Folklorist Kenneth Goldstein recorded these nine ballads by Scotland singer Lucy Stewart in her own home and under relatively natural conditions (the children were shooed away). Goldstein writes in the liner notes that Stewart's singing was "exceedingly spirited, fast paced and fragmentary. That is, in the course of conversation she would suddenly break into song, singing one or two verses, unless prodded to finish the piece." Over the course of the year Goldstein spent with the Stewart family, he recorded 175 songs from Lucy Stewart alone—and Stewart was the only member of her family to not read any music or play an instrument! Liner notes include explanations from Goldstein, photographs of Lucy Stewart singing, and song lyrics.

Track Listing