Careless Love- Gabriel Brown (FL) 1935 Lomax
[From Field recordings Vol. 7, Florida; Lomax, 1935. Gabriel Brown with John and Rochelle French. Online notes follow.
R. Matteson 2017]
Folklorists Alan Lomax, Zora Neale Hurston, and Elizabeth Barnicle traveled through Florida and Georgia in 1935 collecting songs and other folk materials for the Archive of American Folk Song, and this disc from Document Records, the seventh in the label's field recordings series, gathers songs and instrumental pieces from the Florida portion of the journey. The first recordings made by Gabriel Brown are here, and they are the heart and soul of this compilation. Brown's acoustic slide playing is solid, even amazing, on tracks like "Po' Boy, Long Ways From Home," and although John and Rochelle French also play guitar on these tracks, it is Brown's guitar work, particularly with the slide, that carries the day. Brown, whose career as a musician lasted well into the 1950s, was no garden-variety folk music informant. He was a graduate of the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College and later worked with Orson Welles and the Federal Arts Theatre.
Careless Love- Sung by Gabriel Brown with slide guitar; with John and Rochelle French- guitars; 1935 Florida
[instr]
Love, oh love, careless love
Love, oh love, careless love,
Love, oh love, careless love,
Don't you see what careless love has will do.
Oh never drive a stranger from your door,
Oh never drive a stranger from your door,
Oh never drive a stranger, a stranger from your door
May be your best friend you don't know.
Oh Mama she's cursed, and papa as well,
I said mama she's cursed, and papa as well,
I said mama she's cursed, Lord she knows my daddy well,
She know my [ ].
I said Mama Lord Mama hold your tongue,
I said Mama, Lord Mama hold your tongue
I said Mama Lord Mama hold your tongue
I know you loved boys when you were young
[instr]
Now lower me down with a golden chain,
Now lower me down with a golden chain
Now lower me down with a golden chain
[slide, tacet vocal]
fades w/slide