Stringband was active in Toronto, across Canada, and around the world from 1971 through 1985. Bob Bossin and Marie-Lynn were the founding members, and several different fiddlers joined them over the years. These albums are presented in chronological order. Please also see Bob Bossin’s Old Folksinger’s Homepage and his page Whatever Happened To Stringband. Please also see Marie-Lynn Hammond’s Web site.

This page compiled by Richard Hess. Bob has said, “Richard deserves the lion's share of the credit for driving this project [the retrospective CD] forward.”

original, hand-tinted cover art-many different postcards were used throughout the production runs of this album, and the corners were omitted in later versions

Stringband: Marie-Lynn Hammond, Bob Bossin, Jerry Lewycky
Other Musicians: Gary Snyder, Bob Jennings, Doug Bowes, Bill Usher, Frank Barth, Chris Whitely, Ben Mink, George Berry, Alex Adaman
Produced by: Bill Usher, John Morris, Bob Bossin, Marie-Lynn Hammond
Executive Producer: R.G.N. Laidlaw
Album Graphics: Carol Noel

Canadian Sunset – 1973 – Nick 1 (LP out of print)

• Over the Waterfall (trad.)
• Daddy was a ballplayer (Bossin)
• Country Music (Hammond)
• Ladies’ Fancy (trad.)
• La chanson française (M.L. Hammond, with help from M.T. Hammond)
• Hoedown (Bossin)
• Jennifer Wren (Bossin)
• The Next Market Day (trad., arr. Stringband)
• Vancouver (Hammond)
• Did You Hear That They Busted The Fiddle Player (Bossin)
• Cat Song (Hammond)
• Monday Morning (Hammond)
• Lady Permanence (Bossin)
• Mr. M of the Magic Movies (Hammond)
• For A Music Box (Bossin)
• Sweet-talkin’ Denny (Hammond)

Bob Bossin and Marie-Lynn Hammond with Ben Mink and Jim Ackley, Wade Barker, Pineapple Frank Barth, Doug Bowes, Kerry Crawford, Ron Dan, John Goldsmith, Rick Gratton, Tam Kearney, Mark Lams, Doug Orr, Richard Quincy Booth Patterson, Dennis Pendrith, Sandy Pym, Alex Voros, Jimmy Warburton, Chris Whitely

National Melodies – 1975 – Nick 2 (LP out of print)

• Scotland/Monroe’s Hornpipe (trad)
• Dief Will Be the Chief Again (Bossin)
  issued as a 45 rpm single as Nick 3, backed by the Mic Mac Song
• Mic Mac Song (Arsenault)
• Lunenburg Concerto (Bossin)
• Devidoir (trad., arr. Stringband)
• Parson’s Pleasure (trad., arr. Mink)
• Mrs. Murphy (Hammond, Bossin)
• Le prisonnier de Londres (trad., arr. Stringband)
• Intruders (Bossin)
• Male Chauvinist Jig (Mink)
• Pretending (Hammond)
• Ways of the Heart (Hammond)
• Dans le mois de mai (trad., arr. Stringband)
• Wassailing (trad., arr. Stringband)
• Show Us the Length (Bossin)

the original and later cover art

Stringband: Bob Bossin, Marie-Lynn Hammond, Terry King
Producer: Mike Snook
Electric bass: Alan Soberman
Other Musicians: John Adames, Pineapple Frank Barth, Charles Benson, Frank Dixon, Hane Fair, Earl Marek, Louis Natale, Stan Rogers, Chris Whitely, Elizabeth Bowes, Stew Cameron, Bob Hewus, Bob Ketchen, The Friends of Fiddler’s Green

Thanks to the Following – 1977 – Nick 4 (LP out of print)

• Mail-Sortin’ Man (Bossin, Froehlich)
• Second Fiddle Rag (Hammond, Bowes) ***
• I Don’t Sleep With Strangers Anymore (Hammond) ***
• Indiana (Hanley)
• Sterner Stuff (Bossin)
• Flying/Spring of ’44 (Hammond) **
• Canadian Capers (Chandler, White, Cohen, Burtnett)
• Un bon mouton (trad., arr. Stringband)
• The Boys of the Old Brigade (Weatherly, Barri)
• Look What’s Become of Me (Bossin)
• Low Interest Account (Hammond)
• Blue Around the Border (Hammond)
• Tugboats (Bossin) with Stan Rogers

This collection from the first three Stringband albums was released by the CBC. Matrix numbers are MS-12742 and MS-12743, with cutter initials DH. (Thanks, Scott, for the information and the scan!)

