Dillard Chandler
Encyclopedia
Dillard Chandler was an American Appalachian Folk
singer from Madison County
, North Carolina
. He is chiefly known for his a cappella
performances on compilation albums recorded by folklorist and musicologist John Cohen.
s, and noted folklorist Cecil Sharp
transcribed several "Old World" ballads sung to him by several of Chandler's relatives in 1916. Chandler described the hills he lived in as being too rugged for a car to access. Often, his walk to school would be made impossible by footlogs being washed away by a creek. Chandler said that as soon as he became old enough, he left school to work in the logging industry. He was illiterate.
in the 1960s, John Cohen traveled to Western North Carolina
to research and record traditional ballad singers. Old Love Songs & Ballads from the Big Laurel, North Carolina and Dark Holler: Old Love Songs and Ballads
are compilation albums of these recordings.
The subject matter of the traditional songs is often dark; there are themes of murder, revenge, infidelity, and abandoned children. The origin of Chandler's songs range from 16th century Spanish ballads, to a tale of a hanging in nearby Burnsville
, to a prison song from Gastonia
. Allmusic writes that Chandler sings with "deft precision, often with the song's strong sexual undercurrents intact".
The New York Times describes Dark Holler as "traditional songs about love and murder usually traceable to England, a century or more before, but sung in a style rooted in the region: the singers all stretch out, irregularly, on vowels of their choosing, and add upturned yips to the end of stanzas".
, Dellie Chandler Norton and members of the Wallin Family
. He describes how singing was part of his community in the liner notes to Dark Holler:
Cohen noted how Chandler's vocals are reflective of the Appalachian idiosyncratic style of "extended phrasing", and ending lines with a falsetto
"yip". British Folklorist Cecil Sharp
wrote in his research of Appalachian singers:
knew Chandler's singing, despite the fact that Old Love Songs & Ballads had sold only fifty copies at the time. Dylan had a copy of the album.
Appalachian author and musician Sheila Kay Adams
said of Chandler, "Dillard was kind of an anomaly; he was caught in between worlds. He was a wonderful singer. Now, his voice was odd, and I think that it was from Dillard that I learned that weird phrasing that is so common to these love songs, that sets them apart."
Chandler's version of "I Wish My Baby Was Born" has been covered by Uncle Tupelo
, Tim Eriksen
, Riley Baugus
and Tim O'Brien
(for the Cold Mountain soundtrack
), and The Be Good Tanyas
.
Cohen's motivation in making the film was to debunk stereotypes of Appalachian folksingers being merely the preservers of traditional British and Scottish ballads, with few modern influences or styles. He wrote in the liner notes, "With the example of Dillard in mind, I could envision ballad singers as impure—rich with contradictions and a new vitality, which could propel the songs to future generations." He believed that while Chandler was raised in a strong Old World ballad tradition, much of his work bore more resemblance to the struggles of modern life than to Old World storytelling.
A bonus DVD of the documentary is included in the packaging of Dark Holler.
, but he didn't make the trip. The 1967 University of Chicago Folk Festival
saw Chandler's only visit outside the mountains. His performance was marked by his shy and eccentric mannerisms, as he rocked back and forth and sung facing the side of the stage.
Chandler spent time working in Asheville
, and was "remembered as a man who loved to sing".
Old-time music
Old-time music is a genre of North American folk music, with roots in the folk music of many countries, including England, Scotland, Ireland and countries in Africa. It developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dance, buck dance, and clogging. The genre also...
singer from Madison County
Madison County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 19,635 people, 8,000 households, and 5,592 families residing in the county. The population density was 44 people per square mile . There were 9,722 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. He is chiefly known for his a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
performances on compilation albums recorded by folklorist and musicologist John Cohen.
Early life
Chandler grew up in an old log cabin in the isolated mountain community of Sodom, North Carolina. This section of the North Carolina mountains is particularly rich in balladBallad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
s, and noted folklorist Cecil Sharp
Cecil Sharp
Cecil James Sharp was the founding father of the folklore revival in England in the early 20th century, and many of England's traditional dances and music owe their continuing existence to his work in recording and publishing them.-Early life:Sharp was born in Camberwell, London, the eldest son of...
transcribed several "Old World" ballads sung to him by several of Chandler's relatives in 1916. Chandler described the hills he lived in as being too rugged for a car to access. Often, his walk to school would be made impossible by footlogs being washed away by a creek. Chandler said that as soon as he became old enough, he left school to work in the logging industry. He was illiterate.
