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Storms are on the Ocean The Carter Family was the first vocal group to become country music stars, and were among the first groups to be recorded in the country music genre. The Storms are on the Ocean tune/song was on their first record which was made in Bristol, Tennessee, for the Victor Talking Machine Company under the producer, Ralph Peer, on August 1, 1927. The original group were all born in West Virginia and were known for their tight harmonies of mountain gospel music and shape note singing. The music in the first record stems out of the early 19 th Century and from Church revival music commonly found in the South. In the photograph A.P. Carter (on the left) was married to Sara Carter (who is holding an autoharp). Maybelle Carter (shown sitting down and holding the guitar) was Sara’s first cousin and married to A.P.’s brother Ezra Carter (Eck). Throughout the group’s career, Sara Carter sang lead vocals and played rhythm guitar or autoharp. Maybelle sang harmony and played lead guitar. The original “Carter Family” vocal group. A.P. Carter on the left, his wife Sara Carter on the right (holding the autoharp, and their sister-in-lae, Maybelle Carter holding the guitar. The mission of the KelticDead Music initiative is to find tunes and songs from around the world that have Celtic, Folk, World, Americana, and Seafaring origins, and arrange them into simple sheet music formats for folk musicians to use, as well as provide links for the music that follows the arrangements to help in hearing how it can be played. In addition, other links are provided for the stories and possible lyrics about the selections within video- based, KDM Broadsides for a music-education experience. All the selections and sheet music content provided in the KelticDead Music initiative are from traditional, made-public, made-public with credits, or cited credits where applicable. This material content is given with permissions. … Patrick O. Young, KelticDead Music .
Storms are on the Ocean In many cases A.P. sang harmony and background vocals, and occasionally he sang a lead part. It was Maybelle’s distinctive guitar -playing style that became a hallmark of the group. Maybelle used her ‘Carter Scratch’ method (playing both the lead and the rhythm parts on the guitar at the same time), and it has become one of the most copied styles of guitar playing throughout the industry. Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters. Left to right: June Carter, their mother Maybelle Carter (playing the guitar), Anita Carter, and Helen Carter holding another guitar on the right. By the end of 1930, the Carter Family had sold 300,000 records in the United States. A.P.’s focus was to find traditional songs and tunes and copyright them, and he travelled throughout the country searching for them. In 1936 A.P. and Sara divorced, and Sara married A.P.’s cousin, Coy Bayes, and moved to California. The Carter Family group officially disbanded in 1944. However, Maybelle continued to perform with her daughters Anita Carter, June Carter, and Helen Carter, and they recorded on three labels (RCA Victor, Columbia and Coronet) as “The Carter Sisters and Mother Maybelle” (sometimes billed as “The Carter Sisters” or “Maybelle Carter and the Carter Sisters” or “Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters”). A made-public picture of Johnny Cash holding his wife June Carter. June Carter was born as Valerie June Carter on June 23th, 1929. She became a five-time Grammy award winning American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, comedian, and author. She became the second wife of the singer Johnny Cash, and she played guitar, banjo, harmonica, and autoharp. She died on May 15th, 2003, and in the same year, she was ranked 31 in CMT’s 40 Greatest Women in Country Music. For more information about the Carter Family visit Simply Folk Music Magazine at https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/ view/70265144/remembering-folk- legends .
