Mingulay Boat Song & Contra Dance Music

Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer play music for Contra Dances. Find out why there aren't more songs sung at such dances.

What is the D song? Marc Gunn shares how a New Orleans jam session found a little gospel in an old Scottish song.

WHO'S PLAYING IN THE PUB TODAY

Welcome to Pub Songs & Stories. This is the Virtual Public House for musicians to share the stories and inspiration behind their music with your host Marc Gunn. Subscribe to the podcast and download free music at PubSong.com.

0:33 -  WHAT'S NEW?

• Today's show is brought to you by my Gunn Runners on Patreon. Thanks to Expat Fledging and Chris L who signed up as an annual Gunn Runner.
• There's a lot of new posts on Patreon. I posted a video of my new "Blink" song. There are several free MP3s, including the one I'm singing today.
• What are you doing while listening to Pub Songs & Stories? I'd love your thoughts and feedback. So take a picture of yourself or where you are or what one of these stories reminds you of. Post it on social media. Use the hashtag #pubstories so I can find it and share your story.

2:19 - UPCOMING SHOWS

• NOV 10: Coffee with The Celtfather @ 11 AM EST
• NOV 12: Interstellar Ginger Beer & Exploration Co., Alabaster, AL @ 8-10 PM
• NOV 13: Haeuser House Concert, Robert, LA

3:11 - STORY OF A LIFETIME OF DANCING

Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer effortlessly blend traditional material with contemporary sounds. Their performances showcase new interpretations of old songs alongside original self penned tunes and new contemporary songs that are entirely at home in the tradition.

They also perform at Contra Dances. Contra dance is a folk dance made up of long lines of couples. It has mixed origins from English country dance, Scottish country dance, and French dance styles in the 17th century, according to Wikipedia.

I have loved their music for many years. In fact, you can hear their music on this podcast, and my Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. I also have an interview and performance from them from my Celtic Invasion of Wales. That was released on my Celtfather Music & Travel podcast.

Today, Vicki and Jonny will tell you how and why they wrote their song "Jiggle the Old Bones".

8:09 - "Jiggle the Old Bones" by Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer from Sleep Deprivation

Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer are full-time musicians. Like many musicians, their lives were impacted by Covid. So if you enjoyed that song, go buy the download or buy any of their albums. I'm not sure which album to recommend, because I love them all. But this song from Sleep Deprivation is a favorite in my family. It gives me a thrill every time one it plays on their Spotify playlist and they squeal with delight. I think that sums up Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer's music to me.

You can find all of the music, song lyrics, sheet music, plus live streaming videos, and even a Patreon page. It's all on their website at http://www.swan-dyer.co.uk/.

14:04 - SUPPORT WHAT YOU LOVE

If this show made you happy, then join the Gunn Runners Club on Patreon. Your support pays for the production and promotion of my music and this podcast. If you have questions or comments, drop me an email.  Save 15% with an annual membership.

14:24 - NEXT TIME

I have a great story from the band Coast. They talk about a horrible accident at sea with a cowardly captain and some amazing passengers who stood up to the challenge.

14:40 - STORY OF MINGULAY BOAT SONG

"Mingulay Boat Song" is a fantastic song. I've heard many versions of the songs over the years as it was popular not only among Celtic music fans but also among Renaissance festival fans. I don't remember where I first heard the song. Sadly, iTunes is no help. My iTunes was overhauled in 2011. So the earliest versions I have are by an MP3.com band, Celtic Nots, and the Flying Fish Sailors. I'll be honest, neither of those versions stood out to me.

I also recorded the song in 2006 or 2007 with Captain Black Jack Murphy. So who knows…

Let's start with the history of the song, then I'll talk about my recording of the song.

The song was written by Sir Hugh S. Roberton in the 1930s, according to Wikipedia. Roberton was a Scottish composer from Glasgow. He founded the Glasgow Orpheus Choir. This was a widely-acclaimed choir that focused on Scottish folks, Italian madrigals, plus some works by many of Europe's most-famous composers. He also wrote "Westering Home" and "Mairi's Wedding". He was knighted in 1931.

However I found the song, it was the summer of 2009 when I was at Jamie Haeuser's home on the North shore of New Orleans when two of her friends came over, Michael Younger and Big Jim. We had a blissful afternoon jam session. We sang countless songs. This was when Jamie's voice first stood out to me as sounding really good with mine.

"Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye" was one that sounded particularly good together. But it was "Mingulay Boat Song" that stood out the best.

Jamie grew up in New Orleans. She has a particular