Sunday, August 7, 2011

New Musical Discoveries 19 - Cry Cry Cry "Cold Missouri Waters"

This is one of those "story" songs I find truly engaging. Even more astonishing is the fact that it is true.It concerns the tragedy at Mann Gulch in Montana in the summer of '49 where 13 smokejumping firefighters died when the fire got ahead of them. Cry Cry Cry,  the folk supergroup formed by Richard Shindell, Lucy Kaplansky, and Dar Williams performs the version that got my attention first. Richard sings lead. The story of the fire is also accounted in one of the finest non-fiction books ever: "Young Men and Fire" by Norman Maclean, he of the delightful semi-autobiographical  "A River Runs Through It" book.

See the masterful video of Cry Cry Cry's version here



Audio only is available here


The song is actually composed by James Keelaghan.
Catch his intriguing version


Here is a very different yet still compelling version by The Black Irish Band


Steve Cottrell provides a more traditional but still delightful version here



John Garza is fairly traditional but still heart felt



Here is an amateur version by E. R. Hershman that is actually quite good too


Steve Wacker provides an excellent account about the song




If you wish to read "Young Men and Fire" you can get it here


Or on Kindle here



God I Love This Music!

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