Time to get down with some real old time dancin' music! I first head this years ago on FM radio, never knowing who it was or why it was getting played. But I liked it a lot. Then in the 1980's this guy who had a classical music show from midnight till 5:30 am on the University Of Buffalo FM station started playing this every so often, along with Pink Floyd tracks I never heard, the Grateful Dead, The Youngbloods, John Fahey, and others. What he was getting away with on the classical music format was being able to play modernists like Philip Glass, and among other things, soundtracks from films. The film soundtrack was from Zabriskie Point (1970), directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, with tracks by Pink Floyd and the other above-mentioned artists. And on it was this track, "I Wish I Was A Single Girl Again" by Roscoe Holcomb. Whether or not the song was recorded in 1970, I do not know ... and no information appears to be out there to say when it was originally recorded by Holcomb.
To proceed much further, I must say that I am getting a bit out of my depth as my role as a musical historicist has its limits. So, some info, courtesy of Wikipedia: "Roscoe Holcomb, (born Roscoe Halcomb, September 5, 1912 – died February 1, 1981) was an American singer, banjo player, and guitarist from Daisy, Kentucky. A prominent figure in Appalachian folk music, Holcomb was the inspiration for the term "high, lonesome sound," coined by folklorist and friend John Cohen. The "high lonesome sound" term is now used to describe bluegrass singing, although Holcomb was not, strictly speaking, a bluegrass performer. Holcomb's repertoire included old-time music, hymns, traditional music and blues ballads. In addition to playing the banjo and guitar, he was a competent harmonica and fiddle player, and sang many of his most memorable songs a cappella. Holcomb sang in a falsetto deeply informed by the Old Regular Baptist vocal tradition. Bob Dylan, a fan of Holcomb, described his singing as possessing "an untamed sense of control." He was also admired by the Stanley Brothers and Eric Clapton, who cited Holcomb as his favorite country musician."
In any event, from the Zabriskie Point soundtrack, this is Roscoe Holcomb.
To proceed much further, I must say that I am getting a bit out of my depth as my role as a musical historicist has its limits. So, some info, courtesy of Wikipedia: "Roscoe Holcomb, (born Roscoe Halcomb, September 5, 1912 – died February 1, 1981) was an American singer, banjo player, and guitarist from Daisy, Kentucky. A prominent figure in Appalachian folk music, Holcomb was the inspiration for the term "high, lonesome sound," coined by folklorist and friend John Cohen. The "high lonesome sound" term is now used to describe bluegrass singing, although Holcomb was not, strictly speaking, a bluegrass performer. Holcomb's repertoire included old-time music, hymns, traditional music and blues ballads. In addition to playing the banjo and guitar, he was a competent harmonica and fiddle player, and sang many of his most memorable songs a cappella. Holcomb sang in a falsetto deeply informed by the Old Regular Baptist vocal tradition. Bob Dylan, a fan of Holcomb, described his singing as possessing "an untamed sense of control." He was also admired by the Stanley Brothers and Eric Clapton, who cited Holcomb as his favorite country musician."
In any event, from the Zabriskie Point soundtrack, this is Roscoe Holcomb.
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Music