Recordings
During the American folk music revivalAmerican folk music revival
The American folk music revival was a phenomenon in the United States that began during the 1940s and peaked in popularity in the mid-1960s. Its roots went earlier, and performers like Josh White, Burl Ives, Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Richard Dyer-Bennett, Oscar Brand, Jean Ritchie, John Jacob...
in the 1960s, John Cohen traveled to Western North Carolina
Western North Carolina
Western North Carolina is the region of North Carolina which includes the Appalachian Mountains, thus it is often known geographically as the state's Mountain Region. It is sometimes included with upstate South Carolina as the "Western Carolinas", which is also counted as a single media market...
to research and record traditional ballad singers. Old Love Songs & Ballads from the Big Laurel, North Carolina and Dark Holler: Old Love Songs and Ballads
Dark Holler: Old Love Songs and Ballads
-Track listing:-External links:* * – A documentary on the tradition of unaccompanied ballad singing in Madison County...
are compilation albums of these recordings.
The subject matter of the traditional songs is often dark; there are themes of murder, revenge, infidelity, and abandoned children. The origin of Chandler's songs range from 16th century Spanish ballads, to a tale of a hanging in nearby Burnsville
Burnsville, North Carolina
Burnsville is a town in Yancey County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,623 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Yancey County.-Geography:Burnsville is located at ....
, to a prison song from Gastonia
Gastonia, North Carolina
Gastonia is the largest city and county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. It is also the third largest suburb of the Charlotte Area, behind Concord and Rock Hill. The population was 71,226 as of Gastonia is the largest city and county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina,...
. Allmusic writes that Chandler sings with "deft precision, often with the song's strong sexual undercurrents intact".
The New York Times describes Dark Holler as "traditional songs about love and murder usually traceable to England, a century or more before, but sung in a style rooted in the region: the singers all stretch out, irregularly, on vowels of their choosing, and add upturned yips to the end of stanzas".
Singing style
Chandler knew hundreds of songs that were shared in the community and passed on through generations. He was a cousin of fellow Madison County singers Lloyd ChandlerLloyd Chandler
Lloyd Chandler was an American Appalachian Folk musician and Free Will Baptist preacher from Madison County, North Carolina....
, Dellie Chandler Norton and members of the Wallin Family
Wallin Family
The Wallin Family is an American family of traditional ballad singers from Madison County, North Carolina. Their repertoire of Appalachian folk ballads— many of which were rooted in "Old World" ballads traceable to the British Isles— brought them to the attention of folk music...
. He describes how singing was part of his community in the liner notes to Dark Holler:
The first singing that I ever heard was old-timey meeting songs, and these old songs like I sing, and these frolics where they get together and pick and sing and drink a little. Maybe a "lassie makin'," or maybe a corn shuckin', maybe a gallon hid in the corn pile. They'd go ahead an' shuck into that—pick the banjo, have a dance. The only kind of music I know anything about is old ballads—just learning songs from somebody else that I've heard sing 'em.
Cohen noted how Chandler's vocals are reflective of the Appalachian idiosyncratic style of "extended phrasing", and ending lines with a falsetto
Falsetto
Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
"yip". British Folklorist Cecil Sharp
Cecil Sharp
Cecil James Sharp was the founding father of the folklore revival in England in the early 20th century, and many of England's traditional dances and music owe their continuing existence to his work in recording and publishing them.-Early life:Sharp was born in Camberwell, London, the eldest son of...
wrote in his research of Appalachian singers:
The habit of dwelling arbitrarily upon certain notes of the melody, generally the weaker accents. This practice, which is almost universal, by disguising the rhythm and breaking up the monotonous regularity of the phrases, produces an effect of improvisation and freedom from rule with is very pleasing.
Influence
According to Cohen, in 1969 Bob DylanBob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
knew Chandler's singing, despite the fact that Old Love Songs & Ballads had sold only fifty copies at the time. Dylan had a copy of the album.
Appalachian author and musician Sheila Kay Adams
Sheila Kay Adams
Sheila Kay Adams is an American storyteller, author and banjo player who received the North Carolina Folklore Society’s Brown-Hudson Award in recognition of her valuable contributions to the study of North Carolina folklore....
said of Chandler, "Dillard was kind of an anomaly; he was caught in between worlds. He was a wonderful singer. Now, his voice was odd, and I think that it was from Dillard that I learned that weird phrasing that is so common to these love songs, that sets them apart."
