Hard Times Come again No More [UPDATED with James Taylor and Yo Yo Ma]

Guest post by Jeff Rice.

Written by Stephen Foster in 1854:

Audio only:

Audio only:

 

 

Comments

[Bernard Burk]

Steve, Please forgive my ignorance, but the first recording (sung by the African American woman) is absolutely stunning. Who is the artist, and where can I find this recording on YouTube?

--Bernie Burk

[Jeff Rice]

It is the amazing Mavis Staples. Her legacy is the Gospel Group, The Staple Singers featuring Pops and his family. They were amongst MLK’s favorite singers and sang at the 1965 March on Washington They had some crossover hits as well

[Steve L.]

Glad you liked it, Bernie. Jeff is right, of course, that the first vocalist is Mavis Staples. Here is the URL: https://youtu.be/-ixbah9u234

The Staples Singers were from Chicago, formed in the '50s by Roebuck "Pops" Staples and his children: Pervis, Cleotha, Mavis, and Yvonne. Pops played guitar with a lot of reverb; his style is immediately recognizable.

Mavis is the only one who went on to a solo career. You can also see her on The Last Waltz with The Band: https://youtu.be/TCSzL5-SPHM

[Gif sawyer]

Better times are coming

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ny8uSuj-0YE