Lee Murdock Releases Freshwater Highway CD .. Concerts Great Lakes
Joann Murdock
the release of his seventh recording, Freshwater Highway.
From the opening chords of "The Great Lakes Song" (an anthem written
by Shel Silverstein and Ohio singer Pat Dailey) to the joyful closing
song, "Cold Freshwater Trade," Lee Murdock's newest CD is a
celebration of the steamers, scows, freighters, fishing boats, cutters,
sailboats and especially of the people who enjoy the scenic shorelines and
endless horizons along the Fourth Coast, the Great Lakes.
Running the full gamut of what can be called folk music, Freshwater
Highway has ghost stories, shipwrecks, Irish immigrants dreaming of a
better life, Great Lakes pirates, border skirmishes and fishing disputes,
and a three minute history of Great Lakes commerce. As in earlier
recordings, Murdock
entwines the old with the new, combining his own originals with other
contemporary songwriters, and throwing in a few traditional and old
songs, such as Stephen Foster's "The Glendy Burk." Surrounding
himself with some of Chicago's finest studio musicians, including
Howard Levy, Don Stiernberg, Irish
musician John Williams, Jim Cox, Drew Carson, Mark Dvorak and Liz
Carson has helped Murdock to win an enthusiastic following among
people with diverse musical tastes.
Three Great Lakes variations of popular sea shanties add a new
dimension to this recording, with a rousing vocal chorus featuring a cadre
of Chicago voices and joined by Lou Killen, one of the most respected
singers of maritime and traditional music today.
Freshwater Highway also features songs about some very recent events
on the Great Lakes, including Murdock's own "Requiem for the
Mesquite," which commemorates the 1989 loss of a U.S. Coast Guard
cutter which met its demise while working overtime to prepare for
winter, off Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Even the U.S. Postal Service has discovered Murdock's musical appeal.
He will perform in mid June at the dedication ceremony for a new
postage stamp issue depicting five different lighthouses, one from each of
the Great Lakes. (The official dedication ceremony will take place in
Cheboygan, Michigan, on Saturday, June 17, 1995, with the U.S. Coast
Guard Cutter Mackinaw providing an appropriate stage and backdrop).
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Four Special CD Release concerts are planned:
Saturday, May 27, 1995, 8:00 P.M. Cleveland, OH: on board a Great
Lakes Freighter turned museum:
Steamer William G Mather, docked at the East Ninth St Pier in
downtown Cleveland. Come at 7:00 P.M. for a tour of the boat. No
better place to hear Lee's music! 216-574-6262.
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Saturday, June 3, 1995, at 8:00 P.M. Chicago area:
Two Way Street Coffee House, in the Fellowship Hall of the First
Congregational Church, 1047 Curtiss, in Downers Grove. Tickets are
$8.00 in advance, or $10.00 at the door ($8.00 students and seniors).
Advance reservations are recommended, by calling 708-557-2753.
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Wednesday, June 7, 1995, at 8:00 P.M. Buffalo area:
Daemon College Alumni Lounge, 4318 Main St, Amherst, NY
716-885-4432; Sponsored by Buffalo Friends of Folk Music.
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Friday, June 9, 1995, at 8:00 P.M. Rochester NY:
House concert sponsored by Carol & Tom Bohan, host of WGMC
Radio's "Folktown", a popular folk music show which airs every
Saturday morning in the Rochester area. Call 716-227-2885 for info.
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To receive Lee's full summer touring schedule, and catalog describing all
his recordings, e-mail me at jmur...@mcs.com, with your snail mail
address.
Joann Murdock, Artists of Note/Depot Recordings
PO Box 11, Kaneville, IL 60144 USA