My guest this week is author Dan Gutstein, who joins me to chat about his book ‘Poor Gal: The Cultural History of Little Liza Jane’.

The book traces the history of one of America’s most recorded folk songs, from its origins amongst enslaved people on southern plantations, through the Civl War and minstrelsy, to the folk revival and beyond. On its journey Little Liza Jane, and its variants, was performed and recorded by a huge range of artists, including Del McCoury, Nina Simone, Merle Travis, Doc Watson, Pete Seeger, Harry Belafonte, Alison Krauss…and David Bowie.

It’s a fascinating subject, which could have filled several episodes!

You’ll find more info on Dan and the book (including links to buy a copy) at http://www.dangutstein.com/#/littlelizajane

There’s a great playlist of Liza Jane recordings on Spotify if you want to check out some of the versions we discuss in the episode.

You’ll also find info on the ongoing film project Dan talks about at http://www.lizajanemovie.com

Happy picking!
Matt

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Thanks to Bryan Sutton for his wonderful theme tune to Bluegrass Jam Along (and to Justin Moses for playing the fiddle!)