I'm On My Journey Home: Vocal Styles and Resources in Folk Music

Essential listening for lovers of American folk music! This album is a loosely structured survey of different types of vocal styles and resources found in rural Anglo-American lower- and middle-class communities. Some of the modes of performance, such as hollering and solo ballad singing, have almost died out; others, such as Sacred Harp singing, formal duet singing, and square-dance calling, continue to flourish. The album is divided into three major sections: a survey of nonstandard vocal effects that shows how much music infuses the everyday communication, instruction, and recreation of the folk community; a survey of solo singing; and a survey of various forms of ensemble singing, from duets to quartets to larger groups. Most have never before been issued on CD, and the performances deserve wider exposure. The small miracle of vocal pyrotechnics that is Jimmy Riddle's Eephing, not to mention the staggering virtuosity of Tobacco Auctioneering simply must be heard to be believed. In