On the way back to Boise yesterday I was rummaging in my tapes and rediscovered a copy of the Rankin Family Collection. Has anyone else listened to these guys? They are a (southeast?) Canadian group, and it’s folksy with a touch of celtic-ness in there. I think some of the songs are in Gaelic.
My favorite tunes are Roving Gypsy Boy (another 2,000 miles and we will have roamed the same distance. I’m pretty sure he was looking for sessions too.) and Mull River Shuffle, the first and last songs on the album.
I don’t know if this link is any good because it pulls the info off mp3.com and that site is blocked here at work, but the following link has some streaming audio versions of Rankin tunes.
The Rankins were very popular here in Canada several years ago. Unfortunately, one of the Rankin brothers died tragically a few years ago. I guess that must have put an end to the family band. I don’t know whether any of the rest are still performing together or not. They are from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.
I’m a big fan of the Rankin Family. I have several CDs.I first heard them on Prairie Home Companion. They’ve kind of gone their separate ways lately and one of the brothers was killed in a car accident, I believe.
Good music. My favorite so far is “Lament of the Irish Immigrant”. Brings tears to my eyes to hear it. It’s too bad that they don’t make music anymore.
Well, in July I had the pleasure of listening to Raylene Rankin sing at the Festival d’ete de Quebec in Quebec City. She sang beautifully, as always, and it stated in the program that this was a rare performance in preparation for a solo CD to be released early in 2003.
But it was really a sad sight, I must admit. She looked stiff and lonely, was dressed like a flight attendant (formal grey suit thingy), and was backed up by a guitar player instead of the typical family ensemble. Her voice seemed to be at half volume and she looked nervous. Her set lasted only 42 minutes (most sets at this venue were a standard one hour long). It seemed a bit painful for her.
The audience loved her and cheered her on, and she sang beautifully, but the group I was with all agreed that something seemed wrong. Given what she’s been through, it wasn’t hard to figure out what might be behind the mood.
I’d happily see her again and will buy her CD when it comes out. I suspect that as she continues to perform solo and refinds her groove, she’ll be wonderful.
The Rankins split up in 1999 prior to the death of John Morris Rankin(the oldest of the two Rankin boys) in 2000. Several of the group (Jimmy Rankin and The Rankin Sisters) have successful solo careers.
