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“I walked in and found 80 or 90 women gutting herring, very fast, because they were being paid by the barrel,” Kennedy recalled last week in a telephone interview from his home in northern Vermont. “They were all singing, ‘We all live in a yellow submarine/Yellow submarine/Yellow submarine’ … When they were done with that, they started singing Barbara Allen.
“To them it was just another song.”
Hearing the workers ease their labors with the ancient Scottish ballad about lost love helped motivate Kennedy to leave the civil service and make the weaving of wool, and the weaving of old folk songs and stories, his life’s work.
More than 50 years later, Kennedy will leave his looms in Marshfield, Vt., next week, long enough to join singer and folklorist Margaret Bennett and Grafton resident Skip Gorman in performing two Upper Valley concerts of what he calls “the old stuff” that “was such a help to the old folk, through hard times, through hungry times.”
In 1964, American folk musician Mike Seeger, half brother to the legendary Pete, heard Kennedy singing old ballads at a club in Aberdeen and invited him to the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island in 1965 “to show the roots of the American ballad tradition.”
Next thing Kennedy knew, he was on a stage at Newport’s Festival Field with Maybelle Carter, matriarch of the Carter family of country and Americana legend.
“I closed my eyes, and I sang Barbara Allen,” Kennedy recalled. “I opened my eyes, and she was looking up into my face, put her hand on my knee and said, ‘Lad, I know that story, too.’ ”
It was one of many musical stories that Scottish and Celtic immigrants from the British Isles brought to North America in the 1700s and 1800s, and adapted to their new world. While attending a Celtic music gathering at the University of Rhode Island in the late 1960s, young fiddler Skip Gorman, then a Brown University student, heard Kennedy sing and explain the songs and had a revelation.
“It was really the first time I had heard a real, traditional Scottish singer since I had been to the Newport Folk Festival three years earlier,” Gorman recalled this week. “It dawned on me then when I listened to Norman that this American music we had been playing and singing had to have come from somewhere.”
The influence of Kennedy, and before him of bluegrass musician Bill Monroe, steered Gorman toward a career singing cowboy songs and bluegrass as well as Celtic fiddle.
And he’s still learning.
“I’ve spent the past five summers in Scotland and Ireland, playing, singing and listening to the roots of American music,” Gorman said. “I really think it’s important to expose today’s listeners, of what is very often overproduced music, to something historic and grounded.”
Approaching his mid-80s, Norman Kennedy travels less widely than he once did to share the music and its relation to the lives of ordinary working people. He spends most of his time these days teaching at the Marshfield School of Weaving, which he founded after moving to Vermont in the mid-1970s. So when Gorman proposed next week’s shows in Grafton and Sharon, Kennedy welcomed the close-to-home gigs.
“Skip plays exquisite old-style fiddle,” Kennedy said. “When I’m with him and Margaret, I’m with old friends.”
Norman Kennedy, Margaret Bennett and Skip Gorman perform at the East Grafton Union Church on Monday night at 7:30, and on Wednesday night at 7:30 at the Seven Stars Arts Center in Sharon. Tickets cost $5 to $10 for the Grafton show and $5 to $20 for the Sharon performance.
Best Bets
For a musical change-of-pace just a bit beyond the Upper Valley, consider the concert that Lebanon pianist Elizabeth Borowsky is performing with renowned Israeli cellist Amit Peled on Friday afternoon at the Bethlehem, N.H., Hebrew Congregation’s synagogue. Starting at 5, the duo is scheduled to tackle Max Bruch’s Kol Nidre, Ernest Bloch’s From Jewish Life, David Popper’s Hungarian Rhapsody and David Zehavi’s Eli, Eli. Peled also will solo on Bach’s Suite No. 1 in G minor. Admission is $15.
The Old Church Theater in Bradford stages William Missouri Downs’ Mad Gravity over the next two weekends. Performances of the adult-themed comedy, which features a psychological tug-of-war between the parents of a newlywed couple, a play within a play and a comet threatening the planet, are scheduled for 7:30 on both Friday nights and Saturday nights, and for 4 on each Sunday afternoon. To reserve tickets ($6 to $12) and learn more, call 802-222-3322 or email reservations@oldchurchtheater.org.
