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"Dig Me a Ditch: Spirit of the
Illinois and
Michigan
Canal"
Scooping mud and moving rocks with bare hands. Working for low pay and living in shanty towns of clapboard slums. Weak from dysentary, malaria, malnutrition. Separated from families by thousands of miles. Speaking a language only they understood in a strange land.
But it was a land of opportunity. A chance to start anew. Potatoes grew here. Low pay was better than no pay. Money was saved and sent home. Cheap whiskey dulled the pain. Music and laughter distracted from the misery.
Sometimes being crammed in a small box and planted in the ground was the only piece of sod poor diggers ever owned. But, the planting was down in cemeteries surrounding new parishes that were built by laborers on their only day off - Sunday. The parishes became the center of society where newcomers could congregate and be welcomed.
All because of a ditch that would eventually link the Gulf of Mexico with the Great Lakes, then on to the Erie Canal to New York City. The
Illinois and
Michigan
Canal. Last link in a chain. The canal's completion in 1848 marked the start of a new boom town surrounded by swamp and prairie.
Chicago by the lake.
These glorious stories are told in song and rhyme in Gallimaufry's CD/tape "Dig Me a Ditch: Spirit of the
Illinois and
Michigan
Canal".
Christine Gaylord and former Gallimaufy member, Janet Emmons, started researching the music in 1990 and found dusty songs in libraries and museums along the canal route west of
Chicago. Songs were revived to renew the life of simple ditch diggers and 19th century immigration that changed American culture.
Performed by Christine Gaylord (guitar and vocals), Jon Puleo (vocals), Steve Lindenmeyer (guitar and vocals), Mary Cook (hammered dulcimer and chicken shakes), and Bob Janis (guitar, bodhran and vocals).
Distinguished guests on the song/poem "I & M Canal: Last Link in a Chain" are Canallers & Co. - Connie Piazza, Deborah Hunter, Jo Ann Starha, Carol Donahue, William McCandless, Carroll Brooks, Philip Ramos, Christine Brooks, James Carr, Helen Milam, Maurice Held, John Roche, Harvey Hisgen.
This project is dedicated to
Illinois folk legend, Art Thieme.
CDs and tapes are available. Learn of the big ditch that became this country's first National Heritage Corridor in 1984.
(Cover photo by Stu Pearson, IMAGES)
Gallimaufry's Website:
http://www.galmfry.com
CD Duplication by Oasis http://www.oasiscd.com |
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The Songs
1. I'll Always be Your Buddy on the
Illinois
Canal
2. Alouette
3. En Roulant/Canoer's Lullaby
4.
E-RI-E
Canal
5. State of El-a-noy
6. Going down to
Cairo
7. Diggin' on the New Canal
8. My Old Lemont Home
9. No Irish Need Apply
10. The
Illinois and
Michigan
Canal
11. Last Winter was a Hard One
12. Mule Boy's Lament
13. The Farmer is the Man
14. Kelligrew's Soiree
15.
Arkansas Traveler/Whiskey Before Breakfast/Flop-eared Mule
16.
Chicago River Song
17. The I & M Canal: Last Link in a Chain
THE REVIEWS -
"I applaud efforts like this that excavate songs of regional historical significance, in this case, concerning the mid-19th century-built canal west of Chicago...this is a wonderfully conceived and executed historical excursion." - KERRY BLECH, "VICTORY MUSIC REVIEW" - July 2000, Vol. 25/No. 7
"This is a fine CD that can be used to teach children and adults about a romantic and important part of our past. And it's musically suberb - great voices and pickin' all around!...You folks did a great job. Congratulations! And thanks so much for the dedication. I'm almost speechless (for once). The '
E-RI-E
Canal' just blew me away...and I am honored to see you used my old arrangement for 'State of
Illinois'! That must mean you liked it!" - ART THIEME
"All the expected elements are present: time-honored classics, recently minted treasures, intriguing variants of familiar songs, and a couple of obscure confections....presented with assurance and subtlety. This CD is a must for anyone with an interest in Midwestern history. Best of all, the material and presentation are addictively delightful -- 'Dig Me a Ditch' sticks in your head." - MICHAEL BARNAS, "COMMON TIMES", Fall 1999
"...Gallimaufry has put together a nice recording of songs relating to the canal. The singing is good throughout...Jon Puleo's acapella rendition of '
E-RI-E
Canal' is very good. The recording and production...is strong...and singers interested in new material should take advantage of the examples Gallimaufry has gone to the trouble to dig out." (BEB) "DIRTY LINEN" Dec.99/Jan.00 #85
"...I really liked the album - terrific selection of tunes, beautiful arrangements and especially nice vocals all around. I liked the arrangement of 'Canoer's Lullaby' a lot. Plus I loved the canal photography." - CATHY WINTER
THE AIRPLAY
"Folk Festival"
WDCB (90.9 FM) Public Radio from College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, IL
Rich Warren - "The Midnight Special"
WFMT (98.7 FM) Chicago's Fine Arts Station
Judy Rose - "Simply Folk" Wisconsin Public Radio
Madison, WI
"Somebody Else's Troubles" WLUW (88.7 FM) Loyola University Chicago - John Wright
"Sunday Parlor" KROS (1340 AM) Clinton, IA - Pat Walke
"All Things Acoustic" - Jeremy Butler, Host, All Things Acoustic
Alabama Public Radio: WUAL/WQPR/WAPR
"Radio Kidnappers" (1431 AM) Public Radio from Hastings, New Zealand -Mitch & Robyne Park
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How to Order:
Send Check or Money Order (U.S. currency only) to:
"Christine Gaylord" c/o Galmfry Productions
P.O. Box 72361
Roselle, IL 60172-0361 USA
(630) 307-2381
galmfry@aol.com
CDs = $15.00
2.50 Shipping
TOTAL:$17.50
Tapes = $10.00
2.00 Shipping
TOTAL: $12.00
Where to hear/meet Christine /Gallimaufry:
Sunday, April 26, 2009 2-3:00 pm
Reddick Mansion - Concert Series
100 W. LaFayette Street, Ottawa, IL 61350 (815) 433-6100
"Gallimaufry - A Musical Tribute to Regional History"
Highlighting Abraham Lincoln's 200th Birthday
Christine Gaylord, George Mattson, and Joe Wadz
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