• Daddy was a Ballplayer (Bossin-Canadian Sunset)
• Lunenburg Concerto (Bossin-National Melodies)
• Mrs. Murphy (Hammond/Bossin-National Melodies)
• Tugboats (Bossin-Thanks To The Following)
• Look What’s Become of me (Bossin-Thanks To The Following)
• Mic Mac Song (Arsenault-National Melodies)
• La Chanson Française (Hammond-Canadian Sunset)
• Le Devidoir (Trad, arr Stringband-National Melodies)
• I Don’t Sleep with Strangers Anymore (Hammond-Thanks to the Following)
• Le prisonnier de Londres (Trad, arr Stringband-National Melodies)
• Un bon mouton (Trad, arr Stringband-Thanks To The Following)

Bob Bossin, Terry King, and Nancy Ahern of Stringband with Kieran Overs and Ben Mink and Aileen Ahern, Frank Dixon, Bob DiSalle, Enzo Fabrizi, Frank Falco, Don Garbutt, Stan Rogers, George McFetridge, Norma Thompson, Chris Whitely.
Produced by Ben Mink. Album designed by Carol Noel. Front cover photo by Peter Christopher. Back cover photo by Doc Dawe. Person Friday: Lisa Henderson.

The Maple Leaf Dog – 1978 – Nick 5 (LP out of print)

Note: Marie-Lynn did not participate in this album as she was working on her own solo projects at the time. Nancy Ahern was the lead vocalist for this album.

• Newfoundlanders (Bossin) with Stan Rogers
• Root Like A Rose (Ahern)
• Junior Crehan, Jack McCann and Fair-Haired Mary
  (Jack McCann by Crilly, others trad., arr. Stringband)
• The Casca and the Whitehorse Burned Down (Bossin)
• Won’t You Tell Me (King)
• Arthur McBride (trad., arr. Brady, Stringband)
• The Maple Leaf Dog (Bossin)
• What a Little Moonlight Can Do (Woods)
• Hearts Are Made of Stone (Ahern)
• The Armadillo (Flanders and Swann)
• The Union Cowboy (Bossin)
• Grownup’s Lullabye (Ahern)

Bob Bossin, Marie-Lynn Hammond, Zeke Mazurek, Dennis Nichol
with Terry King, Nancy Ahern, Ben Mink, Doug Bowes

Recorded live at Stringband’s Ninth Anniversary Concert at the Ndwt Theatre (Bathurst Street Theatre) in Toronto, May 4, 1980

Produced by Ben Mink

Stringband Live! – 1980 – Nick 6 (LP out of print)

• St. Kilda’s Medley (trad., arr. Bossin)
• The Log Driver’s Waltz (Hemsworth)
• Lox and Breakdowns (Mock)
• Être libre (M.L. Hammond, M.T. Hammond) *
• The New Talking Atom Blues (Bossin) after The Talking Atom Blues by V. Partlow
• Big John McNeil/Devil’s Dream (trad., arr. Mazurek)
• Botanical Gardens (Hammond)
• Jack Dale (Bossin)
• The Dark Isle/Si Bheag Si Mhor (trad.)
• Ain’t Life a Brook (Ferron)
• Youpe, youpe, la bastringue et v’la le bon vent (trad., arr. Bossin, Hammond)
• Let the Sunshine (Paxton)

Photo from trip

Bob Bossin, Marie-Lynn Hammond, Calvin Cairns (fiddle), Dennis Nichol (bass), Steve Darke (road mom)

Across Russia by Stage – 1983 – Nick C1 (Cassette out of print)

• Intro – Tugboats (Bossin)
• La jeune Mariée (Hammond) **
• Elsie (Hammond) **
• Roseville Fair (Bill Staines)
• Lament for Owen Christie (Jim Stewart)
• What Can One Woman Do (Bossin)
• Jambalaya (Hank Williams)
• I’ve Just Seen A Face (fade) (Lennon-McCartney)
• Dans le mois de mai/la vendee (trad., arr. Stringband)
• Lunenburg Concerto (Bossin)
• I Don’t Sleep With Strangers Anymore (Hammond) ***
• Refuse The Cruise (Bossin)
• Oh How Happy I Am (Rev. Gary Davis/Bossin)
• Hopak (trad., arr. Stringband)
• Daddy Was A Ballplayer (Bossin)
• Jambalaya in Estonian sung by Estonians (fade)

Across Russia By Stage is the last Stringband recording with current, new Stringband material on it. The following cassettes contain substantial new and interesting compositions by Bob and others, but Marie-Lynn was pursuing her solo career at this time. A few live cuts that feature Marie-Lynn appear only in the following cassettes. Nancy Ahearn did not record anything other than The Maple Leaf Dog.

