The Water Is Wide

The Water Is Wide

The Water Is Wide is a traditional British folk song also known as Waly Waly.I developed my version from Avin Baird. I always loved when she performed it and eventually developed my own with her help. As my finger picking became more intentional, this song became a staple in my sets. Today it appears from time to time in my live…
I Bid You Goodnight

I Bid You Goodnight

I bid You Goodnight is a Bahamian spiritual by Joseph Spence. It's origins go further back than that, but his take on the song was picked up by a string of others. Mine mostly resembles the Grateful Dead or Aaron Neville versions because that is what I was listening to when I first heard it. The song quickly became my automatic…
Statue of Elizabeth Cotton in Libba Cotten Grove, Syracuse NY

Shake Sugaree

This is a recording I did last night of the Elizabeth Cotton song Shake Sugaree. Other recordings that I love include one of her granddaughter singing the song. There is also a great video of Rhiannon Giddens performing it. When I share that with young students they are always mesmerized. The song is said to be the inspiration for the Grateful…
Album review (Songs from the Heartland)

Album review (Songs from the Heartland)

https://madewellmusic.com/songs-from-the-heartland https://madewellmusic.com/files/1381106/mosbrook-what-r-we-waiting-for.pdf What Are We Waiting For? It’s Time Album Review by Steve Madewell Charlie Mosbrook is a Cleveland-area songwriter who performs his original material on a handful of instruments. What Are We Waiting For? It’s Time, is a lovely addition to Charlie’s catalog of recordings, offering insightful lyrics, subtle yet catchy melodies, and engaging arrangements. I met Charlie shortly after…
Troubled in Mind

Troubled in Mind

Troubled in Mind is an old traditional blues song. It was written by Richard M Jones, first recorded in 1924. It is a song of deep sadness, but followed with hope in the line "I Won't Be Blue Always".
FARM Lantern Bearer Award

FARM Lantern Bearer Award

Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s. This past weekend I went to Lisle Il for the Folk Alliance Region Midwest conference. I was presented their Lantern Bearer award,…
I am a Patriot

I am a Patriot

This is a song written by Steve Van Zandt of the E Street Band and Sopranos fame. What caught my attention first about him was his passion for human rights. I first heard I am a Patriot on one of his records, but I learned it from the band that followed The Great Peace March, a coast to coast march for…
Remember Who We Are CD cover

Remember Who We Are

This song was written in 2025 as students went to Tallahassee to demand safety following the shootings at their high school Parkland Douglas. Some of the students still remain vocal and in visible pursuit of justice. Some never made it past the day of the shootings. This song was awarded 2nd Place in the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in 2018, earning…