Sing Oh! the City Oh!: Songs about Early Pittsburgh

In 1959, banjo player, composer, singer, and college professor Robert Schmertz recorded an album of original songs commemorating the 200th anniversary of the founding of Pittsburgh at the point where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers join to create the Ohio River. The French built Fort Duquesne at the strategic location in 1754; in 1758 the British took control and promptly built a new fort they called Fort Pitt. Schmertz’s songs celebrate Pittsburgh’s early history as a British outpost on the frontier. His daughter, Gretchen, a singer, and son Jack, a flautist and piccolo player, along with singer Vivien Richman (who has also recorded for Folkways), cellist Eero Davidson and his banjo-playing son Jo, join Schmertz in the recording.

Track Listing

101	Sing Oh! The City Oh!	Robert Schmertz, Gretchen Schmertz Jacob, Jack Schmertz, Vivien Richman, Eero Davidson, Jo Davidson	01:58
102	Celoron	Robert Schmertz, Gretchen Schmertz Jacob, Jack Schmertz, Vivien Richman, Eero Davidson, Jo Davidson	03:18
103	The Ohio Company	Robert Schmertz, Gretchen Schmertz Jacob, Jack Schmertz, Vivien Richman, Eero Davidson, Jo Davidson	03:31
104	Forks of the Ohio	Robert Schmertz, Gretchen Schmertz Jacob, Jack Schmertz, Vivien Richman, Eero Davidson, Jo Davidson	03:26
105	La Vierge de la Belle Riviere	Robert Schmertz, Gretchen Schmertz Jacob, Jack Schmertz, Vivien Richman, Eero Davidson, Jo Davidson	03:00
106	Mon Petit Lapin	Robert Schmertz, Gretchen Schmertz Jacob, Jack Schmertz, Vivien Richman, Eero Davidson, Jo Davidson	02:30
201	Braddock's Defeat	Robert Schmertz, Gretchen Schmertz Jacob, Jack Schmertz, Vivien Richman, Eero Davidson, Jo Davidson	02:28
202	General John Forbes	Robert Schmertz, Gretchen Schmertz Jacob, Jack Schmertz, Vivien Richman, Eero Davidson, Jo Davidson	02:18
203	The Lonely Grenadier	Robert Schmertz, Gretchen Schmertz Jacob, Jack Schmertz, Vivien Richman, Eero Davidson, Jo Davidson	02:41
204	Flintlock Finnegan	Robert Schmertz, Gretchen Schmertz Jacob, Jack Schmertz, Vivien Richman, Eero Davidson, Jo Davidson	02:41
205	The Battle of Bushy Run	Robert Schmertz, Gretchen Schmertz Jacob, Jack Schmertz, Vivien Richman, Eero Davidson, Jo Davidson	02:20
206	The Prettiest Girl in Pittsburgh Town	Robert Schmertz, Gretchen Schmertz Jacob, Jack Schmertz, Vivien Richman, Eero Davidson, Jo Davidson	02:35