Flutist Zach Sheets returns to his native Norwich on Friday night to play works of Bach, Copland, Eric Wubbels, Pierre Sancan and Andre Jolivet at the Congregational Church. Starting at 8, Sheets performs with pianist Wei-Han Wu. Admission is by a suggested donation of $10.
In their more recent guise as Linda B and the Barncats, singer Linda Boudreault leads Ted Mortimer (guitar), Casey Dennis (bass) and Marcus Copening (drums) — all fellow strays from the former Dr. Burma ensemble — into the Salt hill Pub in Lebanon on Friday night at 9.
The Flames set the rhythm for dancing at the East Thetford Pavilion on Saturday night starting at 7, during the Thetford Historical Society’s celebration of the 256th anniversary of the town’s founding. Snacks, lemonade, cake and ice cream will be served. Admission is by donation, with proceeds going to repair the parts of the Hughes Barn Museum that the July 1 storm damaged. To learn more, visitthetfordhistoricalsociety.org.
Quebec guitarist Frank Young leads his Gypsy Jazz Trio into West Newbury Hall in Newbury, Vt., on Sunday afternoon at 3, to perform the next Rock Farmer Roadshow concert. For tickets ($20) and more information, visit rockfarmerrecords.com.
Looking Ahead
Classicopia pianist and artistic director Daniel Weiser will join forces with violinist Ralph Allen, cellist Iris Jorner and violist Marcia Cassidy in playing quartets by Gustav Mahler, Johannes Brahms and Joaquin Turina three times between next Thursday night and Aug. 19. To reserve tickets and learn more, visit classicopia.org/concert/the-power-of-four or call Classicopia President Marcia Colligan at 603-643-3337.
Theater/Performance Art
Opera North lowers the curtain on its 2017 Summerfest at the Lebanon Opera House, with 7:30 performances of Cole Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate tonight and Saturday night, and with stagings of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly on Friday night at 7:30 and on Sunday afternoon at 5. For tickets ($20 to $90) and more information, visit operanorth.org.
The New London Barn Playhouse continues its run of the “jukebox musical” All Shook Up, starting with a 7:30 show tonight. The production runs through Aug. 20. To reserve tickets ($20 to $40) and to learn more about these and subsequent shows, visit nlbarn.org or call 603-526-6710.
The New York Theatre Workshop resumes its tinkering with plays-in-progress at Dartmouth College’s Hopkins Center on Saturday afternoon at 4, with a staging of An Unlikely Bunch of Characters, about an aging, white American actor/writer’s struggle to collaborate on a project with two young, black theater artists in South Africa.
Saturday night, the workshop performs Kirk at the San Francisco Airport Hyatt, Krista Knight’s dramedy about a paralyzed man living with his Ethiopian nurse and girlfriend at the hotel in the title.
Admission to each show costs $9 to $13. To reserve tickets and learn about next weekend’s plays, visit hop.dartmouth.edu.
Music
The Incognito Duo serenades the Lebanon Farmers Market between 4 and 7 this afternoon in Colburn Park.
The world-music duo HuDost performs on the green in Woodstock Village this afternoon at 5:30.
Billy Wylder plays rock, folk and world music at the weekly Feast and Field Market tonight starting at 5:30.
Singer-songwriter Jacqueline Rose appears at the Denny Park gazebo on Main Street in Bradford, Vt. tonight at 6.
Hartford native Jes Raymond leads her Americana band the Blackberry Bushes onto the bandstand at Lebanon’s Colburn Park tonight at 7.
Talkin’ Smack plays the gazebo at Newbury (N.H.) Harbor tonight at 7.
The Central Vermont Chamber Music Festival shifts into high gear this weekend, with three chances to catch cellist Peter Sanders, violinist Basia Danilow, violist Arturo Delmoni, bassist David Mercier and pianist Adrienne Kim performing Schubert’s Trout Quintet, and works by Robert Schumann and Bohuslav Martinu. After a free, open rehearsal at Randolph’s Chandler Music Hall tonight at 7, the ensemble tackles the full program at the Chandler on Saturday night at 7:30 and at the Woodstock Town Hall Theatre on Sunday afternoon at 4. For tickets ($25 to $45) to the Randolph show, visit chandler-arts.org or call 802-728-6464. To reserve seats ($10) for the concert in Woodstock, visit pentanglearts.org or call 802-457-3981.
