South Jersey (1996) – New Jersey Folk Festival

Elements of the Festival

Heritage Focus • Performers • Showcase Winners • Masters of Ceremonies • Honorees • Sponsors • Crafts Market • Folk Marketplace • Schedules • Festival Map • Program Book • Festival Committee

Heritage Focus

South Jersey
South Jersey folklife is marked by its diversity. There is the ocean beachfront that extends from Cape May to Sandy Hook, the vast and largely wild expanse of the Pine Barrens, and the arc of rich farmland west of the Pine Barrens. The eight countries that comprise South Jersey are Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Ocean and Salem. The unique history o each has played an important role in the region’s folklife.
The 1996 New Jersey Folk Festival showcases the many aspects of South Jersey’s folklife. The glass-making industry, which flourished in South Jersey, was possible because the beaches provide the essential ingredient for glass-making — fine sand. Similarly, the duck decoy craft was developed because South Jersey’s marshes have long been frequented by hunters. Delaware Bay provides the tradition of oystering.

There is also the folklife in song and story. One of the most famous legends in the New Jersey Devil, a mysterious creature who is said to prowl the Pine Barrens and emerge periodically to rampage through the villages and towns of South Jersey. The songs of South Jersey have been preserved in venues like the Albert Music Hall, which began in a small backwoods cabin where musicians could gather to play and hear folk music.

South Jersey’s diversity is rich in part duty to the cultural heritage. Many different groups of people have called South Jersey home, from the Europeans who first settled the land to more recent arrivals such as the Japanese. Seabrook Farms was started with the concept of bringing World War II Japanese concentration camp refugees to a community where they could work for good wages as well as have security. The plan wa a success and now South Jersey is fortunate to have Japanese traditions as an integral part of the community. Such traditions as origami, traditional drumming and Minyo (folk) dancing will be showcased during the 1996 New Jersey Folk Festival.

Performers

THE GEORGIA SEA ISLAND SINGERS
Frankie and Doug Quimby, the second generation of the Georgia Sea Island Singers, share their stories and songs as well as a captivating history of the southern coastal islands of Georgia. The duo brings to its audiences the spirited songs, stories, games, and dances created by hte slave over two hundred years ago. Audience participation, including the art of hand clapping, work songs, escape songs, shouts and the ever present “coded messages”, is key to each concert. You’ll also hear the lyrical language of Gullah, a mixture of English and African dialect.
The Quimbys have celebrated their 25th year as international touring artists. They have been featured on numerous radio and television shows, including “Gullah Gullah Island” on Nickelodeon. They have also performed at the White House, Carnegie Hall, the Smithsonian, and represented the United States at the Winter Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway. They were featured in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.

SEABROOK MINYO DANCERS
In a time-honored tradition, the Minyo Dancers electrify audiences through their skillful dance and use of fans, wooden clappers and parasols. They are motivated by a genuine desire to cultivate and perpetuate Japanese folk art through the medium of Minyo folk dance. The narrated Minyo performance describes the regional features of its origin through folk songs and movements.
The Minyo Dancers group was formed in 1975 under the auspices of the Seabrook (NJ) Buddhist Temple. They were chosen by the Smithsonian Institution to represent New Jersey at the Festival of American Folklife in 1983. They have also performed at various festivals in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

HOH-DAIKO DRUMMERS
The Hoh-Daiko Drummers of Seabrook, New Jersey, a unique ten-member group, enchant their audiences with each beat on fine drums of different shapes and sizes. The drummers have mastered the folk art technique of building taiko (drums) from barrels. The group is one of two taiko, or traditional Japanese drum, groups on the eastern seaboard. The name, Hoh-Daiko, means Dharma drum, a drum that reverberates the teaching of Buddha.
Under the auspices of the Seabook Buddhist Temple, the group has performed at numerous festivals, at the Fifth Bienhum World Shoto Cup Championship Olympic-Style Karate Competition, and in 1991 was televised by Nippon Television Network Corporation for the anniversary of “Zoom in Asia, Live from New York,” which was seen throughout Japan.

