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A late survivor of the black string band tradition of the early 20th century was the trio of Carl Martin, Ted Bogan and Howard Armstrong. These three musicians from Virginia, South Carolina and Tennessee worked together, with the addition of one or more others, often relatives, for decades, under the names The Tennessee Chocolate Drops, The Four Keys or simply Martin Bogan and Armstrong. They played Piedmont style blues, tin pan alley hits, Mexican folk songs, square dance music and whatever else an audience might want to hear.

In the early 1970s the three were all living in the Chicago area, working at, or retired from various day jobs and getting together occasionally to play music. They recorded an album in 1972 for Rounder records and were on the folk music circuit for a while in the ’70s. Steve Goodman encouraged them to record with him and they made a record Jessies Jig and Other Favorites with him, which was released in 1975. Goodman also recorded heir song The Vegetable Song aka on his 1973 album, Somebody Else’s Troubles.

There is little film or video available of Martin Bogan and Armstrong. I did find this clip, recorded at an informal jam session with Jethro Burns, another one of Steve Goodman’s mentors, at the University of Chicago folk festival some time in the late 70’s. Carl Martin is singing, Ted Bogan playing guitar and Howard Armstrong playing fiddle. Martin has put down his mandolin to allow room for Burns to play.

Jaco Pastorius is one of those names you hear brought up by musicians that might not be so well known to the wider world. He played bass with the band Weather Report and you have probably heard him in that context. He is one of the people that brought the electric bass out as a solo, or lead instrument, which may or may not be a good thing. His bass playing is somewhat similar to Jimi Hendrix on the guitar. The clip below is, I think, a nod to Hendrix’s famous Star Spangled Banner performance at Woodstock.

John Francis Pastorius III was born in Norristown, PA and grew up near Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He started his musical career playing drums like his father “Jack” Pastorius a big band drummer and singer. After breaking his wrist playing football Jaco had to give up the drums. His wrist no longer had the mobility. He took up bass instead. In the video below you can see him playing his Fender Jazz Bass, which he made fretless by removing the frets with pliers and filling the gaps with wood putty. This is an instrument that he played since high school and all through his career.

This familiar song, which sold over six million copies for the Kingston Trio and is credited with starting the folk scare was derived from a song written in the nineteenth century by Thomas Land of, a resident of North Carolina. It is based on a historical event, the murder of Laura Foster, in 1866. The version of the song we know was collected by folklorist Frank Warner as sung by Frank Proffitt of Reese North Carolina. It was published in Alan Lomax’s book, Folk Songs USA and found there by the Kingston Trio.

Laura was the fiancée of Tom Dula, a Confederate civil war veteran, 22 years old and pregnant. Dula was convicted of the murder and hanged in 1868 after extensive appeals and retrials. It is possible that the murder was actually committed by Foster’s cousin Ann Melton, who had been involved with Dula prior to his joining the Confederate army. She had married a local farmer James Melton while Dula was serving. In this scenario, Dula, who confessed to the crime in writing the night before his hanging, claiming sole responsibility, was protecting Melton. Ann Melton was released from jail after Dula’s confession. She had been charged with influencing Dula to commit the crime. Anne Melton is left out of the Frank Proffit / Kingston Trio version of the song.

The song, as sung by the Kingston Trio, mentions someone named Grayson, without explanation. Dula was employed by Colonel James Grayson, in Watauga County, North Carolina for a time after he fled Wilkes County. Grayson helped the authorities find Dula, in Tennessee and bring him back for trial. He was not, as is sometime thought, a rival for the affections of Laura Foster.

Tom Dula was defended at his trials by North Caroliina Governor Zebulon Vance. Vance believed that Dula was innocent, and worked pro bono on the case. Stories of a personal, wartime connection between Dula and Vance arose, but were apparently untrue. Folksinger David Holt has some interesting pictures and some information about the song on his website, here.