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My lyric and melody sources are given in list of American Song Books. There are also lists of American CD's.
Yankee Doodle (Wilfried's Favourite!)
At the present time I don't sing these songs very often. Whilst still in the "Idle Fellows" Wilfried Drygala, who was especially interested in and had a wide knowledge of American folk music, and Brian Kelly sung them mostly, my part being limited to looking intelligent and providing an unobtrusive backing. "Banks of the Ohio" is well known in Germany and that is probably the song that I now sing the most.
My first recollections of American folk music outside school and the family concern Burl Ives who I quite enjoyed as a child. Another source was a class-mate at grammar school who was a Lonnie Donegan fan (an English skiffle and jazz musician, popular in the 1950's) and an imitator. I well remember him entertaining us with the latest hits such as "Rock Island Line", "The Wabash Cannon Ball" et al during lunch breaks and we, the keen listeners, joining heartily in the choruses.