Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band
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Subscribers > America Singing: Free Bonus Tracks

This page contains two free bonus song downloads, exclusively for subscribers like you who purchased America Singing (Ballad of America Volume 2) at CD Baby.com. These recordings are not available anywhere else.

This Little Light

(unreleased studio recording by Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band)

​The black church played a central role in organizing and mobilizing people and protests during the Civil Rights Movement. Singing was an important part of the movement, with many of the songs originating in black churches. Some were gospel songs or old spirituals that had been sung by people in slavery. Often the words to the songs were changed to reflect the current struggles. Men, women, and children of all colors sang together - songs that expressed the desire for equality and lifted the spirit of mankind.

This Little Light was one of the most popular songs of the movement. It is a gospel song written by Harry Dixon Loes around the year 1920. Often thought of as a spiritual, This Little Light does not, however, appear in any collection of jubilee or plantation songs from the 19th century. The song takes its theme from Matthew 5:16, "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your fine works and give glory to your Father who is in the heaven."

Visit the This Little Light page at BalladofAmerica.com for lyrics, video, and more.
this_little_light.mp3
File Size: 6421 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File


Old Joe Clark

(unreleased live recording by Matthew Sabatella and the Rambling String Band; recorded onstage at Gusman Concert Hall in Miami)

​The fiddle was brought to colonial America by British settlers. Irish and Scottish fiddle tunes and styles dominated the repertoires of early American fiddlers. Variants of these tunes flourished regionally and locally through the nineteenth century, sometimes giving birth to new creations that can be considered American fiddle tunes. During the mid-nineteenth century, the banjo, which has roots in Africa, came to provide accompaniment to many fiddle tunes, resulting in even more distinctly American musical styles.

​Old Joe Clark is an American fiddle tune that is well-known throughout the United States and other parts of the world. Many different verses and choruses have been sung to the tune. The song's origins are unclear, as is the identity of Joe Clark himself, if the title did actually derive from a namesake. Various claims indicate that Joe Clark may have been a moonshiner in the Virginia hills, a veteran of the War of 1812, or a banjo player from Clay County, Kentucky.
​
Visit the Old Joe Clark page at BalladofAmerica.com for lyrics, video, and more.
old_joe_clark.mp3
File Size: 5221 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

  • About
    • The Rambling String Band
    • Matthew Sabatella
  • Video
    • Performance Montages
    • Songs
  • Music
    • Albums >
      • Over a Wide and Fruitful Land (Ballad of America Volume 1)
      • America Singing (Ballad of America Volume 2)
      • Songs in the Life of Abraham Lincoln (Ballad of America Volume 3)
  • Performances
    • Upcoming
    • Booking >
      • The Rambling String Band
      • Matthew Sabatella (solo)
      • America's Music: From Plymouth Rock to Rock & Roll
    • Highlights
  • Subscribers
  • Media Room
    • Images
    • Reviews
  • Contact