Anyone have Irish Rovers' "Silver Anniversary"?
Joel Polowin
_Silver Anniversary_ album. I was wondering if any of you folks
have a copy and might be able to help me.
For some time, I've been looking for a song which I'm pretty sure
I heard performed by the Irish Rovers in the mid- to late-1970s,
probably either in concert or on their CBC television series.
The song title is, I think, "Grandma's Rocking Chair". The song
is sung from the point of view of an elderly widower, looking at
the old chair that his wife used to sit in, remembering her. The
chorus is very close to:
She was bonny, she was fair, and we made a lovely pair
I'd give all the world to see her in that old rocking chair
The last verse ends with something like "... angel, come for me."
I've transcribed the melody as well as I can, and created a MIDI-
format file of it. These are at
http://www3.sympatico.ca/jpolowin/rocking.gif and
http://www3.sympatico.ca/jpolowin/rocking.mid .
I've been told that a song by that title appears on the Irish Rovers'
_Silver Anniversary_ album... at least, that's what one website
shows. If so, that's almost certainly the song I'm looking for.
But other websites which show that album's contents *don't* list
that song. This might be a matter of someone's error propagating
from list to list, or different editions of that album (LP/CD,
different national releases, etc.), or a variety of other reasons.
Can anyone tell me if that song is on that album, and if so, if
it matches the description I've given?
Thanks,
Joel
--
Joel Polowin jpolow...@sympatico.ca but delete "XYZZy" from address
"Pencils, pens, and implements of depiction..."
http://www3.sympatico.ca/jpolowin/filkstuf/translat.htm
Frank Maher
"Joel Polowin" <jpolow...@sympaticoXYZZy.ca> wrote in message
news:3CEACAD3...@sympaticoXYZZy.ca...
Margaret Middleton
>> is sung from the point of view of an elderly widower, looking at
>> the old chair that his wife used to sit in, remembering her.
>No..It's not on Their Silver Anniversary Album!!!
>
And a Google search turns up no references to THIS version of that song.
There is a Gospel song about learning Bible studies from Grandma in her rocking
chair, and there are a LOT of references to a Finnish instrumentalist's recent
version of a tune of this same title. All of the verse samples, though, are
from the POV of the grandchild, not the widower.
Is there an alt. or rec. music.irish that you could toss this question into? Or
have you already tried that?
MSMinLR(at)aol.com (Margaret Middleton)
Shameless Plug for our local con: http://www.rockon.org
Help make a Quilted Artifact to sell for Interfilk:
http://members.aol.com/msminlr/ifquilt.htm
Joel Polowin
>
> >> The song title is, I think, "Grandma's Rocking Chair". The song
> >> is sung from the point of view of an elderly widower, looking at
> >> the old chair that his wife used to sit in, remembering her.
>
> >No..It's not on Their Silver Anniversary Album!!!
>
> And a Google search turns up no references to THIS version of that song.
Meanwhile, someone replied on rec.music.folk that that song *is*
on that album... but that his turntable is broken, so he can't check
if the lyrics match. I suspect we may be dealing with alternate
versions of the album.
> Is there an alt. or rec. music.irish that you could toss this question into? Or
> have you already tried that?
The closest I could find was rec.music.celtic .
filceolaire
<20020523070558...@mb-mu.aol.com>:
>>> The song title is, I think, "Grandma's Rocking Chair". The
>>> song is sung from the point of view of an elderly widower,
>>> looking at the old chair that his wife used to sit in,
>>> remembering her.
.......
>Is there an alt. or rec. music.irish that you could toss this
>question into? Or have you already tried that?
>
>
I don't remember ever hearing this one in Ireland. Not surprising
really. I think the Irish Rovers are more an American than an Irish
group - I never heard of them till I got on the Internet and I
followed the Irish folk scene quite closely in those days.
Joe
Lee Gold
>
> Margaret Middleton wrote:
> >
> > >> The song title is, I think, "Grandma's Rocking Chair". The song
> > >> is sung from the point of view of an elderly widower, looking at
> > >> the old chair that his wife used to sit in, remembering her.
> >
> > >No..It's not on Their Silver Anniversary Album!!!
> >
> > And a Google search turns up no references to THIS version of that song.
>
> Meanwhile, someone replied on rec.music.folk that that song *is*
> on that album... but that his turntable is broken, so he can't check
> if the lyrics match. I suspect we may be dealing with alternate
> versions of the album.
It's listed on that album on
http://home.att.net/~nghardin/IrishRoversRecords.htm
Harold Groot
joe.r...@NOSPAMbtinternet.com (filceolaire) wrote:
>I don't remember ever hearing this one in Ireland. Not surprising
>really. I think the Irish Rovers are more an American than an Irish
>group - I never heard of them till I got on the Internet and I
>followed the Irish folk scene quite closely in those days.
>Joe
More an American group? Certainly the singers themselves aren't
American. As I recall, they were all born in Ireland - but the group
got together in Canada, I think. Do you perhaps mean they were
relatively more =popular= over here? That could be. If they were
based in Canada, they could have toured the US more easily than bands
from Ireland. They were more well known in pre-internet days, though.
They formed up in '64, their big hit was in '68 (The Unicorn) and
their "comeback hit" (Wasn't That A Party) was in '81.
Margaret Middleton
>American. As I recall, they were all born in Ireland - but the group
>got together in Canada, I think.
Yes.
They had a regular TV variety show there, according to a friend who spent some
AirForce time within broadcasting range of the CBC back in those days.
I also recall them showing up on BONANZA (one of the 'Hoss' episodes) and
getting into comedic trouble through general Irishness.
