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Handsome Henry Carlton (Cross)

from The Life & Times of James "The Rooster" Corcoran by Vincent Cross

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    During the 19th Century, James “The Rooster” Corcoran emigrated from Ireland to New York City, married, became a champion of the Irish-American immigrant working class, and led an infamous gang. Now his descendent, New York City folk musician Vincent Cross, has created a new album around his life. Through narratives partly researched and partially imagined a soundscape of English concertina, bouzouki, minstrel banjo, bodhrán weave together musical elements drawn from the Irish & American folk traditions. Most of the song stories consist of newly-written original songs with nods to several public domain songs adapted for the cause. Cross took on the task of learning several new instruments (concertina, bouzouki) specifically for this project, even utilizing the talents of Irish based luthier, Brian Lofthouse to design a bouzouki used specifically for the recording.

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    Ten songs (ballads) that paint a picture that is influenced by traditional Irish and American folks song motifs and melodies. You’ll hear fragments of traditional songs throughout from both sides of the pond. The narrative is not completely linear but it does begin in Corcoran’s place of birth , Balbriggan with ‘A Man After My Own Heart’ (adapted from a New York Times article of the same title), and then briefly moves to New Orleans (‘Creole Girl’), and then on to the Five Points in New York City. Corcoran soon moves up to 40th street, and is the first to settle a shanty town on a high ridge of ground known as Goat's Hill (‘King Corcoran’). This soon becomes a home for over 100 Irish families newly immigrated. It’s where the Tudor City is today, and there’s even a Gothic inscription to Corcoran that says, “Here was Corcoran’s Roost till the year 1877.”

    Instrumentation: Mandolin, bodhran, bouzouki, chromatic concertina, and dulcimer.

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about

Corcoran founded the Rag Gang in the Five Points on first arriving in New York. The Rag Gang "was one of the most notorious of the many newly formed combinations along the Bowery..."(Gangs Of New York, Ashbury). Handsome Harry Carlton was a member of the gang, and was the last man to be hung on the Island of Manhattan.

lyrics

Handsome Henry Carlton ‐ (Cross)

Verse One
It was a long hot summers night
And I'll tell it unto thee
They were playing cards in Youngers' saloon
To keep good company x 2
Verse Two
Bill Smith of Baltimore was a bricklayer by trade.
And I'll tell it unto thee.
They took him to some open ground.
And all is treachery x 2
Verse Three
They knocked him down, but he tried to rise.
And I'll tell it unto thee.
He grabbed a rock and heavy it came down.
They Showed no mercy x 2
Verse Four
The two men did run, but soon they were found.
And I'll tell it unto thee.
Like a sally in the dock, they were swinging in the breeze.
And I was close enough to see x 2

Verse Five
There's a place in hell or so they say.
And I'll tell it unto thee.
A dismal place prepared there.
To sit upon a serpent's knee x 2

credits

from The Life & Times of James "The Rooster" Corcoran, released August 7, 2020

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about

Vincent Cross New York, New York

Vincent Cross is an Irish song poet whose catalogue of critically-acclaimed albums draw from various traditional folk idioms and ancient myths. Born in Ireland, raised in Australia and now living in New York City, he frequently tours globally at folk clubs and festivals, and is a staple at the Brooklyn Folk Festival, and the renowned Scratcher Sessions in Manhattan. ... more

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