BOOK REVIEW: Lonesome Traveler The Life Of Lee Hays (Doris Willems, Author)

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Recently when I expressed to my husband that I missed some of the old Gospel music I used to love, but didn't really feel like hearing after the election of the current US President, and certain situations that evolved from that, he gave me some music by a group called The Weavers. Their four part harmony sung by one woman and three men, consisting of both secular and gospel music reminded me of the old stuff I loved, but with a nice Liberal spin on it. This particular group played a big part in the creation of modern American folk music, and pretty much kicked off the folk revival of the 60's. Anyway, one voice in particular stood out, and that was the bass in the group. i did some research and learned that the singer was a man named Lee Hays, who lived from 1914 to 1981. He was the rebellious youngest son of a Methodist Preacher in Arkansas. After reading several articles on the internet, I discovered that a personal friend of his wrote a book about his life. I knew I just had to have a copy. The book, published in 1988, was available on Amazon.com. I had some gift cards, so I was lucky enough to acquire a copy free of charge. I read it, and it was spectacular. Doris wrote about everything from Lee's childhood, up through his years on the road during The Great Depression, to the start of his career, through the witch hunt that HUAC put him and other singers through when they blacklisted them for suspected communist activities (Lee was NEVER a Communist!!!), right up to the very end of his life. The beautiful thing about the fact that she knew him so well was the authenticity of the book. It wasn't just some major research project. She actually had recordings and notes that he had made, specifically for this biography! Reading this book while listening to Lee's performances with The Weavers made for an absolutely spectacular combination. After I read it my husband read it, and then we lent it to my mother. They both loved it as much as I did, and we all plan to read it again some day. Here is a recording of the most famous Weavers recording, and the #1 song of 1950. Lee does a wonderful solo on the last verse. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5aixNi_C1Q (Goodnight Irene) Here's a video of one of their early TV performances. Lee sings bass, and also performs the spoken word solo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZ5v651bQ1o (Tzena Tzena Tzena) Their harmony is spectacular. No doubt you'll also recognize Pete Seeger, Fred Hellerman, and Ronnie Gilbert.