The Altius String Quartet plays works of Haydn, Dvorak and Mendelssohn tonight at 7:30, at the First Baptist Church in New London. For tickets ($5 to $25) and more information, visit summermusicassociates.org or call 603-526-8234.
Soulfix performs on the Haddad Bandstand in New London on Friday night at 6:30.
Odds Bodkin tells stories and plays folk music appears at the Harbor House Livery in Sunapee Harbor on Friday night at 7. General admission costs $5 to $10.
Click and Joanie Horning perform a set of Americana from the Flanders Stage at Sunapee Harbor on Saturday afternoon from 5 to 7.
Sensible Shoes sets the rhythm for dancing from 7 to 9 Saturday night, during The Taste of Woodstock festival in the village’s downtown. The festival, with music, local food and drink and activities for all ages, runs from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. To learn more, call 802-457-3555.
Burlington-based singer-songwriter Senayit leads her band onto the East Common bandstand in Orford on Saturday night at 7.
Singers, puppets and a live orchestra from the Boston-based OperaHub company perform El Gato con Botas (Puss in Boots) on Sunday afternoon at 2, at Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish. Admission is included in the $10 entry fee to the historic site.
Smoke & Mirrors plays on the bandstand at the Newport Common on Sunday night at 6.
The Lyme Town Band performs at Colburn Park in Lebanon on Monday night at 7.
The Ray Vega Quintet casts Latin rhythms across the Fairlee Town Common on Tuesday night at 6:30.
The Island Time Band bangs on steel drums at the Quechee Green on Wednesday night at 6:30.
Flew-Z rocks the Ben Mere Bandstand overlooking Sunapee Harbor on Wednesday night at 6:30.
Bar and Club Circuit
Saxophonist Michael Parker leads his Soulfix Trio into Windsor Station tonight at 7:30. Following them to the venue over the coming week are the Tim Brick Band on Friday night at 9:30, Toast on Saturday night at 9:30 and Evelyn Cormier on Tuesday night at 6.
Singer-guitarist Cary Morin plays the Skinny Pancake in Hanover tonight at 7.
Singer-songwriter Luke Johanson kicks off the weekend of music at the Salt hill Pub in Hanover on Friday night starting at 8. On Saturday night at 9, singer-guitarist Chad Gibbs leads Turner Round into the venue.
SIRSY delivers a dose of rock and soul at the Salt hill Pub in West Lebanon on Friday night at 9. And on Saturday night at 8, About Gladys frontman Rich Thomas performs.
Tirade plays a set of rock at the Salt hill Pub in Newport on Friday night starting at 9, followed Saturday night at 8 by singer-songwriter Andrew Merzi. Next Thursday night at 7, Pete Merrigan performs folk, rock, blues and alt-country.
The Conniption Fits rock the Salt hill Pub in Lebanon on Saturday night starting at 9.
The folk duo Bobbi ‘n Me plays the tavern at Jesse’s in Hanover on Friday evening starting at 5.
The Lefty Yunger Blues Band performs at Skunk Hollow Tavern in Hartland Four Corners on Friday night starting at 9.
Cape Cod-based pianist-singer John Read plays on the theme of “Hymns and Hops” on Sunday afternoon at 4, at Murphy’s on the Green in Hanover.
Open Mics
Ramunto’s Brick & Brew Pizza in Bridgewater hosts an open mic starting at 7:30 on Thursday nights. Participants get a free large cheese pizza.
String players of all ages and abilities are welcome at the weekly acoustic jam session at South Royalton’s BALE Commons on Friday night from 6:30 to 10.
Joe Stallsmith leads a weekly hootenanny of Americana, folk and bluegrass at Salt hill Pub in Hanover on Monday nights starting at 6.
Bradford’s Colatina Exit holds an open mic on Tuesday nights at 8.
Jim Yeager hosts his weekly open mic at 8:30 Wednesday night at Hartland’s Skunk Hollow Tavern.