Ballads, Blues and a Spiritual

“Not infrequently I am taken to task for the manner in which I approach my material,” folk singer/guitar player Dave Van Ronk wrote in the liner notes to Ballads, Blues, and a Spiritual. A white New Yorker singing traditional Southern black songs, he distinguished himself from others who adopted this repertoire by imitating the way he heard black musicians perform. “Although I can appreciate the ‘white approach’ to Negro folksongs and enjoy the work of many of its adherents, I still reserve the right to sing these songs in the style to which I am accustomed, partly because of habit, and partly, I confess, because I feel that my way is the ‘right way’.” This 1959 release – a collection of 19th- and early 20th-century traditional folk/blues songs that persuasively illustrates his stance – was Van Ronk’s first record on any label and contains the tracks “If You Leave Me Pretty Momma,” “Backwater Blues,” “K.C. Moan,” “How Long,” and “John Henry.” The vinyl reissue includes an accompanying booklet with liner notes and song lyrics and is part of Folkways Records’ 70th anniversary celebration series, revisiting some of the most iconic and influential albums released on the record label.