Rabbits and Toasters was founded in 2010 and features manually selected articles from the best dance blogs on the web. The site is updated several times a day, check back often. Do you run a blog you think should be apart of the network? Send us an email.

Music Archives

On the Trail of "Let Her Go, God Bless Her" From: iwentdowntostjamesinfirmary.blogspot.com | August 28, 2009 Just when I thought we were done with tracking the "Let her go, God bless her" lyric from St. James Infirmary, correspondent Richard Matteson sent me a number of emails. Thanks to Richard I have purchased a copy of the 1902 Harvard University Songs. It arrived in the mail today.

Live Music From: www.mikethegirl.com | July 28, 2009 I am struck, at moments, by the peculiar relationship between dancers and musicians.  Personally, I'd rather dance to canned good music than live bad music.  That being said, having a live band or musician who brings a good sound can move me in a way that surprises me every time.  Likewise,  there are some musicians who would prefer not to share a stage with dancers; an understandable hesitation, since dancers can be a distraction, and a musician's livelihood comes from being the center of attention at their shows.  There are some musicians who are downright hostile to dancers even being in the crowd (including one band who gets djed very regularly).  Then there are musicians who appreciate what dancers bring in the way of energy.  And, finally, there are musicians who use dancers as another layer of art, and make something together with dancers.

And yet another "Let Her Go, God Bless Her" post From: iwentdowntostjamesinfirmary.blogspot.com | June 30, 2009 Over the past three months I've written at least six posts focusing on songs containing the "Let her go, God bless her" lyric so famous in "St. James Infirmary." These have ranged, chronologically, from their appearance in a 1909 university song book to a recording by the Louvin Brothers in 1958. Thanks to readers of this blog, I have two more examples to share in this, yet another posting about "Let her go, God bless her."

Blind Willie McTell and the authorship of Dyin’ Crapshooter’s Blues From: iwentdowntostjamesinfirmary.blogspot.com | June 25, 2009 Last November, shortly after we finally published I Went Down to St. James Infirmary, the remarkable Rob Walker posted the first part of a five part interview with me on his blog NoNotes. Those interviews appeared intermittently on his site until January of this year. The interviews cover a lot of territory, from Irving Mills to John and Alan Lomax. The first of them centered on Blind Willie McTell and his famous song "Dyin' Crapshooter's Blues."

"Let Her Go, God Bless Her" mp3 – Willie Trice From: iwentdowntostjamesinfirmary.blogspot.com | April 09, 2009 Willie (or Welly, depending upon your source) Trice made two recordings under his own name in 1937, and then not again until 1970. His take on the "Let Her Go" theme is from 1937, with both he and his brother Richard playing guitars.

"Let Her Go, God Bless Her" mp3 – the Louvin Brothers From: iwentdowntostjamesinfirmary.blogspot.com | April 07, 2009 This is a bit of fun. The Louvin Brothers once recorded a song called "Let Her Go, God Bless Her." It's from a 1956 album titled Tragic Songs of Life, and completely different from the song posted above. From some of the recent posts here, one gets the impression that the "Let Her Go" chorus from "St. James Infirmary" served as the structural cornerstone for a number of songs.