Lee Murdock's recordings are a mix of original, contemporary and traditional songs about the Grea Lakes. For over a decade, Lee has delved into the traditional songs collected in the 1920-50's by Professor Ivan Walton. Now finally, the songs and stories in this collection are available to the general public, thanks to the work of Joe Grimm, who has edited Walton’s notes into the book he always intended to publish. 

Walton's mission was to find and "save" those songs that were sung on the Great Lakes sailing vessels before and around the turn of the 20th century. While he was not able to publish his book before his death in 1968. But many other musicians and scholars have found this collection to be a treasure trove, and Detroit writer Joe Grimm has compiled the Professor's notes into an informative and entertaining collection.

Hardcover (with CD): $40 [buy one now]

Paperback (with CD): $25 [buy one now]

To see more books in the Great Lakes Books Collection at Wayne State University Press.

Lee collaborated on the book by writing the musical scores for those songs which had melodies collected. Drawings of work aboard the ships, from the same era, are included, from the work of Loudon G Wilson. Wilson's drawings are archived at the Historical Collections of the Great Lakes in Bowling Green, Ohio

The book is 253 pages, with 58 minute cd, and is a must-have for music teachers, schools, and those who love maritime and traditional music. Of special note is the CD enclosed with the book, containing 15 selections from the recorded archives at the Walton Collection -- field recordings from the 30-50s. This is a rare opportunity to hear these songs as they were sung by the old mariners. The singing birds in the background are a testament that these are truly "front porch recordings," a treasure of American history and folksong.

Just published, February, 2002, by Wayne State University Press.
A collection of traditional sailing songs from the Great Lakes.
253 pages, song notes with musical scores, plus a 58 minute CD, sampling the field recordings held at the Ivan Walton Collection, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.