Joel Polowin
> > > >> The song title is, I think, "Grandma's Rocking Chair". The song
> > > >> is sung from the point of view of an elderly widower, looking at
> > > >> the old chair that his wife used to sit in, remembering her.
> > >
> > > >No..It's not on Their Silver Anniversary Album!!!
>
> http://home.att.net/~nghardin/IrishRoversRecords.htm
And it's *not* listed on that album on a couple of other web pages.
As I say, I'm tending to suspect different editions of the album.
Donald L. Johnson
In article <20020523204958...@mb-fp.aol.com>,
msm...@aol.comstatic (Margaret Middleton) wrote:
-------
The Irish Rovers are alive and well and currently touring. They did a
concert here in Visalia, California, in late March, definitely Irish folk,
with a bit of other stuff thrown in. Haven't laughed so hard or sung so
loud in longer than I care to think about. My knees were sore for 2 days
from slapping time. I got their 3 latest CDs and autographs at that
concert.
Their official website is www.irish-rovers.demon.co.uk
You might find more info there.
Donald
Submariner, retired
Margaret Middleton
I am SO glad to hear that. And that they are still having fun with their music.
Margaret Middleton
Of course I went there!
And bookmarked it!
Unfortunately only about the last half dozen albums have individual listings of
songs thereon.
And according to the info linked to the photo, only the Millar cousins remain
of the original Rovers, with two others of nearly the same generation and two
distinctly younger guys filling out the sixpack.
Joel Polowin
> >I've transcribed the melody as well as I can, and created a MIDI-
> >format file of it. These are at
> >http://www3.sympatico.ca/jpolowin/rocking.gif and
> >http://www3.sympatico.ca/jpolowin/rocking.mid .
> THE IRISH ROVERS "Silver Anniversary"
> 1989 Potato Records release (POTCD2500)
>
> #6 Grandma's Rocking Chair
> (John Durocher) Quality Music (PRO)
>
> The chorus is accurate and so is the melody on website
> just checked it now.
That's *exactly* the information I've been looking for, for many
years. Thanks very much!
Andrew Ross
>And according to the info linked to the photo, only the Millar cousins remain
>of the original Rovers, with two others of nearly the same generation and two
>distinctly younger guys filling out the sixpack.
Wilcil Mcdowell, the accordion player, is one of the original Rovers,
along with George and Joe Millar. Will Millar and Jim Fergason seem to be
gone, although that fat fellow pictured on the right looks like he might
more than fill Jim's, er, role.
Man, I was born in 1967 and "The Unicorn" was one of my very first
record albums. Maybe that's why I've filked nine of the 11 tracks from
it. I loved those guys and owned all of their albums through the mid
seventies, after which there didn't seem to be any more. Then in the mid
80s, I suddenly found two new albums, and was just about transported with
delight. Then I took the albums home, and discovered that the Rovers were
now singing...country music. Same stuff really, just different whiskey.
I'll be checking out their new albums, you can be sure.
Best,
Andrew Ross
Donald L. Johnson
>In <20020524073009...@mb-mu.aol.com> msm...@aol.comstatic
>(Margaret Middleton) writes:
>
>
>>And according to the info linked to the photo, only the Millar cousins remain
>>of the original Rovers, with two others of nearly the same generation and two
>>distinctly younger guys filling out the sixpack.
>
>Wilcil Mcdowell, the accordion player, is one of the original Rovers,
>along with George and Joe Millar. Will Millar and Jim Fergason seem to be
>gone, although that fat fellow pictured on the right looks like he might
>more than fill Jim's, er, role.
>
>.......
>
>I'll be checking out their new albums, you can be sure.
>
>Best,
>Andrew Ross
============
The 3 CD's they were selling at the concert I went to in March were:
"The Irish Rovers' GEMS - 32 years of Irish Rovers Favorites"
IRD-002, 2-cd set, (C) 1996. 32 tracks, apparently new recordings of old
favorites.
The book has the words to all the songs (at least the verses they sing).
Personnel:
Jim Ferguson: Vocals
Wilcil McDowell: Accordians, Keyboards
Joe Millar: Piano Accordian, Bass, Harmonica, Whistles, Vocals
George Millar: Guitars, Vocals
Kevin McKeown: Drums, Bodhran, Bones, etc.
John Reynolds: Guitars, Bass, Whistles, Vocals
Wallace Hood: Irish Bouzouki, 10-string Cittern, Mandolin, Banjo, Guitars,
Whistle, Vocals.
"Down By the Lagan Side"
IRD-006, (C) 2000 14 tracks, some instrumental sets. Lyrics included.
Personnel:
Same as above, minus Jim Ferguson, plus
Sean O'Driscoll: Button Accordian, Banjo, Mandolin
"Another Round"
IR-CD-2002, (C) 2002 14 tracks, some instrumental sets. Lyrics included.
Personnel:
Same as "Lagan Side", except no Sean O'Driscoll.
Sean O'Driscoll is touring with the band.
John Reynolds shares front-man duties with George Millar,
including telling some real ROFL stories as lead-in to some of the songs.
EVERYBODY sings, including the audience.
The final song of the 2nd set was "The Unicorn".
The encore was "Way, Hey, Up She Rises" (What Do You Do With A Drunken
Sailor?).
The concert was in the recently restored Visalia FOX Theatre.
The Audience was divided in half, with 1 side singing "Way, Hey",
the other side singing "Up She Rises", and everyone singing "Er-lie In The
Morning".
Talk about going out on a high note!
Definitely got my money's worth - both the CDs and the concert.
Go see them live if you have the chance.
Donald
Submariner, retired