UI Press | Edward D. Ives | "Drive Dull Care Away": Folksongs from Prince Edward Island

"Drive Dull Care Away"

Folksongs from Prince Edward Island

Leading folklorist Edward "Sandy" Ives illuminates the process of gathering songs, learning about their singers, and discovering their histories in this candid and revealing account. The folksongs in this collection are embedded in the cultural history of Prince Edward Island and in the rich, Celtic-influenced, local songmaking tradition. By focusing on local songmaking, Ives throws into relief the interplay between local and regional song traditions as well as the pull of history within a community poised on the cusp of tremendous change. Ives also explores the singing traditions carried forward in Canadian and American lumber camps of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A beautifully written work that addresses folksong through autobiographical memoir,

"Drive Dull Care Away" offers fascinating insights into the life and work of a highly respected fieldworker and collector. A CD of Prince Edward Island songs, remastered from Ives's field tapes, accompanies the book.

"A big, rich, pleasant read, with an enjoyable accompanying CD featuring fourteen sample songs. . . . Ives doesn't know how to write a dull sentence, but what supplements the joy of this book is that he is flush with passion for PEI's and "PI's" -- I mean, Islanders -- and their songs." -- George Elliott Clarke, Halifax Chronicle Herald

"The choice of songs is a true representation of the vernacular song repertoire in the Canadian Maritime provinces for most of the twentieth century. . . . This representativeness, with the illustrative CD, makes for an excellent teaching text." -- Martin Lovelace, Western Folklore

"Based on his field notes and his wonderful memory, Ives has recreated for us his experiences in collecting these folksongs. There is thus a real narrative flow to the book, making it an easy and enjoyable read. Even more important, however, is the fact that he sets the songs in their context. We come to know as he did the sources of the songs, and we feel a real connection with the people and the culture." -- Lorne Brown, The Canadian Folk Music Bulletin

To order online:
http://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/catalog/98qsg5td9780919013346.html

To order by phone:
(800) 621-2736 (USA/Canada)
(773) 702-7000 (International)