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During the Idaho Songs Project’s quest for songs pre-dating the radio era (1923) that relate to Idaho people, places and events, about fifty pieces of sheet music were found. These compositions range from true Idaho songs written about the songwriters’ personal experience to ridiculously romanticized songs for stage shows in London, Sydney and New York, written by people who never were within thousands of miles of Idaho. While the latter are outside the main thrust of the Idaho Songs Project, they nevertheless reveal the historic global fascination with the American West, including Idaho, and are worthy of compilation and preservation. In making archival recordings of this early sheet music, we had so much fun that we decided to share a selection with those interested in this aspect of Idaho’s musical heritage. |
The booklet and 16-track CD High Tone Music of Idaho is the result. Of the fifteen songs, only “Idaho Two Step” has appeared previously in recorded form. We also decided to record the songs as vocal and piano/banjo duets. This musical format was common a hundred years ago in music parlors and concert halls all over America. With one exception, the banjo style is the three-finger five-string “classical” banjo style of that era. This sophisticated style largely disappeared as jazz arose in the 1920s. Many aspects of this banjo style anticipated the exciting bluegrass style that emerged much later and is much better known today.
Audio tracks to these songs from High Tone Music of Idaho can be heard via Idaho Songs of the Month .
Route of the Great Big Baked Potato (1913)
Down Where the Lost River Flows (1917)
Idaho Waltz (1864)
Cold Springs Waltz (1901)
Idaho Two Step March (1900)
Lewiston Two Step (1902)
I Want to Go to Idaho (1908)
Little Miss Idaho of Idaho (1898)
The High Tone Music of Idaho booklet/CD is available for $15 plus tax and shipping from the Idaho Songs Project at pgaryeller@aol.com or 208-442-8844.
In December 2009, the Idaho Humanities Council issued The Idaho Songbag, a 27-track CD accompaniedby a 70-page interpretive booklet. This project was the culmination of a two-year collaboration between IHC and the Idaho Songs Project. For details, please click on the CD cover below. Some of the audio tracks can be found there.
In December 2008, Gary Eller and John Larsen published a 75-page book and accompanying CD
with 17 audio tracks. For more information, click on:
Early Songs of Southern Idaho and the Emigrant Trails.
In May 2009, Gary Eller and Rue Frisbee issued a CD with 29 fiddle tunes played by beloved Idaho old time fiddler Otis Howard, who came to Idaho by covered wagon in 1899. He is accompanied by Dave Frisbee, who was a noted Idaho fiddler in his own right. For details, click on this link:
Idaho Old Time Fiddling by Otis Howard and Dave Frisbee
In August 2009, Gary Eller issued a CD with 14 songs from the 1840s to 1920s about people, places and events of his home of origin in northern West Virginia. For details, see this link:
Early Songs of Northern West Virginia and the Upper Ohio Valley
Bona
Fide issued two CDs in 2006 and was centrally involved in two other projects released
in 2007. Click on the links below for more information and to hear
sample audio clips. |
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Bona Fide and Friends (January 2006) |
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CD Gary Eller with Bona Fide and Friends (December 2006) |
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CD and illustrated booklet released in April 2007 by the Owyhee County Historical Society. Bona Fide contributed to seven tracks. |
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Three-track mini CD recorded live at the old Idaho Territorial Penitentiary in October 2006 by Bona Fide and Friends. |
Copyright Bona Fide 2006-7
Page was last revised on February 15, 2009.
