In celebration of summer song, Poet, Balladeer, and former Portsmouth Poet Laureate, John Perrault will present a program of traditional and original Ballads along with New England story songs. Drawing from a repertoire that ranges from “Bonnie Barbara Allen,” to the Maine woods song, “Canada-I-O,” to “St. James Infirmary,” John follows the evolution of the traditional ballad from the mountains and moors of the British Isles to the Southern Mountains and Northern border of North America. John will also sing selections from Rock and Root, now available from CD Baby: www.cdbaby.com/cd/johnperrault.
“…Some of these tunes sound to me like they’ve been dug up out of the rocky New England soil; they’re organic to the place. They are both familiar and mysterious at the same time. Have I heard the story of Louis Wagner before? Sure, but I’ve seen thousands of New England farms, too, and that doesn’t mean I don’t stop when one looks particularly beautiful.” –Lars Trodson, Portsmouth Times on John’s The Ballad of Louis Wagner and other New England Stories in Verse.
“John Perrault has a great passion for history and a wonderful insight into the American experience. These stories and songs reflect an outstanding dedication to that passion.” —Bill Staines on John’s book & CD: Jefferson’s Dream.
Free and open to the public. A NH Humanities program.