PLAIN FOLK

by Les Pearson
IDENTITY and HUMOUR IN FOLK GROUP NAMES
or
LAUGH AT NAMES. BUT THE MUSIC IS NO LAUGHING MATTER!

Names are important! Most individual performers base their marketing on name recognition. Name is identity and image. Witness Prince, Madonna, and Eminem. What images come to mind?  Regal and proud. Worshipped and adored. Girl candy! Their names say it all. But in pop music, name is more than who you are. Name is also tied to your special brand of music.

Every hip-hop group has a P Daddy, Ice something or rather, Posse, or DJ derivative. The name is an essential part of the music culture and acts like a secret signal. Groupies inside understand the name and identify the musical product as surely as everyone knows there's a whole lot of oats in Cherrios.

In the folk and western tradition, stage names are simple and usually only a moniker Mom and Dad scribbled on the birth certificate. I'm sure that parents of these performers are proud of this sensible approach. Applying this genre characteristic hooks such recording locomotives as James Taylor and Eric Clapton to the folk music train, while shunting Sting to some other siding. Is this fair or accurate? Usually.

However, it is neither simple nor clear what happens when individual performers join groups. Some group names are simple or even symbolic. When Bill Bourne, Lester Quitzau and Madegascar Slim joined forces, "Tricontinental" was a representative name. Their individual talents derive from global roots. The "Rambling Roses Revue" is a folk group composed of women who have amazing individual talents. But the name fits the group. They're on the road who knows how many days a year.

Then there are the quirky and humorous names. The ones bound up in irony. How appropriate for those clown social critics, "The Arrogant Worms," to adopt this name. The name tells us not to take life, criticism, or this group too seriously. Even a name like "Tanglefoot" suggests two left feet. Self-depreciation is an essential tool of the clown. Silly things happen to Charlie Chaplin before the Little Hobo makes his social comeback.

You'll remember Billy Jones' footnote that western popular music was labeled "hillbilly" by so-called sophisticated musicians. When Medicine Hat's "Hillbilly" bowling band adopted a name, surely it was in fun. They sing and play those three-chord pop songs and don't take life too seriously. It's no accident that Len Hanft wears size 24, store-bought, shoes when the group performs. They're thumbing their nose at the derogatory label.

Take it one step further and you'll see my point. "The Bill Hilly Band" spoofs all those who think folk music is unsophisticated and simple. They stand this tag on its ear.Their complex musicianship would meld with any symphony. Individually, these guys can play with anyone. Their name is an inside joke. Ironic reversal!

Remember that surprise and the unexpected are part of humour. Think of "The Bare Naked Ladies!" Their name gasped our attention. But it is their music that survives. When Friday night's Folk Music Club concert ends, I know you'll agree. Yes, "The Bill Hilly Band" is lively and funny. But, ultimately, it isn't their name or jokes. It's their music.