In November
1963, Bobby Darin's LP
Golden Folk Hits
was released. Below is a portion of a National Guard Session interview
which promoted the LP and The National Guard. Hosted By Martin
Block, these interviews with Bobby were released to radio stations.
Martin Block: Bobby.....
Bobby Darin : Umm..Hmm...yes?
MB:They call you a folk singer,well they call you a singer, and you like to sing folk songs. Who are some of the great folk singers of all times?
BD:Well, you've got the giants, naturally people like Leadbelly whose real name was Huddie Ledbetter incidently and John Jacob Niles, and Oscar Brand, Peter Paul & Mary,today's crop,
The Kingston Trio ,and Brothers Four and Belafonte of course, I think is one the great pacemakers for the folk field.
MB:What would Belafonte be if he closed his shirt?
BD:Uh..He would be a close-shirted great folk singer.
MB: (Laughs) Beautiful answer. What is skiffle singing?
BD: OH! Skiffle singing..that thing..kinda like a train..that (makes train sounds) background ..it's hard to describe. And a young lady from England had a big hit, remember a few years ago, Lonnie Donegan in fact with the skiffle group. I don't really know what it is. I think it's like a coined word that was applied to things like John Henry, because of the nature of the rhythm.
MB:Is this anything like the old washboard rhythms we used to have?
BD: Yeah, Very similar.
MB:Where they really played the washboards with cymbols on their fingers?
BD:Right, every single beat you could hear.
MB:Uh huh..
BD:Yeah, "Mule Train" I think had that kind of skiffle feeling even though is wasn't....
MB: It sure did.. you're right! And about time to roll another tape here before we go one bit further, so let's not talk anymore..."Why Daddy Why"??...What's this all about?
BD: Well it's actually a contemporary attempt at a folk song written by a couple of friends of mine.(ED. NOTE: LP lists composers as Resnick/ Scott/ Cooper)...As if to ask the cute little question of where a little boy..has... where's the little boy's mother has gone and the father is having difficulty in explaining to him that she has gone away and at the end of course...well I won't tell you about that....
MB: No..Don't tell us. We'll listen....
Excerpt of song
MB: Bobby, I don't know how much you know about children....
BD: Well, I've got one of my own, you know.
MB: Well you get that Why Daddy all the time too, don't you?
BD:Not yet, he's only 22 months old and he's a slow talker I have to admit.
MB:Oh..You got to wait till he grows up a bit then.
BD:That's right.
MB: You'll get it..it's always "Why Daddy?"..and I don't think the kids ever grow out that. Actually that's good thing because it's the guy who ask questions that finds out what choices are available to him. The National Guard has answers if you got questions about military service and just about every young man has these days......
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