BLACK IS THE COLOUR (of My True Love's Hair) is thought to be of Scottish origin as it mentions the river Clyde. Other sources suggest it may have been an English song that was transformed by ballad singers in the Appalachian Mountains, while still others claim it may originally be from Norway. It was collected by Cecil Sharp in 1916 and the melody altered by John Jacob Niles in 1941. It was performed by dozens of notable artists and inadvertently transformed once more by Scottish ballad singer Hamish Imlach when he recorded it on his debut album in 1966. Finally, Irish folksinger Christy Moore learned it from Hamish, and popularized this version.
We have based our arrangement on French harpist Aude Gagnier's setting for voice and harp, with a more robust accompaniment of guitar, fiddle, and 5 string banjo.
Filmed at the Mateada Lounge on Saltspring Island by Tom (Tommy) van Deursen, October 2nd 2022
23 ноя 2022
