Looking for old timey songs for two-person harmony
January 30, 2024 3:18 PM Subscribe
My partner and I like to harmonize old-timey songs such as this Appalachian one, Turtle Dove &
we are looking for other songs that will sound good with just a duet (they don't have to be a cappella). Recently we've been singing I'll Fly Away (featured in the movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou) as well - my partner accompanies us on the guitar for that one.
Any suggestions welcome! thanks
we are looking for other songs that will sound good with just a duet (they don't have to be a cappella). Recently we've been singing I'll Fly Away (featured in the movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou) as well - my partner accompanies us on the guitar for that one.
Any suggestions welcome! thanks
Response by poster: Of that group, I am familiar only with Ralph Stanley, un-early. THANK YOU! will check 'em all out.
posted by DMelanogaster at 3:33 PM on January 30, 2024
posted by DMelanogaster at 3:33 PM on January 30, 2024
This might not be your style, but there's an old Irving Berlin song called "Snookey Ookums" (featured in the movie Easter Parade) that's a very cute, comedic duet about a couple that baby-talks to each other. Here's Judy Garland and Fred Astaire singing it, though I think the original song has more to it.
posted by leftover_scrabble_rack at 3:46 PM on January 30, 2024 [2 favorites]
posted by leftover_scrabble_rack at 3:46 PM on January 30, 2024 [2 favorites]
They're contemporary, but have an old-timey feel: check out the Civil Wars: Poison & Wine; Barton Hollow
posted by hydra77 at 4:30 PM on January 30, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by hydra77 at 4:30 PM on January 30, 2024 [1 favorite]
This is bluegrass and not blues, but the first thing I could think of was Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard.
posted by jomato at 4:31 PM on January 30, 2024 [3 favorites]
posted by jomato at 4:31 PM on January 30, 2024 [3 favorites]
Find the album "Skaggs and Rice," 1980 (Ricky Skaggs and Tony Rice) for some more great songs in this vein.
posted by sheldman at 4:39 PM on January 30, 2024
posted by sheldman at 4:39 PM on January 30, 2024
Seconding Hazel and Alice! Another great set of duets is John Prine's album In Spite of Ourselves. Each is a duet of a classic country song (plus one Prine original) with a different singer.
posted by hydropsyche at 4:50 PM on January 30, 2024 [2 favorites]
posted by hydropsyche at 4:50 PM on January 30, 2024 [2 favorites]
Parlour music has got to be full of these, though a lot of them are pretty saccharine by modern tastes. "Oh believe me if all those endearing young charms..." might have a duet setting.
posted by clew at 4:53 PM on January 30, 2024
posted by clew at 4:53 PM on January 30, 2024
Response by poster: Thank you, everyone. I think that I have used the phrase "old timey" incorrectly -- I didn't mean "music from olden times" --- I meant a particular type of folk music -- also it could be called "old-time" rather than "old timey" --
from Wikipedia: Old-time music is a genre of North American folk music. It developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dancing, clogging, and buck dancing. It is played on acoustic instruments, generally centering on a combination of fiddle (see old time fiddling) and plucked string instruments, most often the banjo, guitar, and mandolin. Together, they form an ensemble called the string band, which has historically been the most common configuration to play old-time music. The genre is considered a precursor to modern country music.
So I'm not looking from e.g. music from 1940's movies or parlour music. But thanks anyway -- maybe we'll get to those other genres at some point!
posted by DMelanogaster at 5:21 PM on January 30, 2024 [1 favorite]
from Wikipedia: Old-time music is a genre of North American folk music. It developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dancing, clogging, and buck dancing. It is played on acoustic instruments, generally centering on a combination of fiddle (see old time fiddling) and plucked string instruments, most often the banjo, guitar, and mandolin. Together, they form an ensemble called the string band, which has historically been the most common configuration to play old-time music. The genre is considered a precursor to modern country music.
So I'm not looking from e.g. music from 1940's movies or parlour music. But thanks anyway -- maybe we'll get to those other genres at some point!
posted by DMelanogaster at 5:21 PM on January 30, 2024 [1 favorite]
It's post-bluegrass that they were in their heyday, but you might want to check out Jim & Jessie. They sang a lot of what I think of as old time songs in terrific harmony, but with 1970-modern bluegrass instrumentation: fiddle, cross picked mandolin and Scruggs style three finger banjo. All their recordings definitely feature their voices though.
posted by fritley at 5:37 PM on January 30, 2024
posted by fritley at 5:37 PM on January 30, 2024
Kristen Hersh did an album called "Murder, Misery and Then Goodnight" which might give you lots of ideas. She's heavily inspired by the Carter Family, if you want to go to the source.
posted by credulous at 7:07 PM on January 30, 2024
posted by credulous at 7:07 PM on January 30, 2024
I'm not genre-savvy enough to know if this is anywhere near what you're thinking, and it might be too many voices, but "harmony" makes me think:
· The Jayhawks
· The Wailin' Jennys
· and you already said the "O Brother..." soundtrack, so you're plugged in to Alison Krauss et al.
posted by adekllny at 7:09 PM on January 30, 2024
· The Jayhawks
· The Wailin' Jennys
· and you already said the "O Brother..." soundtrack, so you're plugged in to Alison Krauss et al.
