Was Stewball a real racehorse?
The horse was foaled in 1741 and originally owned by Francis Godolphin, 2nd Earl of Godolphin, and later sold. His name has been recorded as “Squball”, “Sku-ball”, or “Stewball”. He won many races in England and was sent to Ireland.
Who sings Stewball was a racehorse?
Peter, Paul and Mary
Stewball/Artists
Is Stewball a work song?
According to John and Alan Lomax in “American Ballads and Folk Songs”, the ballad was converted into a work song by slaves — which is supported by the version of the lyrics published in their book. “Skewball” apparently became “Stewball” after the song migrated to the United States.
When was Stewball written?
The oldest broadside identified with the ballad is dated 1784 and is held by the Harding Collection of the Bodleian Library of the University of Oxford. The song spread to America by 1829 when it was published in a songbook in Hartford.
When did Woody Guthrie record the song Stewball?
Stewball. A notable recording is by American folk legend Woody Guthrie, who included an English Stewball and an American Stewball interpretation (both entitled Stewball) on tape, and recorded in Volume 4 of The Asch Recordings (1930-1940). The American interpretation is a chain-gang song sung by Lead Belly and Guthrie with an African American…
Who was the original singer of the song Stewball?
Over the years the song travelled and mutated as it was taken up by English, Irish & French singers and American slaves turned the ballad into a chain gang song called Stewball. Popular recordings by Leadbelly and Woody Guthrie followed.
Who is Woody Guthrie and what did he do?
Woodrow Wilson “Woody” Guthrie (July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter and folk musician whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children’s songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his guitar.