Mar 3
New CD pays homage to Abe Lincoln
In case you haven’t heard, 2009 will mark the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday.
Folks down around Hodgenville, Ky., know all about that; they’ve already kicked off a months-long observance.
People around Illinois also are highly aware of the hoopla. Springfield, the state’s capital, is where Lincoln lived and practiced law and worked in the Illinois Legislature before he became president.
And Illinois musician and songwriter Chris Vallillo is on the bandwagon.
Villallo, last month on the 199th Lincoln birthday anniversary, released his latest CD, “Abraham Lincoln in Song,” which has been endorsed by the Illinois Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.
The CD weaves historic narratives with period music and contemporary folksongs in a celebration of the life and times of one of our nation’s favorite sons, according to Villallo’s Web site.
The extensively researched, historically accurate project showcases music Lincoln may well have known and sung while the cover features a rare photograph of the Lincoln stovepipe hat that’s now in the collection of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, a relatively new facility in Springfield that’s become a Mecca for Lincoln scholars and admirers.
“‘With Abraham Lincoln in Song,’ Chris Vallillo takes the audience on a musical journey, making history come alive with his excellent blending of music and storytelling. He grabbed hold of the museum visitors here, establishing excellent rapport with the audience with this thoughtful, humorous and moving show,” said Phil Funkenbusch, director of theaters and the show division of the Lincoln presidential museum.
“I hope the collection of music in this project helps shed light on one of history’s most beloved figures, not only as a remarkable leader, but as a man, who knew and loved many of these very songs himself,” Vallillo says. “I recorded them on a variety of wonderful old vintage instruments. The project was designed to be educational as well as entertaining, with extensive liner notes including interesting anecdotes about the songs and composers,” he adds.
From “The Battle Cry of Freedom,” to “Lincoln’s Funeral Train,” the listener will garner a better understanding not only of what drove the interests and passions of one of America’s greatest presidents, but of what contributes to the fascination and artistry of one of the country’s most respected folk artists.”
Villallo, indeed, has won praise from several corners for his accomplished work as a singer and songwriter and his talents on acoustic guitar and bottleneck slide guitar.
He’s been the Illinois State Scholar for New Harmonies, which is he Smithsonian Institution’s traveling exhibit on roots music. During his tenure with New Harmonies, Vallillo worked with a world class exhibition that tells the story of roots music in its many forms, from blues to folk to gospel, to country, to ethnic to bluegrass.
He describes the project as “a virtual sound track to the melting pot that is America.”
Author and composer Ken Bradury has become a Vallillo fan. He writes: “Some singers play just enough of an instrument to accompany themselves, some great guitar players ‘get by’ as singers, and a few singer/musicians try their best to tell a good story. Chris Vallillo is the complete package…a haunting voice, a master at his instruments, and a stage presence that holds anyone of any age spellbound. Chris pulls off the nearly impossible task of making poetry of our heritage while maintaining the integrity of the original material. And in Chris’s case, that material is the very stuff of which we are made…our history. I am so proud to be from a state that could produce such a consummate performer as Chris Vallillo.”
Sound clips and ordering information are available at the artist’s Web site, www.chrisvallillo.com.
The track list for “Abraham Lincoln in Song” includes:
Battle Cry Of Freedom
Shawneetown
El-A-Noy
Lorena
Lincoln’s Funeral Train
We Are Coming Father Abra’am
Hard times come Again No More
Dixie’s Land
Aura Lee
Hoosen Johnny
Darling Nelly Grey
Lincoln And Liberty
Let the Band Play Dixie
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