| The Latest From The Wild GeeseIRISH MINUTEBoston Native Finds His Voice in Dixie: Q&A With 'Musical Historian' Jed Marum Boston native Jed Marum is a Celtic Folk and Bluegrass singer with Irish roots in Kilkenny and Galway. Hailing from the Boston area, he moved to Texas in 1986, where he rekindled an earlier love of music. In 2000, he left his day job in information technology to pursue a full-time music career.
Marum draws from these roots, along with American Bluegrass and knowledge of America's Civil War to convey his musical tales in a style both Celtic and American.
James P. Gannon, former Wall Street Journal editor and author of "Irish Rebels, Confederate Tigers," referring to one of Jed songs, writes: "'Prayer from Little Round Top' is the song one of the great Irish poets might have written had he marched to Gettysburg with Jed's Irish immigrant from Alabama. The melody seems to well up from some misty glen in Connemara, wrapping the soldier's sad story in a teardrop. It may mark me as a sentimental Irish man to say this, but if you can listen to this haunting song without finding your eyes moistening, then somewhere along life's way, you've lost your soul."
High praise indeed, and it's a view shared by others.
Marum's album "Cross over the River: A Confederate Collection" was named Traditional Folk Album of the Year in 2009 in the Just Plain Folks Music Awards. His music has played to avenues such as PBS, the History channel and many radio shows.
The Wild Geese Preservation Editor Belinda Evangelista asked him some questions about his music, his roots and his perspective on the American Civil War.
The Wild Geese: The song 'The South Wind' expresses the motivations for the South in the American Civil War. Can you tell me about this?
 Jed Marum (right) Over the last decade, I've written quite a few songs that were inspired by the experience of the Irish in the American Civil War. In particular, I've had a great interest in the Irish experience in the South. America's South was then, and is now, heavily populated by the Scots Irish who came to America a hundred years and more before the war. The basic tenets of the Scottish Enlightenment came with them. In particular, a belief that people should be considered equal in fundamental worth or social status and a rejection of class distinctions. These notions formed a new American view of self worth.
Perhaps it was the opportunities offered by the new world or perhaps it was something in the emerging American culture -- but added to the concepts of equality and self worth was the accepted wisdom of personal responsibility and self-reliance. So the new Southern American believed he was the equal to the rich and powerful men of his day, and that the fruit of his labor was the true measure of his worth. He believed that he was responsible for his own destiny and that he needed little from a federal government. Local government and states rights were the keys to a successful America, as most Southerners, and many Northerners, saw it. Indeed, this is still an important issue. …
These ideals are the winds of the turbulent era leading into the War Between the States. So when I decided to put these notions into a song, outlining Southern, or more correctly Confederate ideals – I chose to use a beautiful old Irish melody called "The South Wind," and I chose to borrow some imagery from a bard of the Scottish Enlightenment, Robert Burns, and his song, "Is There for Honest Poverty," aka "A Man's a Man for A' That." My song is called "The South Wind," and it is the title track of a new album that will be released [this fall]. The album's track list is almost all original songs, all songs from the Confederacy and nearly all with an Irish or Celtic connection. "The South Wind" is my third collection of songs from or about the American Civil War.
 The Wild Geese: Do you think that being a 'musical historian' is an effective way to pass knowledge on in an enjoyable format? If so, how do your audiences react?
Marum: I do believe that the "musical historian" role I play is an effective way to pass on knowledge. First of all, as a performer, I am convinced that if I enjoy what I'm presenting the audience will, too! But deeper than that, especially with Irish or Celtic audiences; they are almost by definition already interested in their culture, their heritage -- and there is a long-standing practice in presenting folk-style music of telling the story behind the song. So my audiences find my approach pretty close to what they expected … and since I'm typically billed as a Celtic performer with a focus on history, they know what they are in for. I do write some of these songs because I truly want the real, honest-to-God story, the historical event to be retold to a new generation -- and sometimes it's a character that I want people to know about -- or sometimes it's the blending of their culture with the American culture within the historical context that I hope to portray in song. There are different messages I want get across and songs are a great way to pass that knowledge on. My audiences react quite favorably to the "musical historian" shows I do. People share with me the stories from their family history after every concert. They send me books or point me to website links with more stories that I might want to write or sing about. I hear from people around the world with questions and comments after [they discover] the music on YouTube, iTunes, Amazon or similar services. … And it always my historical music that motivates them to contact me.
The Wild Geese: How did friends and family influence your music while growing up in Boston?
