It's time again for Three Tune Tuesday, that day of the week where members of the Hive community shares three songs of their liking with the rest of the community.
I know, I post Three Tune Tuesday on Wednesday. It's done by design! I run a Three Tune Tuesday livestream on Tuesday, then post the songs the next day. Want to be the first to hear them? Tune in live!
12:00pm (noon) EDT
17:00 UTC
https://blindskeleton.one/radio/
I take a slow, relaxing approach to Three Tune Tuesday: I like to share pre-1924 78rpm songs from my collection, and record them while playing on an appropriate time-period windup phonograph. I encourage you to take a few moments and slow down with me. Settle down, close your eyes, and take yourself back.. way back.. in time, to a distant uncle's parlour in the early 1920's. There are comfortable seats, pleasant conversation, and old music.
Today's show starts with something of a heavy heart for me. I started the day yesterday hearing the news that Gordon Lightfoot - an endearing Canadian singer/songwriter - passed away the night before at the age of 84. He will be missed. Today's TTT is inspired by him.
Wreck of the Old 97
In the 1976, Lightfoot penned The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, a disaster about the freighter The Edmund Fitzgerald that sank in November of 1975, killing all 29 crewmembers on board. Lightfoot's song details what the last hours to minutes must have been like for the crew leading up to the disaster.
In 1924 Henry Whitter penned Wreck of the Old 97, a train disaster that occurred in 1903 in Virginia.
The Old 97 was a Southern Railway mail train that was traveling from Monroe, Virginia to Spencer, North Carolina on September 27, 1903. The train was behind schedule, and the engineer, Joseph A. Broady, was under pressure to make up time. As the train approached a sharp curve near Danville, Virginia, Broady attempted to slow down the train by applying the brakes, but it was too late. The train derailed and crashed, killing 11 people and injuring several others.
The lyrics of the song describe the events leading up to the disaster and the aftermath, including the heroism of the engineer, who stayed on the train to try to slow it down and save the lives of his passengers. The song has been widely interpreted as a tribute to the bravery of railroad workers and the dangers they faced in the early days of rail travel.
The song was first recorded in 1924 by Henry Whitter, and it has since been covered by many other artists. This one is performed by Vernon Dalhart.
Wild Flower Waltz
May 1 was also May Day.
May Day is an ancient Northern Hemisphere festival that traditionally marks the arrival of spring. It is celebrated on May 1st in many countries, and is also known as International Workers' Day or Labor Day in some places.
The origins of May Day can be traced back to ancient Roman times, when the festival of Flora, goddess of flowers, was held. Over time, the celebration evolved and was adapted by different cultures and religions. In medieval Europe, it became associated with Maypoles, decorated trees, and other festive customs.
Flora was the Roman goddess of flowers and springtime. She was particularly associated with the blossoming of plants and the fertility of nature. According to Roman mythology, she was married to Zephyrus, the god of the west wind, who was said to be responsible for bringing the spring breezes that helped to bring new life to the land.
Flora was celebrated in the Roman festival of Floralia, which was held from April 28 to May 3 each year. The festival was a time of feasting, drinking, and dancing, and it was believed to bring good luck and fertility to the crops and the people. Flora was also associated with the celebration of May Day, which marks the beginning of spring and the return of the warm weather.
In art, Flora was often depicted as a beautiful young woman wearing a crown of flowers and carrying a basket of blossoms. She was also sometimes shown with Zephyrus, or surrounded by a host of other springtime figures, such as nymphs, satyrs, and fauns. Her image was often used in gardens and other places where flowers and plants were grown, and she was widely admired for her beauty and her association with the renewal of life. It doesn't take much imagination to put together the continuation of her name with the word "floral."
Rainy Day Blues
In 1975 Gordon Lightfoot wrote and sang Rainy Day People, and I felt that this was an appropriate way to commemorate him and end this weeks show. Lightfoot's Rainy Day People was about all the people you know who are always there for you when you need them, no questions asked. A lover, friend, family member, whoever. This is one of those songs I go back to often, not when I'm feeling down, but when I'm already in chipper spirits and like to listen to a song that reminds us of all those good people.
"Rainy Day Blues," by contrast, is a jazz tune. It was recorded by Wilbur Sweatman's Original Jazz Band in the early 20th century, composed by the bandleader, and was first recorded by his band in 1924. The song features a catchy melody that is played in unison by the band's clarinets and saxophones.
And that's it for the day today! If you're a coffee drinker and live in the US, check out Blind Skeleton's Skeleton Brew roast of coffees: https://blindskeleton.one/shop/coffee-shop/. In the month of May you can use the coupon code SKELETON_BREW to get 10% off. My personal favourites are all of them.
If you're not in the US there is still some Blind Skeleton swag available! https://blindskeleton.one/shop/coffee-accessories/
Three Tune Tuesday (TTT) is initiated by 
I run a live stream of my TTT songs every Tuesday at 12:00pm EDT, then take that stream and share the songs from it here, on Hive, on Wednesday (or occasionally Thursday). These songs are all old pre-1923 78rpm records from my collection, played on my antique phonographs and recorded with a well placed microphone. Like what you hear? Come listen live!
Online Radio: https://blindskeleton.one/radio/
Three Tune Tuesday Live Stream: 12:00pm (noon) EST
Listen to the podcast!
https://blindskeleton.one/blind-skeleton-podcasts/
(c) All images and photographs, unless otherwise specified, are created and owned by me.
(c) Victor Wiebe
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