Like many other folklorists of his time, the author started out as a folksinger--guitar, levis, and all--but it wasn't long before his folksinging led him to folksong collecting. This book is a record of that collecting in Prince Edward Island, starting with his memorable trip up the Western Road in 1957, accompanied by the legendary "Big Jim" Pendergast. Based on his journals, field recordings (fourteen of which are included on an accompanying CD), and a prodigious memory, the author has reconstructed those visits to Prince Edward Island. This book is not only a collection of folksongs from Canada's smallest province, but also an account of the people he met and the adventures he had along the way. Part social history, part memoir, this book explores a traditional culture on the cusp of dramatic change.

Traditional songs from the Catskill area of New York State are accompanied by detailed discusssions of their roots, development, musical structure, and subject matter