The Erie Canal Sings: A Musical History of New York’s Grand Waterway

by Bill Hullfish, Bill Hullfish

Life working along the banks of the Erie Canal is preserved in the songs of America's rich musical history. Thomas Allen's "Low Bridge, Everybody Down" has achieved iconic status in the American songbook, but its true story has never been told until now. Erie songs such as "The E-ri-e Is a-Risin'" would transform into "The C&O Is a-Risin'" as the song culture spread among a network of other canals, including the Chesapeake and Ohio and the Pennsylvania Main Line. As motors replaced mules and railroads emerged, the canal song tradition continued on Broadway stages and in folk music recordings. Author Bill Hullfish takes readers on a musical journey along New York's historic Erie Canal.

240 pages, Paperback

Published June 17, 2019

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a slow read for me for a few reasons. First, I felt like I had to keep looking up music on Youtube to understand what the author was writing. Second, I feel like books about music get dull at points and I have to stop reading (this is more of an issue of the reader, not necessarily the author).

This book covers a lot of canal songs and explains how they were adapted for the Erie Canal. The most interesting section for me was, of course, the song "Fifteen Years on the Erie Canal," which many people know as "Fifteen Miles on the Erie Canal." I was surprised I didn't know a lot of what the author discussed, seeing that I grew up around the Erie Canal.

I enjoyed when the book explained some of the lyrics of the songs and the historical lifestyle of a canaller.