"The Wee Penny Whistle o' Sandy McGraw"

Whistle
1

Found this while checking out some new (for me) sites. I’m quite fond of Robert Service but wasn’t familiar with this one.

http://artists.mp3s.com/artist_song/2122/2122324.html

From the site, I copied

“The Wee Penny Whistle o’ Sandy McGraw” genre: Celtic

Melody Benbow has a remarkable gift for the musical adaptation of poetry -
CD: Kitangus - Into the West Label: Celticchaos Records
Credits: Words by Robert Service . Edited by M. Benbow . Music by Melody Benbow . M. Benbow - backing vocal, bodhran / G. Hurwood - lead vocal, guitar, penny whistle / K. Dyson - marching snare

Story Behind the Song

  • here we have another Robert - Robert Service, and a powerful tale of a musician’s significance in the trench war hell that was France in WW I. This Scottish lad plays not the great war pipes into battle but the wee penny whistle! As a penny whistler and war buff and Anglo-Saxon poser, I couldn’t resist the poem. We knew it had to become a song, but when? Melody recycled a lovely tune she wrote long ago for a song about a lad named Gareth (another Gareth), lovingly edited Mr. Service’s poem, and presented the complete package to me, as she has so many times, to sing. What a gift! Such talent!Thank you Melody!

jim

(corrected for grammar)

[ This Message was edited by: livethe question on 2003-01-05 14:52 ]

2

And thank you for sharing this with us! I am another Robert Service fan, and have been known. . .after a drink or three. . .to launch into The Cremation of Sam Magee with little or no encouragement from those present.

This sounds like a fine song!

3

This is great!

I love Service - ( “… the WHEW!! stallion know as Lou”, as Lord Buckley had it).

What were you looking for when you stumbled there?

[ This Message was edited by: ELLIOTT on 2003-01-05 19:45 ]

4

I was checking out some of the different artists available for listening at Celtic WebRadio

http://www.ramsisle.com/celtic/webradio.htm

Dave Autry has three nice whistle tunes at the artists site

Tyghress, I have an idea what you mean about the Cremation of Sam McGee. Get me outside, especially around a campfire, and the words just flow. They’re like music. I don’t even need an audience. :slight_smile:

jim

5

I’m also a Rob’t Service fan. My fave is The Men Who Don’t Fit In, although Cremation is a close second.