Copper Kettle (“ Copper Cauldron ”) is a humorous song composed by Albert Frank Beddow and made popular after Joan Baez 's performance. Pete Seeger dates the composition of the song in 1946 , mentioning the possible folk roots of the text, [1] however, in a letter to The Times published in the readers column in 1962 , [2] Beddow recalls that he wrote the song for Go Lightly, Stranger’s failed folk opera 1953 year .
Copper Kettle celebrates the delights of moonshining on behalf of a man "whose father did whiskey , and grandfather did the same." The next line, “..and we have not paid a fee for this since 1792,” perhaps hints at the extremely unpopular US federal law of 1791 , which taxed this occupation. The law provoked a " moonshine riot " and was repealed in 1803 .
Joking lyrics and a simple melody turned Copper Kettle into a popular folk song.
Song Performances
- Joan Baez , album Joan Baez in Concert , 1962
- Chet Atkins , Guitar Country , 1964; also live recordings.
- Bob Dylan , Self Portrait album, 1970
- Devendra Banhart , live recording
- Gillian Welch and David Rawlings Live [3]
- Robyn Hitchcock , live at Borders Books, 2004
Notes
- ↑ Pete Seeger, The Incompleat Folksinger, Simon and Schuster, New York, NY, 1972, pp. 278-279; ISBN 0803292163 ISBN 978-0803292161 As quoted at Bob Dylan Roots website:
In 1946, a tall awkward man came upstairs to the offices of People's Songs and offered to help with the typing. The offer was gratefully accepted. Three days later, we asked his name.
"Frank."
But what's your last name?
"Frank."
Just Frank Frank? No middle initial?
"O."So, Frank O. Frank came to help us, and invaluable help it was, too. A few months later, he said that in his home county, Bexar County, Texas, were some fine songs, and that he had mimeographed a collection of them. Later, it appeared that many were rewritten by him, and some were almost totally original songs, but in any case, they went from hand to hand, and some people sing them now as old folk songs, such as "Get You a Copper Kettle , "" See Them Buzzards, "and" Quantrell Side. "Good songs, folk or Frank.
- ↑ Time Magazine archive , Friday, Nov. 30, 1962; Quote:
Sir: I am extremely thrilled that you printed my song in your folk singing article. I love music and Joan Baez. Copper Kettle was written in 1953 as part of my opera Go Lightly Stranger. AF BEDDOE, Staten Island, NY
- ↑ Gillian Welch + Old Crow Medicine Show - PopMatters Concert Review, PopMatters . Date of treatment December 21, 2008. Archived on April 5, 2012. A quote:
..Much like Old Crow Medicine Show, Welch and Rawlings betray the influence rock and roll had in shaping their young lives; another incredible Dylan cover was "Copper Kettle", off his absurdly underappreciated album Self Portrait ...