The Erie Canal Sings - by William Hullfish (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Life working along the banks of the Erie Canal is preserved in the songs of America's rich musical history. Thomas Allen's "Low Bridge, Everybody Down" has achieved iconic status in the American songbook, but its true story has never been told until now. Erie songs such as "The E-ri-e Is a-Risin'" would transform into "The C&O Is a-Risin'" as the song culture spread among a network of other canals, including the Chesapeake and Ohio and the Pennsylvania Main Line. As motors replaced mules and railroads emerged, the canal song tradition continued on Broadway stages and in folk music recordings. Author Bill Hullfish takes readers on a musical journey along New York's historic Erie Canal.

About the Author

Dr. William Hullfish is a life member of the American Canal Society. He has published articles in American Canals and is the author of The Canaller's Songbook (American Canal and Transportation Center). Bill has toured under a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts with the Golden Eagle String Band and played at the World Canal Conference (Mystic Seaport, Waterloo Village, New York), the Erie Canal Museum, the Great Lakes Symposium (SUNY Oswego), Canal Jam 2015 (Allegheny Portage Railroad Historic Site, (Gallitzin, Pennsylvania) and canal festivals all over New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New Jersey.