Thursday, October 6, 2011

CHILLERS - The Folktellers




YEAR: 1983


LABEL: Mama T Artists


TRACK LISTING: Mary Culhane and the Dead Man, The Calico Coffin, Old Woman All Skin and Bones, How To Turn Into A Witch, Mr. Fox, The Wonderful Wood, The Ghoul


IMPRESSIONS: This is an album first brought to my attention back in the late 1980s when my friend Cheeks was housesitting for some friends who lived in a wonderful house in the forest right on a lake. I loved that house and, as often as he would housesit, he'd let me know to come over and hang out. When he first began housesitting, Cheeks perused their record collection and made a few tapes of anything interesting he'd find; among it all was the CHILLERS album by the Folktellers which totally captivated me. I love anyone who can tell a good story and these ladies are some of the best. In Connie Regan's own words: "Storytelling is so personal and because of that, it has great power to move people in the same way great music moves them." Years later, I tracked down my own vinyl copy of CHILLERS as well as a few other Folktellers albums on LP and cassette.


MY FAVOURITE TRACKS: Mary Culhane and the Dead Man, The Calico Coffin, Old Woman All Skin and Bones, Mr. Fox, The Ghoul


FACT SHEET: CHILLERS is the Folktellers' third album. The Folktellers are Barbara Freeman and Connie Regan: cousins who quit their jobs as librarians at the Chattanooga Public Library in Tennessee in 1975 in order to become travelling storytellers. CHILLERS was recorded on Halloween night in front of a live audience. The album features a gold seal on the cover indicating it as an American Library Association "Notable Record"). Tales include tradition folk tales as well as stories written by Jack Prelutsky, Molly Garrett Bang, Lee Pennington and Julia Ruth Richardson.

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