Chandler's version of "I Wish My Baby Was Born" has been covered by Uncle Tupelo
Uncle Tupelo
Uncle Tupelo was an alternative country music group from Belleville, Illinois, active between 1987 and 1994. Jay Farrar, Jeff Tweedy, and Mike Heidorn formed the band after the lead singer of their previous band, The Primitives, left to attend college. The trio recorded three albums for Rockville...
, Tim Eriksen
Tim Eriksen
Tim Eriksen is an American musician, musicologist, and professor. He is the leader of the band Cordelia's Dad, a solo artist, and was a performer and consultant for the award-winning soundtrack of the film Cold Mountain.-Cordelia's Dad:...
, Riley Baugus
Riley Baugus
Riley Baugus is an American old-time guitarist, banjo player, fiddler, singer and instrument builder from North Carolina.-Background and Career:...
and Tim O'Brien
Tim O'Brien (musician)
Tim O'Brien is an American country and bluegrass musician. In addition to singing, he plays guitar, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, bouzouki and mandocello...
(for the Cold Mountain soundtrack
Cold Mountain (soundtrack)
Cold Mountain is the original soundtrack of the 2003 film Cold Mountain starring Jude Law, Nicole Kidman and Renée Zellweger.The album won the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music and the World Soundtrack Award for Best Original Soundtrack of the Year in 2003...
), and The Be Good Tanyas
The Be Good Tanyas
The Be Good Tanyas are a Canadian traditional music group, whose influences included folk, country, and bluegrass. The style of music they performed can be referred to as alt-country or Americana.-Career:...
.
Documentary
Cohen created a short documentary film entitled The End of an Old Song that features Chandler's hardscrabble lifestyle. Chandler is shown in his primitive mountain cabin, and also in a trip to town to socialize at a diner. Cohen briefly interviews Chandler, and in response to a question about the last time he had been in love, the reply is:
Well, I ain't been in love for 10 or 15 years. There ain't much to that. When I want a woman, I go to town and fetch one up and bring her out here a couple of nights and send her back and that's that.
Cohen's motivation in making the film was to debunk stereotypes of Appalachian folksingers being merely the preservers of traditional British and Scottish ballads, with few modern influences or styles. He wrote in the liner notes, "With the example of Dillard in mind, I could envision ballad singers as impure—rich with contradictions and a new vitality, which could propel the songs to future generations." He believed that while Chandler was raised in a strong Old World ballad tradition, much of his work bore more resemblance to the struggles of modern life than to Old World storytelling.
A bonus DVD of the documentary is included in the packaging of Dark Holler.
Later life
Residents in his native Madison County described Chandler as a "mysterious man" who "didn't live in one specific place, but would just show up from time to time". Unlike many such folk singers discovered during the folk revival of 1960s, Chandler rarely performed at festivals or on radio. Travel arrangements were made for Chandler to play the 1967 Newport Folk FestivalNewport Folk Festival
The Newport Folk Festival is an American annual folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the previously established Newport Jazz Festival...
, but he didn't make the trip. The 1967 University of Chicago Folk Festival
University of Chicago Folklore Society
The 'University of Chicago Folklore Society' was founded in 1961 for fans of roots music at the University of Chicago, the Hyde Park neighborhood, and the rest of the Chicago area....
saw Chandler's only visit outside the mountains. His performance was marked by his shy and eccentric mannerisms, as he rocked back and forth and sung facing the side of the stage.
Chandler spent time working in Asheville
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
, and was "remembered as a man who loved to sing".
Selected discography
- Old Love Songs & Ballads from the Big Laurel, North Carolina, Folkways Records, 1964
- High Atmosphere: Ballads and Banjo Tunes from Virginia and North CarolinaHigh AtmosphereHigh Atmosphere: Ballads and Banjo Tunes from Virginia and North Carolina is a 1975 compilation album released by Rounder Records. The album is composed of Appalachian folk music recordings gathered by musicologist John Cohen in North Carolina and Virginia.The album was originally released in 1975...
, Rounder Records, 1975 - Dark Holler: Old Love Songs and Ballads, Smithsonian Folkways, 2005
External links
- Old Love Songs & Ballads from the Big Laurel, North Carolina Album page on Smithsonian Global Sound
- Dark Holler Album page on Smithsonian Global Sound
- Madison County Project – A documentary on the tradition of unaccompanied ballad singing in Madison County