A lecture/concert for the bicentennial of the first “dig” on the Erie Canal.
I’m looking forward to coming back to this fine old canal town to perform some music that just might have been heard here back in the day. Sponsored by Humanities NY and their wonderful Public Scholars program.
Here’s a description of the program…
Dave Ruch has spent the last fifteen years searching for Erie Canal music beyond the grade-school favorite “Low Bridge, Everybody Down,” and among other things, discovered that America’s favorite Erie Canal song was never sung on the canal!
In this lecture/concert, Ruch presents music from canal diggers, barge workers, immigrants, lake sailors, mule drivers, canal boat captains, and yes, professional songwriters who all contributed to the musical and cultural life surrounding the canal. With banjo, bones, spoons, washboard, jaw harp, mandolin and more, Ruch presents a highly engaging program of stories, music, history and anecdotes about life on “Clinton’s Ditch,” and the importance of the Erie Canal to the growth of New York City and the nation.