Very much in the style of “if you build it they will come“, Mindy Murray was inspired to write today’s song after reading a newspaper article that began with the words…”I can’t believe that no one has written a ballad about George B Fell”. It’s a story of survival against the odds – George B Fell did as his surname suggested he was fated to do and he fell into the raging Delaware River in the Freshet of 1841. Swept along by a mighty current, buffeted by ice and debris he quite amazingly survived – although as Mindy Murray notes “but George was never quite the same after his close brush with death.” The style is traditional news-telling balladry with Mindy Murray providing vocals, banjo, guitar and bass.
Mindy Murray’s music draws on a heritage of folk and she often writes songs of hard-working women and men. Many reflect life in Bucks County in the 30’s and 40’s and from the West Virginia coal fields. Her edge – if it can be called that – is to write songs like ‘Blair Mountain‘ which was picked up on by the United Mine Workers Union and placed in their 2016 Annual Report and ‘Did Ya Vote‘ which was recognized by the International Women’s Freedom Song organization in 2020. We only slightly question the edginess as unionised labour, voting rights and freedom to vote are things that should be seen as normal – what kind of world have we strayed into if they are not? Mindy Murray also plays with the band River Drivers whom we featured last year.