Bossin’s Generic Cassette– 1986 – Nick C2 (Cassette out of print)

• Tugboats (Bossin) (from Across Russia By Stage)
• The Secret of Life According to Satchel Paige (Bossin)****
• Brian Mulroney Is Wonderful (Bossin)
• Lunenberg Concerto (Bossin) (from Across Russia By Stage)
• Show Us The Length (Bossin) Live version with Marie-Lynn
• What Can One Woman Do (Bossin) Live version
• The Maple Leaf Dog (Bossin) (from The Maple Leaf Dog)
• The Casca and The Whitehorse (Bossin)
  (from The Maple Leaf Dog)
• The Silkwood Woman (Bossin)
• Fire On The Island (Bossin)
• Daddy Was A Ballplayer (Bossin)
  (from Across Russia By Stage)

The show premiered April 1986 in Vancouver and ran over 200 Performances in Canada, The United States, New Zealand, and Australia. Over 9,000 bottles of the Home Remedy were sold.

Bossin’s Home Remedy for Nuclear War and Related Ailments – 1986 – Nick C3 (Cassette out of print)

• Sandinistas for Star Wars (Bossin/trad Nicaraguan Tune)
• The Dodger Song (Woody Guthrie with add’l lyrics by Bossin)
• The Six O’clock News (Charlie King with add’l lyrics by Bossin)
• Silkwood Woman (Bossin)
• What Can One Woman Do (Bossin)
• The New Talking Atom Blues (Bossin)
  (from Stringband Live!)
• Big John McNeil/Devil’s Dream (trad., arr. Mazurek)
  (from Stringband Live!)
• The Deterrence Lullaby (Bossin)
• You’ve Got Tridents (Meredith Wilson add’l lyrics by Bossin)
• Big Muddy - Pete Seeger
• Medley
  • All Over The World (Arlo Guthrie)
  • The Eagle and the Kiwi (Judy Small)
  • Acres of Clams (Trad.)
  • Bright Morning Star Arising (Trad.)
  • Carry Greenham Home
  • May There Always Be Sunshine
  • O Happy I Am (Rev. Gary Davis with add’l lyrics by Bossin)

Gary Cristall commissioned Bossin’s West Coast for Folklife at Expo ’86. The show ran for 87 performances as a sort-of alternate BC Pavillion.

Bossin’s West Coast – 1986 – Nick C4 (Cassette out of print)

• Tugboats (Bossin) (from Across Russia By Stage)
• Oda G (Stan Triggs)
• Lox and Breakdown (Mock) (from Stringband Live!)
• Sterner Stuff (Bossin) (from Thanks to the Following)
• The Log Driver’s Waltz (Hemsworth) (fromStringband Live!)
• Fire On The Island! (Bossin)
• Jack Dale (Bossin) (from Stringband Live!)
• Herring (Bossin)
• Canning Salmon (Linda Chobotuck) sung by Angela Brown
• Ain’t Life A Brook (Ferron) (fromStringband Live!)
• You’ve Got Tridents (Meredith Wilson add’l lyrics by Bossin)
• Where the Coho Fly Silver (Lloyd Arntzen)(includes a poem by Kevin Roberts, “July First, French Creek”) Sung and read by Angela Brown

STRINGBAND, The Old Masters

Bob Bossin and Marie-Lynn Hammond begat Stringband in 1971 with Jerry Lewycky on fiddle. Then Ben Mink took over from Jerry, Terry King from Ben, Zeke Mazurek from Terry and Calvin Cairns from Zeke. Nancy Ahern sat in for Marie-Lynn for a couple of years. Dennis Nichol played bass since 1978.

Stringband toured through 1986. We still get together, but rarely.

Space does not permit us to credit all the musical friends who played on these songs. Some notable contributors: Nancy Ahern sings “Root Like A Rose” and sings on the selections from Maple Leaf Dog. Terry King sings on “The Armadillo” and Stan Rogers joined Bob for “Newfoundlanders.” The Fiddlers: Jerry Lewycky plays on cuts 1-4, Ben Mink on 5-10, Terry King on all cuts from Thanks to the Following and Maple Leaf Dog, Zeke Mazurek on the two Stringband Live selections, and Calvin Cairns on the two previously unreleased recordings. Ben produced Maple Leaf Dog and Stringband Live! (as well as Marie-Lynn’s solo album, Vignettes). Special thanks to other frequent musical contributors: Alan Soberman, Kieran Overs, Doug Bowes, and Pineapple Frank Barth.

