I upper* Clork on a recent Sundoy ofternoon in
UNC's Botonicol Gordon. The Botonicol Gordon
sponsors him in
о
spcciol progrom in which he
sing» such songs os "Sippin' Cider Through
о
Stro»" ond "Goober Peos.” (Photo by Ann Ho*-
thorne* I lower* Clork sings ond ploys (or some
of his friends neor his home in rurol Oronge
County. Photo by S. Morch
Merry Minstrel
of Chapel Hill
Folks get a souse of common history
from (lie traditional songs of Clark
Jones.
«»/
STEPHEN MARCH
After listening to one of Clark
Jones’s recent performances a member
of the audience commented, “I feci
like I just saw the world as my great
grandfather knew it. The instruments,
the songs, the voice — it was all so
pure, so authentic.”
Clark, a tall, soft-spoken musician,
teacher, story-teller and singer, makes
his living singing traditional songs in
and near Chapel Hill. He plays the au¬
toharp. the dulcimer, the banjo and the
guitar. And he is a genuine encyclo¬
pedia of songs about the state and na¬
tion's history.
"Songs and ballads make history so
much more interesting." says Clark.
"History is a lot more than facts and
economic and political events; there are
also people involved."
Through his songs and anecdotes
Clark recreates the faces and voices of
the American past, with tenderness,
humor and understanding. He sings of
pioneers, cowboys, preachers, pirates,
sailors. Indians, lovers, fighters and
weepers. And those who hear him
agree that they get "a sense of a com¬
mon history" from his songs.
Why docs he sing about the past —
in a time when so many people arc
stressing the importance of the
moment?
"Carl Sandburg said it best." ex¬
plains Clark with his characteristic shy¬
ness: " ‘America must never forget
where it has come from and what has
brought it along.' ”
The modem revival of traditional
music expresses a search for roots and
identity, a need to gain a deeper un¬
derstanding of the world. Dark Jones's
music and songs confirm his own and
his listener's roots in the past.
History Through Song
Clark has presented history through
song programs in schools in all areas
of North Carolina, from Asheville to
Wilmington. And he has had two half-
hour shows on U.N.C.’s television net¬
work (channel four), with more to
follow. Although he admits he has "a
lot of dreams." he adds, "The last
thing in the world I’d ever want to be
is a big time singer, even if I could. I
wouldn't want to spend half my life in
airports."
To Clark, music is a way of life.
And he wants to keep both his life and
his music as simple and genuine as
possible.
"Friends sometimes sec me at other
singers' concerts." he says, "and they
ask me if I'm checking out the com¬
petition. I always want to tell them
that to me the whole idea of music is
to share, not to compete.”
His greatest musical ambition is to
someday record an album which inter¬
prets American history through song.
Clark believes he can put together a
program reflecting any era — and many
themes — in American history. The
N. C. Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill
sponsors him in a special "plants-
through-song" program. In it he sings
such songs as "Follow the Drinking
Gourd." "Goober Peas" and “Sippin’
Cider Through a Straw." Botanical
Garden Director Dr. Ritchie Bell hopes
to sponsor Clark’s plants-through-song
programs in N. C. public schools
"if the funds can be raised."
Teller of Tales
Clark is as good a raconteur as he
is a musician and he often gives hu¬
morous introductions to his songs. He
also likes to tell his audiences about his
instruments. He tells them that the dul¬
cimer probably origniated in Europe
and that the first American dulcimers
may have been made by immigrants
who remembered the instrument in
Europe. The fretless banjo, Clark’s fa¬
vorite instrument, was invented by
Southern American slaves. The instru-
i s
THE STATE. JULY 1974