Western settlers found murder and bloodshed fascinating, and composed local ballads. But with printing facilities scarce, many of these items were not published at all while others saw fame only briefly in the columns of the local newspapers. As a result true western ballads of murder—except those about such famous outlaws as Jesse James, Cole Younger, Sam Bass, and their ilk—have been entirely lost, or are known only to the children of those who knew and sang them. These children are now, of course, old men and women. Some of the best examples of western murder ballads will be lost forever when these people die. jstor.org/discover/10.2307/1496190?sid=21105576563613&uid=4&uid=3739912&uid=2&uid=3739256
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 05:07:03 +0000