A hundred years ago, shantyboat communities could be found along many rivers in the US. Historian Gregg Andrews went in-depth to research these communities, inspired in part by the discovery of a personal connection to them, which resulted in a book called “Shantyboats and Roustabouts: The River Poor of St. Louis, 1875 to 1930.”
The Song of the Day Department is reaching back in time a few decades to bring you today's song: Where the Lazy River Goes By, a sweet and sentimental tune sung by Barbara Stanwyck and Tony Martin in the 1936 film Banjo on My Knee.
Shanty Boat on the Mississippi Jimmy Murphy was a talented musician who had little commercial success, a familiar story. He first released Shanty Boat Blues on his 1951 album Electricity, but put out a bluesier version of the song for the 1978 reissue; I like them both, but I think the more recent
Doctor G Let's close out mud month with a great tune from Missouri native Doctor G, who penned a poetic tribute to the sticking power of Mississippi mud, to the way it gets on/in you and refuses to let go. You can find Mississippi River Mud on his 2005 CD called Mudcat. Listen to
Louis Armstrong (Library of Congress) I'm in the mood for some Louis Armstrong this morning. Born and raised in New Orleans, Armstrong wrote and recorded many songs with river themes. My list of river songs currently includes eight of his songs, and I won't be surprised if I find more. Armstrong recorded Shanty
Alabama native Terry Fell is best known for his one hit, Truck Driving Man, the 1954 song that apparently kicked off the whole truck driver genre in country music. I'm also a fan of a song he recorded the following year: Mississippi River Shuffle, which, while not originating any musical trends, speaks to the way the river
