While we seek mirth and beauty and music light and gay.
There are frail forms fainting at the door.
Though their voices are silent, their pleading looks will say,
Oh, hard times, come again no more.

Big Jean Cabin

This is the insert to Jean Ritchie's album, Kentucky Mountain Songs, © 1954 Elektra Records (ELK-2). The songs on the lp include: Cedar Swamp, Nottamun Town, The Hangman Song, O, Sister Phoebe, False Sir John, Bachelor's Hall, Memmy Taylor-O, The Girl I Left Behind, The Lonesome Little Dove, Killy Krany, Old Woman And Fig, The Little Sparrow, Goin' To Boston.

Richard spent countless hours in backbreaking research to determine if Bob Dylan ever performed, or even considered performing, any of these songs at some point in his lengthy & extraneous career... Now, Richard reports that Dylan performed "The Girl I Left Behind" on Oscar brand's Folk Song Festival, WNYC radio, broadcast live on October 29, 1961. Late-breaking Research Report! Jean's son, Jon Pickow, recently contacted Richard & pointed out similarities between "Nottamun Town" & the melody of "Masters of War".

We are reasonably certain, too, that the cabin in the photo at right is not located in Woodstock, NY. In fact, Jon Pickow reports that the cabin is Jean's great grandfather Solomon Everidges's cabin in Hindman, Knot County, Kentucky, which is now a museum attached to the Hindman Settlement School.

This hasn't slowed down the determined and ever-diligent Mr Batey one bit (or byte). In fact, he has reported locating another Jean Ritchie lp featuring the lovely singer posing in another cabin. Maybe Jean Ritchie originated the "musician posing in quaint derelict building" genre of album art. Who knows? I know I don't...

Richard tried to convince us that the boy in the overalls is Robert A. Zimmerman & the girl on the right is Sara... And that Jean Ritchie is pickin' Hard Times on her dulcimer... And maybe that George Pickow changed his name to Dan Kramer in 1958... ( Again, Jon Pickow straightened us out -- the children are Jean's nieces & nephews, and instead of changing his name to Kramer, George Pickow married Jean & became Jon's father.) Only thing for sure, we know how many breezes are blowin' around that cabin door...