. Tin whistle absolut.
Would you say now, that you like the tin whistle?
My friend introduced me to Planxty. I was only 20ish. I was going through a period without a girlfriend thus loneliness I was feeling a lot. I'd go home drunk, stagger into my bedroom, put Planxty on and fall asleep, waking up wondering what shenanigans I'd been up to the night before. Actually I got together with a lapsed Catholic called Bernadette who had Irish roots. She was a beautiful woman in spirit and flesh. God bless her!
Beautiful sad song, with echoes of Streets of Laredo, but with so many extra ingredients. Yes it gave me the shivers too!
Love this very much. Thank you for such a great job.
Oh that eirie whistle. Is life itself
A Norman Blake original done nicely by the Lads.
Billy Gray rode into Gantry way back in '83
There he first met with young Sarah Maclane
The wild rose of morning, the pale flower of dawning
Hurled a springtime into Billy's life that day
Sarah she could not see the daylight of reality
In her young eyes Billy bore not a flaw
Knowing not her chosen one, he was a hired gun
Wanted in Kansas City by the law
Then one day a tall man came riding from the Badlands
That lie to the north of New Mexico
He was overheard to say, he was looking for a Billy
Gray
A wanted man and a danger said law
Well the news it came creeping to Billy fast sleeping
There in the Clarendon Bar and Hotel
He ran to the old church that lies on the outskirts
Thinking he'd hide in the old steeple bell
But a rifleball came flying, face down he lay dying
There in the dust of the road where he lay
Sarah ran to him, she was cursing the lawman
The poor girl knew no reason, except that he'd been
Killed
Sarah still lives in that old white frame house
Where she first met Billy some forty years ago
But the wild rose of morning has faded with the dawning
Of each day of sorrow the long years have grown
And written on the stone where the dusty winds have
Long blown
Eighteen words to a passing world say
"True love knows no season, no rhyme or no reason
Justice is cold as the Granger County clay. "
"True love knows no season, no rhyme or no reason
Justice is cold as the Granger County clay.
"rose of mourning" perhaps? But thanks for posting.
First verse; "heralded" not"hurled"
@@seafire7701 Agreed. My lyrics for the song had that same mistake but the lyric is unmistakably ("heralded" a springtime into Billy's life that day) which perfectly fits and makes far more sense. Thanks for the correction and clarification!
green.... the isle and its sloping hills
blue... the curtains of the concert hall
red... the cheeks of the band members
mix these colours and obtain elegant thrills
Love it love it Declan Sinnott and Christy duetting it now at gigs
goosebumpy!
WONDERFUL SONG!!*****
brilliant song! superbly done
Saw them at the Dominion in Tottenham Court Road about a century ago, sadly Christy wasn't with them that night but they were still brilliant.
these guys are music
What a haunting song.
love liams melody on whistle its a piece suggested by the late sheamus ennis about the sound made of a dying swan , also love christys reaction to it
The original version of this song is Billy Gray which was written and recorded by Norman Blake. As brilliant as this remake.
it takes a lot more to come up with
thank you sir
Everyone makes it their own style. This is lovely.
One word, Amazing
Great song written by guitar flat-picker NORMAN BLAKE.
Robert Earl KEEN Jr. covered it on on "Walking Distance,". He did not write it.
How is it that this Nicaraguan descent american-born Canadian raised boy nose of planxty because my good friend from Ireland
Nice cover of Norman Blake's song...
Norman Blake is as good as it gets!!!!!!!
This so good that the likes of me aren't even qualified to praise. But HOLY SMOKES this is good!
Norman Blake wrote it its called Billy Grey
No, it was written by Robert Earl Keen.
Jamie Ritchie You are correct. Norman Blake wrote the song. Robert Earl Keen covered it and did it well.
Yes, Norman Blake wrote this song. Billy Grey.
MAGIC !
beeyootifulll!
Matthew Byrne's, version is magic,
Doesn' get
Much better than this ...Folks !!!
that is "billy Gray" by Norman Blake.
I made my comment before reading previous comments ;)
No one sings like Christy.
Check out the lead singer with The Darndenells folk band, best version on TH-cam,
brilliant
Who is Billy Gray? I'm from here of the US Southwest and really like the old gunslinger.
+eohaver2 probably yet another damned Billy the Kid trying to imitate John Wayne ?
A fictional character in Norman Blake's lyrics.
He's not based on a real person.
Ah you wouldnt know him..
He's dead a long time..
He was shot...😱
true song about true love
Lovely,
It seems that this version's intro was edited and simplified from an earlier one.
this is a direct cover of Billy Grey - written by Norman Blake.
Why change the title if you are honest?
sorry....that's Norman,not Nirman....I think he's a plumber...
nice version,,written by the great Nirman Blake....I'm partial to the original
Does anyone know who wrote this originally?
+Brongaene Griffin Other comment in same thread says "Take a look to the original by Norman Blake: /watch?v=yOK9WZtBerU" another comment specifies: this is a direct cover of Billy Grey - written by Norman Blake.
+Benoit Vanhees Thank you Benoit :)
Thank you so much!
Take a look to the original by Norman Blake: /watch?v=yOK9WZtBerU
What about the rest of the boys in the band all about chisty more
What does burning babies burning flags refer to?
I prefe this to Norman Blakes original
I couldn't possibly agree more!
Both magical, I really can,t see how anyone can choose between them. both in their own way beautiful,.
Track
Moore before he became a bollox
How many concerts have you done yourself?
and when did that happen?
Christy is a legend..him and Planxty
Mark Erelli does a better version and better yet is a young Scottish band called Barluath silent "Th" pronunciation.
No, that's not true.
Bold statement indeed.
I prefer the original th-cam.com/video/yOK9WZtBerU/w-d-xo.html
brilliant song! superbly done