Never without a Song
The Years and Songs of Jennie Devlin, 1865-1952
Foreword by Alan Lomax
Rediscovering the life of an indomitable folk music original
Paper – $37
978-0-252-06371-8
Publication Date
Paperback: 01/01/1995
Series: Music in American Life
About the Book
Never Without a Song focuses on the centrality of folksong in the life of Jennie Devlin, a woman who worked for fourteen years as a "bound-out girl," or serving maid, along the New York-Pennsylvania border in the late 1800s. Largely ignored and unwanted, Devlin persevered through Dickensian misfortunes to find love and raise a family (often alone) in Philadelphia and Gloucester, New Jersey. Katharine Newman met Devlin in 1936 and compiled information about the older woman's life and music. Half a century later, Newman returned to her collection in retirement, with her own perspective of age. The result is a unique biography of an American working-class woman, told with depth and candor. Newman also includes "I Wish I'd Been Born a Boy," "James Bird," "Martha Decker," "My Grandmother's Old Armchair," and other pieces, both British and American, most with tunes.About the Author
Katharine C. Newman was an independent scholar with a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania.Reviews
Blurbs
"It is a deeply moving story, with sensitive insights into the heart of a folk singer."--Alan Lomax, from the introduction
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