Storms are on the Ocean A made public image of a British and an American exchanging cannon fire in the War of 1812. The song, “Storms are on the Ocean” may seem out of place in country music, but in the early 1800s there were some Appalachia folk who went to sea. Some believe this particular folk song centered around events during the 1812-14 conflict with the newly formed America and Great Britain. Great Britain was trying to regain a foothold in America after the American Revolutionary War of Independence. The British expeditionary forces actually captured the United States capitol, and tried to gain territory into the Louisiana purchase. In Louisiana, they were pushed back by General Andrew Jackson and French privateers. The main focus of the second British invasion was to stop trade and sea traffic that supported Napoleon, and to disrupt supply lines in and out of the Louisiana Purchase (sold to America in 1805 by Napoleon to finance his wars in Europe). While the battle of New Orleans that made Andrew Jackson famous was pivotal in America, the war had officially ended prior to that battle. The British simply could not maintain another conflict in the Americas and stop Napoleon as well. The terms to end the conflict was made in Versailles, France in 1814. The lyrics of the song was sung by a young American man at sea who was swearing his love and devotion to his girl back home. The song has been sung several different ways; 1.) from the man’s perspective, and 2.) from the woman’s perspective. In the following lyrics I have arranged both versions into the same collection. In the early 1800s only the affluent families in the Americas had servants who dressed and cared for their daughters. This is why it may seem a little odd today that the father and mother are dressing the girl for her wedding while her young man was at sea. It was not an uncommon practice in the early to mid 1800s. The man’s references and descriptions for his betrothed to see “mournful doves” flying among the “pine trees” provides a country, bluegrass flavor in the song. Storms are on the Ocean was a very popular song in the Appalachian areas in the 1800s and was made famous by the Carter Family in the early 1900s.
Storms are on the Ocean I'm going away to leave you, my love. I'm going away for a while, But I'll return to see you sometime If I go ten thousand miles. Chorus The storms are on the ocean. The heavens may cease to be. This world may lose its motion my love. If I prove false to thee. Oh, who will dress your pretty little feet, And who will glove your hand? And who will kiss your rosy red cheeks When I'm in a foreign land? Chorus Oh, Papa will dress my pretty little feet And Mama will glove my hand And, You may kiss my rosy red cheeks When you return home again I have mixed both the man’s voice and the woman’s voices together as follows. Chorus Oh, Have you seen those mournful doves A’ Flying from pine to pine? A-mournin' for their own true love Just like I will mourn for mine. Chorus Oh, never go back on the ocean my love, Oh, never go back on the sea. Oh, never go back on this blue-eyed girl, And, please come home to me. And, or … I'll never go back on the ocean my love. I'll never go back on the sea. I'll never go back on my blue-eyed girl. ‘til I come home back to thee. Chorus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LklTGeepAOo
Storms are on the Ocean www.KelticDead.com The melody of this song has also been used in Church settings as well with or without lyrics. Regardless, it is usually played or sung with a lot of emotion. Almost all of the tunes and songs collected and presented by the KelticDead Music initiative are recorded using acoustic instruments. The main instruments used in the KDM projects include the “Irish -tuned, Low-Octave mandolin (or bouzouki), several types of six- hole, “Celtic” whistles, a bodhran (Irish drum), a stomp board, and occasionally some musician friends will join in to play fiddle, guitar, and other acoustic folk instruments. All KDM sheet music is “simplified” folk music arrangements in the typical “8 - bar” format without ornamentation, accents, incidentals, or other expressions. The belief is that once folk musicians get the basic tune down, they usually make it sound the way they want anyway. I have provided YouTube links for the sheet music selections, so that folk can hear and see how the KDM project plays music … It’s all fun. “Shaun, That KelticDead Guy” Patrick O. Young, KelticDead Music For free, KelticDead Music video and story Broadsides, as well as links to other places to find the KelticDead Music projects visit … The “Irish -tuned, Low-Octave, Mandolin or Bouzouki This instrument is becoming more popular in “Celtic and Folk” music, as well as in many other genres as well. The instrument has a long neck with a flat-backed body, and four strings. In many cases these four strings are doubled to provide that characteristic sound as frequently heard in Bluegrass music. The “Greek” bouzouki has open string tuning as G, D, A, and E, and in the “Irish - tuned” bouzoukis, the open strings are tuned as G, D, A, and D. I use the Irish-tuned bouzouki to set the melody and the rhythm in all of the KelticDead Music projects.
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