BOTTLE HILL REUNION BAND
Bottle Hill was formed in the fall of 1970 by Jim Alberston, Lew London and Walt Michael and was originally named the Bottle Hill Boys, after the Revolutionary War appellation of Madison, New Jersey, the town in which the band was formed. During its relatively short but illustrious history, Bottle Hill quickly established itself as an avant garde, progressive bluegrass band, featuring innovative instruments and ideas (including hammered dulcimer and multiple mandolins) as well as intricate arrangements.
Within the first year, a bass player was added; first Michael Delagarza, then Rick Tomez, and finally the bass player through September 1973, Frazer Shaw. Three young musicians from the Essex/Morris County area were also added to the lineup: Davey Burkitt on harmonica, Rex Hunt on dobro and Barry Mitterhoff on mandolin. With Alberston’s departure in June 1971, the band made the transformation from a folk and bluegrass trio to full-time bluegrass band.
In 1972, Bottle Hill recorded its first of two album, A Rumor in Their Own Time. 1973 found Lew London being replaced with New Jersey native Les Bunin and subsequently with Baltimoran Harry Orlove. That year Frazer Shaw left to be replaced by Tennessean Harry Guffee. Also in 1973 fiddler/mandolinist/composer David Jaffe was added. Dave Schwartz came on board in 1974 and then Jaffe was replaced by guitarists Joe Selly. It was this lineup of Bottle Hill that in 1975 recorded the second LP, Light Our Way Along the Highway. Both recordings, for Biograph Records, are now out of print.
In 1976, the final changes to the band were made when Bill (guitar/fiddle/banjo) and Pam Gurley (vocals) of Newport News, VA, replaced Orlove. The band subsequently dissolved officially in November 1976, with a number of the musicians continuoin on in successful individual musical careers.
Confirmed to appear together at the New Jersey Folk Festival are Walt Michael, Lew London, Barry Mitterhoff and Jim Albertson, who were likely also be joined by Rex Hunt, Bill and Pam Gurley, Joe Selly and other surprise guests.

ALBERT MUSIC HALL: SOUNDS OF THE JERSEY PINES
You’ll hear folk, bluegrass and country music as Albert Music Hall showcases New Jersey folk musicians in the Albert Music Hall Hour. Today there are hundreds of musicians who have been a part of the “Sound of the New Jersey Pines.” They have been coming together at Albert Hall every Saturday night since November 1974, but the get-togethers began in the 1950’s in a deer cabin, deep in the woods of Waretown, New Jersey. There, at the “Home Place,” Joe Albert played the washtub bass and his brother George played the fiddle. Even though the cabin had no running water or electricity, musicians would gather on Saturday nights to pick and sing into the wee hours of Sunday morning.
Today, the Pinelands Cultural Society (PCS) is preserving and stimulating interest in the Pinelands musical heritage. PCS had plans to build a new, permanent Albert Music Hall in honor of the Albert brothers to replace its site that was destroyed by fire a few years prior to 1996. Currently, weekly sessions are held in the Frederick A. Priff School in Waretown.

THE PIPES AND DRUMS OF THE POLICE AND FIRE OF THE EMERALD SOCIETY OF CAPE MAY COUNTY
The Pipes and Drums of the Police and Fire of the Emerald Society of Cape May County, under the direction of Pipe Major Joe Stearne, was established in 1994. Despite the fact that they were relatively new, the band received numerous awards and honors, including best marching unit and best drum major at the VFW State Convention and took first place honors in the Pipe and Band Competition at the Wildwood Irish Festival in 1995. In addition to competitive performances, the band has played at numerous funerals and memorials to honor fallen police and firefighters. The band has also been invited to perform in Washington DC, May 14, 1996, for the National Law Enforcement Memorial.

JAMES F. MCCLOY AND RAY MILLER JR.
James F. McCloy and Ray Miller Jr., are authors of The Jersey Devil, the first book-length treatment of this legendary creature. McCloy is a historian who received his undergraduate and advanced degrees from Glassboro State College and currently works with the Delaware State Department of Labor. Miller received his Ph.D in English from the University of Delaware and is a professor of English at Wilmington College. Both are Jerseyans, though currently living in Delaware.

VALERIE VAUGHN
Singer, songwriter and tale spinner, Valerie Vaughn is a musical educator. She performs interactive programs for children – as she sings, the children act out the story. Through her stories, many of which are based on popular fairy tales, she tacklers such important issues as the environment, self-esteem, and the preservation of history. Her tale spinners program evolved after years of experience as a musician and social worker. Vaughn has performed at schools, libraries, fairs and local cable television.

