Courtesy of Folklife at the Library of Congress and the Ralph Rinzler Collection at the Smithsonian Institute, I’ve been able to assemble the complete body of work of Murphy Gribble, John Lusk, and Albert York, that includes the 1946 and 1949 recordings, as well as the 1964 Ralph Rinzler recordings of John Lusk with his son Frank Duncan Lusk. I’ve also included an essay on the history of John Lusk and his band, which is an updated version of my 2018 Master’s Project for the American Studies Graduate Program at UMass Boston. The recordings, as well as the essay, are for educational purposes, only. A word of thanks to John Lusk’s grandchildren: Charlie (and Georgia) Lusk, Sylvia Lusk, Frances Lusk McKinley, Harold (and Louise) Lusk, and Curtis (and Rhonda) Lusk for sharing their family history; to Murphy Gribble’s granddaughter Bertha Gribble Simpson for sharing her family’s music history; to Albert York’s great-grandniece Quintina Smith for sharing her family history of the Great Migration; to Theresa Smith, Jurrel Wood, and Robert Bonner, who provided first-hand knowledge of the music and square dances; to local historians: Cheryl Watson Mingle and Wayne Wolford; to my professors at Umass Boston: Judy Smith, Rachel Rubin, Jeff Melnick, and Bonnie Miller; to Clare Milliner, Walt Koken, Holcombe Greer, and Hannah Kinney for their encouragement along the way; and a special thank you to my partner Jerry Dallal for the research assist, the tech support with the recordings, and all the intangibles.
Linda L. Henry, MA American Studies
linda@rosebythedoor.com
Margot Mayo’s 1946 Library of Congress Recordings
Stuart Jamieson’s 1949 Recordings
Ralph Rinzler’s 1964 Recordings
Historical Essays on Gribble, Lusk, and York:
Jacqueline Cogdell DjeDje, Professor Emeritus, former Chair of the UCLA Department of Ethnomusicology, and former Director of the UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive, has graciously made available for inclusion on this website two of her essays on black fiddling:
Blackface Minstrelsy, The Erie Canal, and Old-Time Music The songs and tunes from nineteenth century Blackface Minstrelsy, perhaps the first form of American popular music, influenced the music played by twentieth century old-time musicians such as John Lusk, Murph Gribble, and Albert York, and continues to influence the music played by modern old-time musicians in 2024. This new section will contain essays by friends and colleagues, as well as a new book by this writer (still in progress), to provide an honest, contextual window into some of these influences. This first essay is courtesy of Lew Stern.