Love List: by Gillian Welch

This is a song written by the late great Jimmy Driftwood. Though it sounds centuries old it is not, Jimmy being a peerless and timeless storyteller.  We have been performing this song for many years, and were lucky enough to hear Doc play it many times too. 

This is probably the first folk song I ever loved. I heard it when I was 3 years old and would dance around my parents’ living room, lost in a reverie. I still believe music can take us places where we could not go otherwise. 

This masterpiece of a song was written by Woody Guthrie, sung here by Judy Collins to celebrate Woody’s 100th birthday. I love Woody’s wry humble recording as well, but this live recording is a beautiful example of how alchemical folk music is in the hands of a master like Judy Collins. 

This is the title track from Peter Rowan’s seminal album from 1990. A few years later, we were lucky enough to open some shows for him. I cannot overstate how important those experiences were. I learned volumes about musicianship, stage craft, and songwriting from Pete.

This is another song we perform sometimes. It is definitely one of Townes’ sunnier compositions. Every folk musician I know loves this sweetly infectious song. 

An absolute classic! From Bob Dylan’s third album, this one packs an experiential wallop in only 4:40. It is all David and I are ever trying to achieve when we write a song. 

This is actually one of the first songs I ever sang on a stage. It happens to partake of a beautiful freedom inherent in folk music, where singers often sing from the point of view of either sex, without the need for preamble or explanation. 

This is a funeral hymn that I learned from the 1935 Carter Family recording made in Bristol, Tennessee. But, again, folk music is meant to be played and changed and lived in. It needs to suit the moment. Here,the Staples Singers have made it suit another time and place. 

This live Nina Simone recording never ceases to amaze me. The depth and originality of expression brought forth from a centuries old Scottish ballad is nothing short of inspiring. It reminds me that anything is possible in folk music. 

This is the first song David and I ever sang together, and started us as a duet. Lefty Frizzell was the first to ever record it back in 1959, the year it was written. It will always have a special place in our hearts.