Laurie Lewis, long-time doyenne of the west coast bluegrass scene, has a new album on the way with her touring band, The Right Hands. O California is set for release early next year, with a mix of Lewis’ originals and traditional gems.
A little taste is available now in their recreation of Fair and Tender Ladies, an Appalachian ballad with deep roots in folk, bluegrass, and old time music. It tells of young women done badly by false-hearted men, a complaint that reaches far beyond the eastern mountains, and was popularized in the US by recordings by Jean Ritchie and Peter, Paul & Mary.
Laurie says that it has been with her for a while.
“I have been singing this cautionary tale since I was a teen, and had always toyed working it out in a band, but it never happened until Hasee Ciaccio came up with the idea of splitting the verses and making it a duet. It opened the song up in ways I hadn’t previously imagined, making it both more delicate and stronger than I’d heard it before.
These lyrics have been sung to at least three distinctly different melodies that I am aware of, but this is the first melody I had learned, and it remains my favorite.”
Hasee Ciaccio is bassist with The Right Hands, which also includes Brandon Godman on fiddle, and George Guthrie on banjo. Lewis handles guitar and lead vocals.
It is a truly tender version of this well-loved song, which is sometimes known by alternate titles Little Sparrow or Tiny Sparrow.
Have a listen.
Fair and Tender Ladies is available now from popular download and streaming services online. Pre-orders and pre-saves for O California are likewise enabled, with release expected on February 13.
