Kingston Coffee House Playlist #32: Jesse James to Freakons
Nanci Griffith made her Austin City Limits debut in 1985. For the performance, the Austin-born singer-songwriter wore a yellow flowered dress she stitched herself. Her set featured songs from Once in a Very Blue Moon, with pre-fame Lyle Lovett singing harmony.
On tonight’s KINGSTON COFFEE HOUSE, I’ll play from a 1980 country music concept album written by Englishman Paul Kennerley, based on the story of the outlaw Jesse James, featuring great performances by Levon Helm, Emmylou Harris and Johnny Cash.
I’ll also will pay tribute to the late Texas singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith. We’ll play many of Nanci’s best-loved songs and collaborations, as well as listen to portions of the 2024 Irish documentary on Nanci’s life and tragic death.
In between, there’s The Hobbledehoy’s set with an exploration into recent side projects from The Mekon’s co-founder Jon Langford.
Audio is available for 2 weeks after air date. Clip begins with the final minutes of Matt Mania’s always-awesome show The Trip
OPEN / REWARDS
– Harry Dean Stanton “When I Get My Rewards” (P Kennerley)
– Jesse Buckley “Born to Run”(P Kennerley) from the film Wild Rose
– Emmylou Harris & the Band “Evangeline” (R Robertson) from The Last Waltz, 1976
Purchased at Ann & Hope store in 1980. Also bought a hose.
Paul Kennerley’s “The Legend of Jesse James” 1980
“Ride of the Redlegs” (Rodney Crowell, Jody Payne, Levon Helm, Rosanne Cash)
“Quantrill’s Guerillas” (Levon Helm as “Jesse James”)
“Six Gun Shooting” (Johnny Cash as Frank James)
“Have You Heard the News?” (Albert Lee, lead vocal)
“Heaven Ain’t Ready for You Yet” (Emmylou Harris, Levon Helm)
“Help Him, Jesus” (Johnny Cash as “Frank James”)
“Hunt Them Down” (Albert Lee)
“Wish We Were Back in Missouri” (Emmylou Harris as “Zerelda Mimms James”)
“Northfield: The plan / the Disaster” (Charlie Daniels as “Cole Younger”)
“High Walls / The Death of Me” (Johnny Cash & Levon Helm)
“The Plot” (Paul Kennerly)
“One More Shot” (Levon Helm, Emmylou Harris)
• All songs written by Paul Kennerley
The Hobbledehoy Set: Hold Your Own
– Gary Yershon theme from Mike Leigh’s Another Year, 2010
– Bert Jansch “The Wagoner’s Lad” (trad) Black Orion 1966
– Fairport Convention “Nottamun Town” (trad)
– Kae Tempest “Hold Your Own” The Book Of Traps And Lessons 2019
– Maryanne Faithful “Green Are Your Eyes” (Jansch) North Country Maid 1965
– The King’s Singers “Home Sweet Home” (trad)
– Meet the Boys / Marketing Team
Jon Langford with his FREAKONS mates
Jon Langford: Side Project-a-Palooza
– Freakons “Blackleg Miner” (vocal Sally Timms) 2021
– Freakons “Abernant 84/85”
– Freakons “Corrie Doon” (Trad, vocal Sally Timms)
– Freakons “Blue Scars of a Miner”
– Jon Langford & The Men of Gwent “Duw, It’s Hard”
– Jon Langford & The Men of Gwent “How Bright Are the Stars?”
– Jon Langford & The Men of Gwent “Tenby Boatman”
– Jon Langford & The Men of Gwent”President of Wales”
There’s a Light Beyond These Woods, Nanci Griffith
– Nanci Griffith “There’s a Light Beyond These Woods, Mary Margaret” (Griffith) Title track 1978
– Nanci Griffith “Tonight, I Think I’m Gonna Go Downtown” (J Gilmore) Poet in my Window, 1978
– Nanci Griffith “October Reasons” (Griffith) Poet in my Window, 1978
– Nanci Griffith “Roseville Fair” (Bill Staines) Just Once in a Very Blue Moon, 1980
– Nanci Griffith “Daddy Said” (Griffith) Just Once in a Very Blue Moon, 1980
– Nanci Griffith “If I Were the Woman You Wanted” (L Lovett) Just Once in a Very Blue Moon, 1980
– Nanci Griffith “More Than a Whisper” (Griffith) Last of the True Believers, 1986
– Nanci Griffith “Love at the Five and Dime” (Griffith) Last of the True Believers, 1986
– Nanci Griffith “It’s a Hard Life Wherever You Go” (Griffith) Storms, 1989
– Commentary from the 2024 RTÉ documentary Nanci Griffith From a Distance (d. David Heffernan)
2024 Irish documentary From a Distance
– Nanci Griffith “Hard Times Come Again No More” (S Foster)” Other Voices Too (A Trip to the Bountiful), 1986
– Nanci Griffith “Ford Econoline” (Griffith) Lone Star State of Mind, 1987
– Nanci Griffith with Tom Rush “Wasn’t That a Mighty Storm” (T Rush) Other Voices Too (A Trip to the Bountiful), 1986
SHOW NOTES:
– The album The Legend of Jesse James was re-released in 1999 in a two-for-one package with Kennerley’s 1978 concept album, White Mansions, set in the Confederate States during the American Civil War.
– Another Year is a 2010 British comedy-drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh. It stars Jim Broadbent, Lesley Manville, and Ruth Sheen. Gary Yershon served as composer for the film, as well as for Mike Leigh’s Happy-Go-Lucky (2008), A Running Jump (2012), Mr Turner (2014), Peterloo (2019) and Hard Truths (2024)
– “The Wagoner’s Lad” (also known as My Horses Ain’t Hungry) first appeared without credit and without sheet music in a 1734 book, The Vocal Miscellany. This version features a great acoustic duet with Bert Jansch playing banjo and John Renbourne playing lead guitar. Bob Dylan stated that the melodic structure of his song Farewell, Angelina was taken from an early 1850s Scottish sailors’ song by George Scroggie called Farewell to Tarwathie: this latter song, in turn, was inspired by the old traditional tune of Wagoner’s Lad.
– Mekons + Freakwater = FREAKONS. Freakons is a collaborative record from of members from the bands The Mekons (Jon Langford and Sally Timms) and Freakwater (Janet Bean and Catherine Irwin). The 2021 album is available on Fluff & Gravy Records.
– Nanci Griffith died in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 13, 2021, at the age of 68. Her management company announced the death but did not disclose the cause, noting that it was at her request.
– Nanci Griffith: From a Distance review: “A harrowing account of the country music star’s life that ended in isolation and alcoholism” | The Irish Times