Herbert MacLeod, interviewed by Edward D. "Sandy" Ives

Series

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Record Group:

MF167.1 consists of interviews conducted by Edward D. "Sandy" Ives on Prince Edward Island between 1969 and 1970, as part of his work to document the folk songs of Prince Edward Island, specifically the songs “made by” Joe Scott, Larry Doyle, and Larry Gorman. Material included in this collection served as source material for Ives’ later publications, Lawrence Doyle: The Farmer-Poet of Prince Edward Island (1971); Larry Gorman: The Man Who Made the Songs (1977); Joe Scott: The Woodman Songmaker (1978); and Drive Dull Care Away: Folksongs from Prince Edward Island (1999). This collection includes recordings of interviews, Ives' field journal, and 17 photographs taken by Ives.

Dates

Creation: Majority of material found within 1955-1970

Creator

Ives, Edward D. (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

For digitized items free from access restrictions, we are working to upload this material (pdfs, mp3s, jpgs) for public access, but it is an ongoing project. If you don’t find what you are looking for here, contact Special Collections (um.library.spc@maine.edu).

Extent

From the Record Group: 203 items

Language of Materials

From the Record Group: English

Additional Description

Abstract

NA4384 Herbert MacLeod, interviewed by Edward D. "Sandy" Ives, April 4, 1968, at the Senior Citizens Home, Montague, P.E.I. Also present in the room, Mrs. MacLeod, Bobby Ives. MacLeod, age 79, sings "The Picnic at Groshaut" from a typed copy. His voice is a strong tenor ending lines of the song with a vibrato. Sings "Out Behind the Barn," a popular song. Sings “Galway Bay.” Speaks about the farm where he was born and lived, that it was where the "Bear at Grand River" crossed the river and went into the wood where it was shot by Walter Robinson. Sings the popular song “Cold Feet” one of the songs he used to sing at "entertainments." Sung from a typed text. Tells tall tales of Crubeen MacDonald. Working barefoot and accidentally cutoff his toe with the hoe blade. Crubeen "use to blow about the big crops he used to grow." Lost a hen once and found she pecked a hole in a potato, crawled inside, laid a dozen eggs and set. Give background on Crubeen MacDonald. Used to visit him as a child and 'get him going' to tell his stories. Crubeen's big eel [Bobby quips: "They don't hardly make eels like that anymore."]. Crubeen use to tell of the bad lightning storms. Caught in a thunder squall with his horse and cart. It rained so heavy he had to tip the cart three times to empty the water out of it. Crubeen died of gangrene 30 years ago. How he'd always say "St. Anthony guide" when he'd go to look for his plow after the kids hid it on Halloween. Talk about fiddle players in the area. Men who sing in Gaelic. "When I've Gone the Last Mile of the Way." A hymn. Singing it from a hymnal. Conversation follows about how he used to sing in a traveling quartet and sing in concerts and plays (between the acts). They used to sing a lot at home. No transcript. Recording: mf167_1.1_ives068.06_cd125_31-mf167_1.1_ives068.06_cd125_36, mf167_1.1_ives068.07_cd126_01-mf167_1.1_ives068.07_cd126_09. Time: 00:38:48