ROGER DEITZ
Playing his compositions on guitar and banjo, Roger Deitz’s songs have the traditional flavor of the folk legacy. Deitz’s keen political observation and talented storytelling are reflected in a unique style of writing and performing. As a frequent contributor to folk music magazines, Deitz is considered a leading authority on the current acoustic music scene. He has been featured five times and was also co-host for the Long Island Folk Festival and 92.3K-Rock’s folk concert. Deitz was also an emcee on the Mini Stage at the 1996 NJ Folk Festival.

SHIRLEY KELLER
Folksinger Shirley Keller accompanies herself on the six- and twelve-string guitars, Appalachian dulcimer, autoharp and five-string banjo. Her songs span 300 years of musical sounds and stories, including songs from the Appalachian Mountains, British Isles, Jamaica and Haiti. Her diverse styles cover gospel spiritual, ethnic, traditional and contemporary music forms. Keller has delighted people of all ages by involving audiences in the art of group singing. She was an emcee on the Children’s Stage at the 1996 NJ Folk Festival.

SUE MCKEAN DUPRE
Caller and storyteller Sue Dupre, from Lawrenceville, NJ has been calling at dances for over fifteen years. Her repertoire of square dances, contra dances, souther circle dances, waltzes, schottisches, singing games and stories has something for the new dancer and the experienced. She brings her enthusiasm, good humor, clear brief instruction, and rhythmic vocal style to every dance. Dupre has called dances from coast to coast and has been the featured caller at the Philadelphia Folk Festival, North Carolina’s Black Mountain Festival and New York’s Dance Flurry.

GARY STRUNCIUS AND DEBBIE LAWTON
Gary Struncius and Debbie Lawton have been performing together throughout the tri-state area for several years. They sing traditional and contemporary folk music that delights audiences of all ages. Struncius’ guitar technique is a unique mixture of old and new finger and flatpicking styles. He also plays the Appalachian mountain dulcimer and the mouth-bow. Debbie plays the spoons, an old Anglo-american folk tradition. They perform in a variety of settings including schools, museums and festivals.

JIM ALBERTSON
Jim Alberston has been singing songs and telling stories of his native New Jersey for many years. From 1980-82, he served as the first president of the New Jersey Folklore Society and was presented with the Second Annual Award given by the New Jersey Folk Festival for Distinguished Contributions to Folk Music. He will be performing from his vast repertory focusing on South Jersey folklore in song and story.

Showcase Winners

ROBIN GREENSTEIN
Robin merges folk, pop, rock, blues and jazz influences into her soulful compositions.

LUKE LIDDY
Luke is an engaging songwriter and performer who has been influenced by the folk, acoustic and blues traditions.

SUSAN PIPER
Susan backs up her intensely emotional lyrics with a moving voice.

SECRET ADMIRERS
Secret Admirers draws upon a wide range of musical traditions that has been classified as “swingy torch folk.”

CAMILLE WEST
Camille, an electric and eclectic songwriter, combines wit and fun in each original performance.

PAUL WILDER
Paul writes songs that deal with issues of love, quality of life and the passage of time.

Masters of Ceremonies

UPDATED INFORMATION COMING SOON.

Honorees

DR. MARY T. HUFFORD
For outstanding scholarship in her book, Chaseworld: Foxhunting and Storytelling in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens, Dr. Mary T. Hufford of Arlington, Virginia, is honored with the 1996 New Jersey Folk Festival Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Folklife Scholarship of New Jersey. Published by the University of Pennsylvania Press in 1992, Chaseworld is a study of the foxhunters who listen to hounds in the Pine Barrens of Southern New Jersey. Hufford examines the activities that occur before, during and after the foxchases and analyzes the stories that hunters tell about chases. Hufford is a Folklife Specialist at the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress. She is also the author of One Space, Many Places: Folklife and the Land Use in New Jersey’s Pinelands National Reserve.

HARRY V. SHOURDS
The 1996 New Jersey Folk Festival Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Crafts Traditions of New Jersey is awards to Harry V, Shourds of Seaville, New Jersey, in recognition of his outstanding work as an authentic American craftsman who creates duck decoys and other shore birds from wood. As a third generation carver, Shourds carves traditional “working” decoys, as opposed to decorative decoys, out of white cedar wood from the South Jersey swamps. His passion for authenticity earned him a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.