Atwater-Donnelly
Encyclopedia
Atwater-Donnelly is a Rhode Island
folk music
group consisting of Aubrey Atwater, Elwood Donnelly, and occasionally other musicians and dancers. They have toured throughout the United States
and internationally, playing guitar
, banjo
, Appalachian dulcimer
, tin whistle
, limberjack
, and other instruments. In recent years, they have also performed as The Atwater-Donnelly Trio, with Cathy Clasper-Torch.
Atwater and Donnelly met as volunteers at the Stone Soup Coffeehouse
in Rhode Island in early 1987, and started playing together a few months later. They specialize in traditional American music and Celtic folk music
, but write and play their own songs as well. Their performances have been featured on All Songs Considered
and Fiona Ritchie's The Thistle & Shamrock
on public radio. Atwater regularly runs workshops at places like the John C. Campbell Folk School
, as well as performing and teaching clogging and flat-footing dance, derived mainly from dance steps learned in Appalachia and the southeast U.S.
They were one of the earlier musical groups to be on the web, after one of their fans worked with Atwater to put a site up in 1995.
They have released 10 album
s, several books of poetry
, and two songbooks.
Atwater was selected to serve as Artist-in-residence at the Grand Canyon National Park
in May-June 2011.
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
group consisting of Aubrey Atwater, Elwood Donnelly, and occasionally other musicians and dancers. They have toured throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and internationally, playing guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, Appalachian dulcimer
Appalachian dulcimer
The Appalachian dulcimer is a fretted string instrument of the zither family, typically with three or four strings. It is native to the Appalachian region of the United States...
, tin whistle
Tin whistle
The tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, English Flageolet, Scottish penny whistle, Tin Flageolet, Irish whistle and Clarke London Flageolet is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is an end blown fipple flute, putting it in the same category as the recorder, American Indian flute, and...
, limberjack
Limberjack
The limberjack, known variously as a jig doll, slapjack, jiggerman, limberjim, limberjill, dancin' dan, paddle puppet and yankee-doodle dancer, is a wooden musical instrument which consists of a doll with loose joints on the end of a long stick, the legs of which the performer causes to tap...
, and other instruments. In recent years, they have also performed as The Atwater-Donnelly Trio, with Cathy Clasper-Torch.
Atwater and Donnelly met as volunteers at the Stone Soup Coffeehouse
Stone Soup Coffeehouse
The Stone Soup Coffeehouse is a coffeehouse based in Rhode Island. It is one of the oldest folk music venues in Southern New England, having operated for 29 years. It is currently housed in St...
in Rhode Island in early 1987, and started playing together a few months later. They specialize in traditional American music and Celtic folk music
Celtic music
Celtic music is a term utilised by artists, record companies, music stores and music magazines to describe a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic people of Western Europe...
, but write and play their own songs as well. Their performances have been featured on All Songs Considered
All Songs Considered
All Songs Considered is a weekly online multimedia program started in January 2000 by NPR's All Things Considered director Bob Boilen. At first, the show featured information and streaming audio about the songs used as bumper music on All Things Considered. The program has turned into a source of...
and Fiona Ritchie's The Thistle & Shamrock
The Thistle & Shamrock
The Thistle & Shamrock is a weekly American syndicated radio program, named after the national emblems of Scotland and Ireland, specializing in Celtic music. It is heard on 380 National Public Radio stations, and is available internationally on WorldSpace via NPR Worldwide; according to NPR...
on public radio. Atwater regularly runs workshops at places like the John C. Campbell Folk School
John C. Campbell Folk School
John C. Campbell Folk School, also referred to as "The Folk School" is located in Brasstown, North Carolina. The School was founded to nurture and preserve the folk arts of the Appalachian Mountains, it is an non-profit adult educational organization based on non-competitive learning...
, as well as performing and teaching clogging and flat-footing dance, derived mainly from dance steps learned in Appalachia and the southeast U.S.
They were one of the earlier musical groups to be on the web, after one of their fans worked with Atwater to put a site up in 1995.
They have released 10 album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s, several books of poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, and two songbooks.
Atwater was selected to serve as Artist-in-residence at the Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon National Park is the United States' 15th oldest national park and is located in Arizona. Within the park lies the Grand Canyon, a gorge of the Colorado River, considered to be one of the Wonders of the World. The park covers of unincorporated area in Coconino and Mohave counties.Most...
in May-June 2011.
Atwater-Donnelly
- Labor and Love (1988)
- Culled from the Garden (1991)
- Like the Willow Tree (1994)
- Where the Wild Birds Do Whistle (1997)
- And Then I'm Going Home: Atwater-Donnelly Live (2001)
- The Blackest Crow (2004)
- When Winter Calls (2005)
- The Halfway Ground (2007) (with Cathy Clasper-Torch, Heidi Cerrigione, John Cerrigione, Uriah Donnelly, and Kevin Doyle)
- The Weaver's Bonny (2009) (with Cathy Clasper-Torch, John and Heidi Cerrigione, Uriah Donnelly, and Kevin Doyle)
Atwater solo
- Simple Sentences (1992)
- Daily Growing: Aubrey Atwater Live in the Classroom (1999)
DVD
- Going Up Home: The Passion of Atwater-Donnelly (2007)
- This documentary was written and directed by Aubrey and Elwood's youngest son, Uriah. It explores their biographies and shows their effect on others.
External links
- Atwater-Donnelly home page
- [ AllMusic.com page] - photo and video montage from the recording of The Halfway Ground and its release concert