Folk Songs of the Great Lakes Region
Lee Murdock has uncovered a boundless body of music and stories in the Great Lakes region (16 CDs and 2 books so far). There is an amazing timelessness in this music. Great Lakes songs are made of hard work, hard-living, ships that go down, and ships that come in. The music is grounded in the work-song tradition from the rugged days of lumberjacks and wooded sailing schooners. Murdock comes alongside with ballads of contemporary commerce and revelry in the grand folk style. Making folk music for the modern era, Murdock’s work is a documentary and an anthem to the people who live, work, learn, and play along the freshwater highways of North America.
Since 1979, Lee Murdock has been a full time touring historian, scholar, and musician. He has released 16 CDs and performs between 125 -200 shows a year. His interests include Great Lakes maritime history, regional history of Illinois and the Midwest, and traditional music of America, Canada, and the British Isles.
Watch video of Lee Murdock performing at the 2008 Fox Valley Folk Festival.
