Mike and Peggy Seeger - Fly Down Little Bird
When Ruth Seeger was hired to transcribe John and Alan Lomax’s field recordings of rural American music for the Library of Congress in the mid-1930s, Mike and Peggy Seeger were immersed in the sounds of traditional American music. As children, Mike and Peggy enjoyed visits by the likes of Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, and their older half-brother Pete Seeger. It’s little wonder that they became leading figures in the world of folk music.
Mike Seeger went on to solo recordings and co-founding the New Lost City Ramblers. Fly Down Little Bird is the third duo album by Mike and Peggy Seeger, and Mike’s last effort—he died of cancer in 2009. The album captures the pure, simple sounds of traditional folk music, with its acoustic instruments and sincere lyrics, often tongue-in-cheek.
On Fly Down Little Bird, Peggy Seeger shares lead and harmony vocals with Mike, and plays banjo, dulcimer, guitar, and piano; Mike plays banjos, fiddle, guitar, harmonica, and mandolin. The songs are simple but reflect emotions and conflicts that are part of America’s heritage. There are several love songs (“Cindy,” “Jennie Jenkins”), songs that comment on society, greed, and race (“The Dodger Song,” “The Farmer Is the Man”), and songs that capture the essence of traditional southern American music (“My Home’s Across the Blue Ridge Mountains,” “Red River Jig”).
Fly Down Little Bird is a valuable resource that captures songs—some long-forgotten—that are an important part of America’s musical history. It will be released on CD March 22, 2011.
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