New Civil War music! Two Soldiers

Al Grund (aka The Would Man) is a talented writer, composer, and musician who has recently released a new CD of original Civil War-related songs he wrote, produced, arranged, and performed. Unlike many Civil War buffs (and artists), his work is non-partisan and apolitical, and is meant to “visit the hearts and minds of people from the common soldier to the elite general.” The lyrics in Two Soldiers: Reflections on the War Between the States capture the mood and attitude of the period and evoke a variety of emotions and feelings as the war symbolically progresses through the eight songs from the beginning of the war to its close.

Alternating styles from blues, rock, and folk music, Grund masterfully paints a vivid word and musical picture of the Civil War and its combatants and civilians. His guitar work is superb, and his harmonica playing is really quite good. The disk is available on CD Baby, as well as from other on-line vendors for about $11.95, a very price considering the quality of work.

From a wargamer’s perspective, this is great music to stick into the CD while painting or modelling terrain for your wargaming session. Living near Gettysburg, I plan to listen to this one while riding around the battlefield, as it evokes some interesting perspectives on what might have been.

Well done, Would Man, well done!

Music to wargame or paint figures by!!

Reader Andy MacDonald-Rice of merry ole’ Wales is a buff of American Civil War music (and he’s one of the more talented painters of miniature Civil War figurines that I have come across). Andy read my thread on the 2nd South Carolina String Band and sent me a list of ACW music that Charge! readers might enjoy. Many of these titles are available from on-line sources that ship internationally.

Of his list, I have several of the Bobby Horton titles. Horton’s style and interpretation of these classic songs is something that I have long enjoyed. I like to put on one or two of his CDs while I am wargaming, as they provide great background music. The creators of the TalonSoft series of PC computer gamers must agree, since they included Horton’s songs in their Civil War series.

What is your favorite Civil War band or singer? Leave a comment explaining who you like best and why? Any of these bands that you do NOT recommend or like? Why?

2nd SC String Band	http://www.civilwarband.com	Southern Soldier
		Hard Road
		In high Cotton
		Dulcem Melodies
Acoustic Shadows of Blue and Grey	http://www.acousticshadows.com	Marching the Road of Valor
		Echoes through Time I
		Echoes Through Time II
Bobby Horton	http://www.bobbyhorton.com/#	Homespun Music of the CSA 1-6
		Homespun Music off the Union Army 1-5
		Homespun Songs of Faith
Dave Mathews	http://www.Amazon.com	Shades of Blue and Grey
		A Nations Broken Soul
Jimmy Phillips	http://cdbaby.com/cd/jphillips	Rebel Soldier
Wayne Erbsen	http://www.nativeground.com/civilwar.asp	Battlefield Ballads of the Civil War
		Ballads and Songs of the Civil War
		Love Songs of the Civil War
		Southern Soldier Boy
		The Home Front
52nd  Regimental String Band	http://tennessee-scv.org/52nd_band/	Voices of Shiloh
		Voices of Gettysburg
		The Dissolution Wagon
The Camp Chase Fifes and Drums	http://www.campchasefifesanddrums.com/	Volumes 1-3
Cumberland Blues	http://www.cumberlandblues.org/	Soldiers Joy
5th Michigan Band	http://www.mi5th.org/tapesand.htm	Reflection of the Civil War
		Hymns of the Civil War period
		Echoes of the Civil War
		Sounds of the Civil War
119th  NYSV Field Music	http://www.119nysv.org/Music.html	Volume 1
26th NC Regt. Band	http://www.jvmusic.net/26thNCRegimentBandrecreated.html	Music on the March
David Kincade	http://www.hauntedfieldmusic.com/ias.html	The Irish American’s Song
		The Irish Volunteer
A good resource is CDBaby.com	Go into SEARCH and enter “American Civil War”	What other music do you like?

The best ACW camp music group????

Sgt. Robert E. Mingus

One of my fondest memories was a Saturday five years ago when my beloved Dad, a veteran of WWII then in his late 80s),  and I attended the annual Civil War relics and collectibles show in Mansfield, Ohio (a huge event that all Civil War buffs should attend at least once in their lifetimes). As Dad and I wandered around this sprawling show, we both paused for awhile to listen to a lively minstrel string band, dressed in Confederate reenactor uniforms. My Dad loved them and commented how authentic they sounded. He grew up in the southeastern Ohio Appalachian hill country during the Roaring ’20s  and was no stranger to good music. The group playing in Mansfield was the 2nd South Carolina String Band, and they were really entertaining.

My Dad passed away in May 2005 while I was on a business trip to Finland, and I struggled through a year and a half of depression, personal pain,  and heartache. Last summer, as my sons and my daughter-in-law attended the annual Gettysburg reenactment, we heard the lively strains of “Camptown Races” coming from one of the sutler’s tents. It turned out to be the very same band that my Dad and I had enjoyed on our final Civil War outing together. So many memories rushed back, and, frankly, it was a healing moment. I bought one of their CDs, Hard Road, and became hooked. For Christmas, my wonderful wife and best friend Debi gave me another of their CDs, this one a collection of camp songs entitled In High Cotton. During a book signing last month at the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg (I sold out of my book that day!), I picked up another of the 2nd SC String Band’s outstanding CDs, this one being Southern Soldier, a nice blend of camp songs and martial tunes. It includes one of the very best renditions of “Dixie” that I have ever heard.