Larry Gorman: The Man Who Made the Songs

Desmond Maley is the music librarian at the J.W. Tate Library,
Huntington College, Laurentian University.

Folklorist Edward Ives tells us the impetus for writing this study of
lumber-camp singer Larry Gorman (1846–1917) was to shed light on the
creation of folk songs and on the individual songwriter’s relation to
tradition. Gorman carved a niche in the oral tradition of the Maritimes
by virtue of his satirical gift. Many of the songs were collected by
Ives during interviews conducted in 1956–58 with people who recalled
Gorman and his music.

In rather chatty prose, the author retraces Gorman’s footsteps in the
lumber trade, from his native Prince Edward Island to New Brunswick’s
Miramichi region to the Union River area of Maine. Maps of these areas
are included. Gorman, who was dubbed “the man who makes the songs,”
died in poverty in Brewer, Maine, in 1917, without leaving a written
account of his life or even a photograph. Although he was apparently a
fairly active correspondent, only one letter has survived. Nevertheless,
Ives did manage to collect more than 70 Gorman lyrics, 26 of which have
musical annotations.

“The Gull Decoy,” “Bachelor’s Hall,” “Donahue’s Spree,”
and “The Scow on Cowden Shore” are among the many Gorman songs that
found their way into the oral repertoire. Ives discusses the satirical
tradition of the lumber camps, and analyzes those qualities that made
Gorman the premiere satirist of his time. The songs are populated with
the stock characters of the human comedy—the jilted lover, the pompous
employer, the dishonest innkeeper, the miser, the silly girl, the vain
young man. The fact that Gorman’s subjects were based on real-life
incidents or gossip only adds to their interest.

This reprint of the original 1964 edition includes a new preface by the
author. The book remains a classic of its kind, and its wealth of detail
will especially appeal to folklore specialists.