Dedicated to Nick Laidlaw.

Stringband 20th Anniversary, The Old Masters – 1991 – Nick C5 (Cassette available, click here for an order form)

• From Canadian Sunset (1973)
  • Over the Waterfall (trad.)
  • Daddy was a ballplayer (Bossin)
  • Country Music (Hammond)
  • Did You Hear That They Busted The Fiddle Player (Bossin)
  • Hoedown (Bossin)
• From National Melodies (1975)
  • Mic Mac Song (Arsenault)
  • Dief Will Be the Chief Again (Bossin)
  • Mrs. Murphy (Hammond, Bossin)
  • Le prisonnier de Londres (trad., arr. Stringband)
  • Show Us the Length (Bossin)
• From Thanks to the Following (1977)
  • Second Fiddle Rag (Hammond, Bowes) ***
  • Flying/Spring of ’44 (Hammond) **
  • Un bon mouton (trad., arr. Stringband)
• From Maple Leaf Dog (1978)
  • Newfoundlanders (Bossin) with Stan Rogers
  • The Maple Leaf Dog (Bossin)
  • Root Like A Rose (Ahern)
  • The Union Cowboy (Bossin)
  • The Casca and the Whitehorse Burned Down (Bossin)
  • The Armadillo (Flanders and Swann)
• From various recordings
  • Être libre (M.L. Hammond, M.T. Hammond) (Stringband Live!-1980) *
  • The Secret of Life According to Satchel Paige (Bossin) (previously unreleased, rec. 1984) ****
  • All The Horses Running (Hammond) (previously unreleased, rec. 1991) **
  • Big John McNeil/Devil’s Dream (trad., arr. Mazurek) (Stringband Live!-1980)

These songs are my personal pick from the Stringband years. They are in chronological order, from “Daddy Was A Ballplayer,” circa 1972, to “Fire on the Island” circa 1984. The last two cuts were recorded live in the mid ‘80‘s, the first twelve are from the original Stringband albums.

Space does not permit me to credit all of the musical friends who played on these tunes. A few notable contributors: Marie-Lynn Hammond sings on the first eight cuts, Nancy Ahern on cuts 9-12, and Stan Rogers on 6, 10, and 12. That‘s Mackenzie King at the end of 9. Jerry Lewycky fiddles on 1 and 2. Ben Mink on 3-5, and Terry King on 6-12. Ben Produced 9-12. Peter Froehlich’s editorial hand is pervasive, as was Nick Laidlaw’s generous support.

There are many others whose help and influence are a part of these songs. Thank, everybody. It was a slice.
Bob Bossin
Gabriola Island
June, 1994

Bob Bossin: The Way We Was (Bossin’s Greatest Hits Vol. 1) – 1994 – Nick 008 (Cassette available, click here for an order form)

1. Daddy was a Ballplayer (Bossin-Canadian Sunset)
2. Did You Hear That They Busted The Fiddle Player (Bossin-Canadian Sunset)
3. Dief Will Be the Chief Again (Bossin-National Melodies)
4. Lunenburg Concerto (Bossin-National Melodies)
5. Show Us the Length (Bossin-National Melodies)
6. Tugboats (Bossin-Thanks to the Following) with Stan Rogers
7. Look What’s Become of me (Bossin-Thanks To The Following)
8. Sterner Stuff (Bossin-National Melodies)
9. The Maple Leaf Dog (Bossin-The Maple Leaf Dog)
10. The Casca and the Whitehorse Burned Down (Bossin-The Maple Leaf Dog)
11. The Union Cowboy (Bossin-The Maple Leaf Dog)
12. Newfoundlanders (Bossin-The Maple Leaf Dog) with Stan Rogers
13. Silkwood Woman (Bossin-Bossin’s Home Remedy for Nuclear War and Related Ailments)
14. Fire On The Island (Bossin-Bossin’s Generic Cassette)

Footnotes:

* - Also recorded by Marie-Lynn Hammond on Marie-Lynn Hammond
** - Also recorded by Marie-Lynn Hammond on Vignettes
*** - Also recorded by Marie-Lynn Hammond on Impromptu
**** - Also recorded by Bob Bossin on Gabriola V0R 1X0