Favorite Nautical Songs

[Wentworth]

One of my favorite nautical CDs is the old Pete Seeger album "Fifty Sail on Newburgh Bay" which chronicles a number of Hudson River sailing songs from an early Iroquois song ("Kayowjajineh") to several songs about the American Revolution -- apologies to my friends in the U.K. for the nature of the lyrics-- ("The Burning of Kingston," "The Phoenix and The Rose," "Tarrytown"). The Hudson River cities were major whaling ports ("The Hudson Whalers") and the Hudson was a major sailing water transportation link from New York City to Albany where cargo was transferred to canal boats to head west ("The Erie Canal"), the Hudson River Valley was also a major route on the underground railroad for escaped slaves ("Follow the Drinking Gourd"), Robert Fulton developed his revolutionary steamboat Clermont on the Hudson and there are several steam boating songs ("Hudson River Steamboat," "The Knickerbocker Line") among many other Hudson River sailing songs. Here's a link to a YouTube to listen to the music (enjoy!):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrYJ4WmuAo0

The CD is available for purchase from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings:

https://folkways.si.edu/pete-seeger-...um/smithsonian