posted by adekllny at 7:09 PM on January 30, 2024
How fun! I like Dear Crow's two-person harmonies on Good Old Bowling Green.
posted by dreamyshade at 8:51 PM on January 30, 2024
posted by dreamyshade at 8:51 PM on January 30, 2024
Listen to some Everly Brothers stuff! They were part of a family band before they went all rock and roll, and they kept their old time harmonies, for ex: https://youtu.be/MH_2fUcvbEU?si=2S2kWHT_qC2wOl4z
posted by Pickman's Next Top Model at 8:52 PM on January 30, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by Pickman's Next Top Model at 8:52 PM on January 30, 2024 [1 favorite]
One of my favourite two-part harmony songwriters is Martin Gore. Many Depeche Mode songs lend themselves to bluegrass styles.
posted by ovvl at 8:59 PM on January 30, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by ovvl at 8:59 PM on January 30, 2024 [1 favorite]
Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Short-Haired Woman Blues.
posted by MonkeyToes at 9:16 PM on January 30, 2024 [4 favorites]
posted by MonkeyToes at 9:16 PM on January 30, 2024 [4 favorites]
Across the Blue Ridge Mountains by Rising Appalachia. This is just a snippet of the song. Simply beautiful and incredible! The entire song is on Spotify, I believe.
posted by Sassyfras at 9:42 PM on January 30, 2024
posted by Sassyfras at 9:42 PM on January 30, 2024
On the 'traditional old-time to the point they all sing around one microphone even in 2024' side of things, my friends-of-a-friend the Foghorn String band would fit the bill.
On the 'not-strictly old-time but based on and deeply drawing from old-time' side of things, seconding MonkeyToes suggestion of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. Anything on Time (the Revelator) but esp. Dear Someone would be fun to harmonize. Also the group Mountain Man is definitely worth checking out.
posted by umbú at 2:32 AM on January 31, 2024 [3 favorites]
On the 'not-strictly old-time but based on and deeply drawing from old-time' side of things, seconding MonkeyToes suggestion of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. Anything on Time (the Revelator) but esp. Dear Someone would be fun to harmonize. Also the group Mountain Man is definitely worth checking out.
posted by umbú at 2:32 AM on January 31, 2024 [3 favorites]
You've gotta check out Mama's Broke! (Link goes to their Tiny Desk Concert) They're not straight-up old time but old time is among their influences.
posted by capricorn at 5:18 AM on January 31, 2024
posted by capricorn at 5:18 AM on January 31, 2024
The version of "I'll Fly Away" featured in "O Brother" (in the film, not on the soundtrack) is from the mid-1950s record Bowling Green by the Kossoy Sisters, an early folk revival group who performed traditional Appalachian music. Any song in their catalog is a good candidate, since they already arranged everything for two part harmony and perform primarily in the style you seem to enjoy.
posted by voiceofreason at 5:58 AM on January 31, 2024 [2 favorites]
posted by voiceofreason at 5:58 AM on January 31, 2024 [2 favorites]
Animal Tracks by Mountain Man - modern 'old time' sound.
Marry Song by Band of Horses - is not Old Time in the classic sense but it's such a lovely two-part harmony and also works well with the chords finger-picked on acoustic guitar.
posted by freya_lamb at 6:09 AM on January 31, 2024
Marry Song by Band of Horses - is not Old Time in the classic sense but it's such a lovely two-part harmony and also works well with the chords finger-picked on acoustic guitar.
posted by freya_lamb at 6:09 AM on January 31, 2024
Response by poster: I'm having an incredibly good time checking out all of this music I'd never heard of before! I want to mark ALL the responses as the BEST, but instead I won't mark any of them.
THANK YOU!!! (which doesn't mean STOP!)
posted by DMelanogaster at 6:54 AM on January 31, 2024
THANK YOU!!! (which doesn't mean STOP!)
posted by DMelanogaster at 6:54 AM on January 31, 2024
Emmylou Harris and Gram Parsons, We'll Sweep Out the Ashes in the Morning.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 7:38 AM on January 31, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by Lawn Beaver at 7:38 AM on January 31, 2024 [1 favorite]
Girlyman has a particular style of three-part harmony that I find pleasantly unusual and you may find some options in there!
posted by knile at 7:45 AM on January 31, 2024
posted by knile at 7:45 AM on January 31, 2024
Return of the Grievous Angel - Lucinda Williams & David Crosby
posted by MonkeyToes at 8:31 AM on January 31, 2024
posted by MonkeyToes at 8:31 AM on January 31, 2024
First Aid Kit is a duo made up of two Swedish sisters — the songs themselves are a bit more modern but their harmonies strongly evoke that old-timey / bluegrassy sound to me.
posted by sesquipedalia at 11:55 AM on January 31, 2024 [2 favorites]
posted by sesquipedalia at 11:55 AM on January 31, 2024 [2 favorites]
A couple of current artists whose re-interpretations of old time songs might provide some inspiration: Anna and Elizabeth and Jake Xerxes Fussell
posted by radiomayonnaise at 12:49 PM on February 2, 2024
posted by radiomayonnaise at 12:49 PM on February 2, 2024
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posted by skwm at 3:28 PM on January 30, 2024 [4 favorites]