Marum: My father loved to sing. He did so easily, frequently and beautifully. He grew up close to his mother's father, Martin Little, who was born in Galway. ... Some of my father's aunts,  uncles and cousins were also born in Ireland. The extended family was always close by, always sharing company and music.
So many of the songs I sing today are songs my father sang in my home when I was growing up. They were songs from his childhood and his family. We sang "Molly Malone," "Garden Where The Praties Grow," and "Phil the Fluter's Ball. " We sang "Spancil Hill," "Grace" and "The Foggy Dew." I grew up loving these songs, and as I got older I discovered many more like them. Living in the Boston area, there were so many homes like mine, with first- or second-generation Irish immigrants in the family, so singing these songs just seemed natural. In the folk-music venues when I began working professionally as a musician, it just seemed normal to sing an old Irish ballad, along with my originals and my favorite Bob Dylan or Kingston Trio songs -- and nobody thought the mix unusual. Irish music was just that well known in the Boston area in the 1970s and 80s. Years later, when I moved to Texas and sang my favorites, they said, "You must be an Irish folk singer." And since it got me work, I agreed!
 The Wild Geese: What is your Irish story?
Marum: The Marum family came from Kilkenny to America in 1861. They landed in New York and quickly found their way to Fall River, Massachusetts, to work in the textile mills. My father's mother's family came from Galway. His mother was born in the U.S., but some of her older siblings were born in Ireland. I believe it is not an unusual story, but I know in my father's home when he was growing up, they always had guests -- cousins or other relatives coming from Ireland and staying with my father's family for a bit, until they got settled in America and moved on their own. Most of what I learned of my Irish heritage as a child, I learned from music. As I grew older and curious, I read a lot, but often it was the songs that drove my reading list.
The Wild Geese: How is the Irish immigrant in the American Civil War inspiring to you? ...
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There is much more about Jed Marum's music atjedmarum.com. You can hear samples of his music and purchase his albums at CDBaby, via http://www.cdbaby.com/all/jedmarum. Contact us, via newsletter@TheWildGeese.com to suggest other individuals and organizations that work to promote the heritage of the Irish worldwide. UPCOMING EVENTS 'PARTICLES OF THE PAST' EXHIBITION, NATIONAL LIBRARY, DUBLIN, Through December. With topics ranging from 17th century home remedies to the engineering feat of the electrical scheme at Ardnacrusha, County Clare, from a handwritten journal recording Captain Cook's second voyage to early photography. Perhaps most engaging is a book of home remedies from 17th century Anglo-Irish chemist Robert Boyle. FRIENDS OF IRELAND, MONTHLY BREAKFAST, LOS ALAMITOS, CALIFORNIA, Monthly. Contact Tom Kennedy (562) 425-2636 Jim O'Dea (626) 965-0307 for information on these meetings, held the first Tuesday of each month.  ULSTER HISTORY & GENEALOGY SUMMER SCHOOL, UNIVERSITY OF ULSTER, BELFAST, Wednesday Through June 26. History and genealogy summer school, including family history research opportunities. JOHN BARRY MARITIME FESTIVAL, WEXFORD TOWN, COUNTY WEXFORD, Saturday and Sunday. Celebrating Wexford-born  Commodore John Barry, 'Father of the U.S. Navy,' and showcasing the rich maritime heritage of Wexford Town. The annual 'Blessing of the Boats' will occur at 10 a.m. Saturday. SEND YOUR FREE EVENTS LISTINGS for inclusion in The Wild Geese's weekly newsletter tonewsletter@TheWildGeese.com, by Wednesday midnight, for the following week's edition.THIS WEEK'S IRISH HISTORY PUZZLER: What was the name of the leader of the pirates who raided Baltimore, County Cork, on June 20th, 1631? Send your answer to newsletter@TheWildGeese.com. All correct answers received before Thursday midnight ET will be entered in a drawing to win an autographed copy of " Courage and Conflict," the story of extraordinary Irish revolutionaries, inventors, soldiers, sailors and mutineers around the world by The Wild Geese Heritage Partner Ian Kenneally. Each person is restricted to only one guess per week and each winner is prohibited from playing for four weeks following their winning entry. (Hint: The answer can always be found somewhere on the pages of The Wild Geese.) SEND YOUR FREE EVENTS LISTINGS for inclusion in The Wild Geese's weekly newsletter to editor@TheWildGeese.com , by Wednesday midnight, for the following week's edition.LAST WEEK'S QUESTION: War correspondentJanuarius MacGahan died in what city?The correct answer was "Istanbul, Turkey." Last week's winner was Catherine White of Montpelier, Ohio. Catherine won an autographed copy of "The Anvil," the much praised new Irish music CD from Marie Reilly. |
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