Macclenny Farewell Archives - Donna Green-Townsend

Listen and Watch song samples from the new “Tribute” CD below: The newest video just added is, “Lost Tourist’s Letter Home.”

tribute-cd-cover-front — Jessie and Lee’s CD is the newest professional recording for this sister/brother duet.

(To order a CD, please send $15.00 to: Jessie Townsend,
13501 SE 171st Lane Hawthorne, FL 32640)

lonesome-wind-blues-with-studio-audio-plus-added-mp4-still010 — Jessie, Red and Chris Henry and David McBrady in the studio

Jessie and Lee Townsend recently went back into the studio to record six more songs to add to their CD Sampler. The CD will now have 12 songs and be titled, “Tribute” as it will have songs from several of Florida’s best songwriters past and present including Will McLean, Steve Blackwell, Jim Ballew, Dale Crider, Don Grooms and Ann Thomas to name a few.

lee-in-the-studio-mp4-still002 — Lee Townsend in the studio

Below you will find music videos of six of the songs included on the project followed by audio samples from all of the songs on the CD including “Lost Tourist’s Letter Home,” written by the late Ann Thomas about a tourist travelling by bus from Boston who was headed to Miami, but got off in the Florida scrub by mistake; “Crying Bird,” written by the late Will McLean about the potential demise of the Florida Limpkin; “Lonesome Wind Blues,” written by the late Wayne Raney and made popular by the Father of Bluegrass, Bill Monroe; “When I Die” written by the late Jim Ballew; “Oh Kissimmee River” written by environmental troubadour Dale Crider from Windsor, FL and “Wild Birds” written by the late Don Grooms.

Jessie and Lee were joined in the studio for this CD by Chris Henry (guitar, mandolin and vocal harmony), Red Henry (fiddle, mandolin and vocal harmony), David McBrady (bass and vocal harmony), Jason Thomas (mandolin). Gabe Valla (rhythm guitar), Christian Ward (fiddle), Elisabeth Williamson (vocal harmony) and Lon Williamson (bass). The lost tourist in the first video, “Lost Tourist’s Letter Home,” is portrayed by Harriett Meyer.

Lost Tourist’s Letter Home

Crying Bird

Lonesome Wind Blues

When I Die

Wild Birds

Oh Kissimmee River

Song samples:

Jessie and Lee Townsend (all photos by Donna Green-Townsend)

Kentucky Borderline (written by Rhonda Vincent and Terry Herd) Performing on this fast-paced bluegrass tune that was the 2004 IBMA Song of the Year are Lee on banjo, Jessie singing the lead vocal, Jason Thomas on mandolin, Gabe Valla on rhythm guitar, Christian Ward on fiddle, David McBrady on bass and Elisabeth Williamson singing vocal harmony.

Bury Me Beneath The Willow This traditional bluegrass song features Jessie singing the lead vocal, Lee on guitar and David McBrady on bass and vocal harmony.

Nails In My Coffin (written by Gerald Irby) This song orginally written in 1946 features Lee on banjo and rhythm guitar, Jessie singing lead vocal, Elisabeth Williamson on vocal harmony, Christian Ward on fiddle and David McBrady on bass and vocal harmony.

If I Needed You (written by Townes Van Zandt) features Jessie singing the lead vocal, Lee on guitar, Christian Ward on fiddle, David McBrady on bass and Elisabeth Williamson and David McBrady on vocal harmony.

Lee and Jessie Townsend with David McBrady performing Macclenny Farewell at the Will McLean Festival in March, 2016

Macclenny Farewell (written by Will McLean) This love song written by the late Father of Florida Folk features Jessie on the lead vocal, Lee on guitar and David McBrady on bass.

The Line (written by Steve Blackwell) The line was written by the late Steve Blackwell from Punta Gorda who penned this beautiful song about someone reflecting on all of the family members who have gone on before. This rendition of the song features Jessie singing the lead vocal, Lee on guitar and Lon Williamson on bass.

Oh Kissimmee River (written by Dale Crider) Oh Kissimmee River written by environmental troubadour from Windsor, FL, Dale Crider, brings attention to the disastrous environmental effects of trying to straighten the Kissimmee River. This version features Jessie singing the lead vocal, Lee on banjo, Chris Henry on guitar, Red Henry on mandolin and David McBrady on bass.

When I Die (written by Jim Ballew) When I Die is one of the most beautiful songs ever written by the late Jim Ballew. It features Jessie on vocals, Lee on guitar, Chris Henry on mandolin, Red Henry on fiddle and David McBrady on bass.

Cryin’ Bird (written by Will McLean) Cryin’ Bird by Will McLean brings attention to the potential extinction of Florida’s Limpkin because of the lack of food resources the Limpkin eats in the Wakulla River. Jessie sings vocal, Lee plays guitar, Chris Henry plays mandolin, Red Henry is on the fiddle and David McBrady is on bass. Elisabeth Williamson adds vocal harmony.

Lonesome Wind Blues (written by Wayne Raney) Lonesome Wind Blues is a very traditional bluegrass song. It was originally recorded in 1947 by Wayne Raney and later made famous by the Father of Bluegrass Bill Monroe. In this version Jessie sings the vocals with harmony added by Chris and Red Henry. Lee plays banjo, Chris Henry plays guitar, Red Henry is on the mandolin and David McBrady is on the bass.

Wild Birds (written by Don Grooms) Wild Birds is a love song written by the late Don Grooms. Jessie sings the vocals, Lee is on guitar, Chris Henry is on mandolin, Red Henry is on fiddle and David McBrady is on bass.

Lost Tourist’s Letter Home (written by Ann Thomas) In this tongue-in-cheek song the late Ann Thomas pokes fun at what a lost tourist would write home about if he or she got off a tour bus in the middle of Florida. Jessie sings vocals, Lee plays banjo, Chris Henry is on guitar, Red Henry is on mandolin and David McBrady is on bass

Jessie and Lee have been performing for several years. Venues have included the Florida Folk Festival, the Will McLean Festival, the Alachua and Micanopy Festivals, bluegrass events in Waldo, the Christmas Candelight program at Disney World and a variety of other church services and community events.

To order a CD, please send $15.00 to:

Jessie Townsend
13501 SE 171st Lane
Hawthorne, FL 32640

To book Jessie and Lee for musical performances call 352-575-3042, or send an email to townsendjessie@gmail.com.

Will McLean waiting to perform — The Black Hat Troubadour Will McLean

(Raw Interviews from 1985 and 1987 featured below)

(all photos courtesy of Margaret Longhill and the Will McLean Foundation)

In November of 1985 Will McLean showed up at my office at WUFT-FM on the University of Florida campus. McLean, known to many as the “Black Hat Troubadour” penned hundreds of songs, stories and poems about what he called his “beloved Florida sand.” McLean, who died in 1990, was the first folk artist inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame.

As I documented in earlier posts, McLean wanted to hang up some fliers about his November 17th, 1985 concert at the historic Thomas Center in Gainesville. I had only lived in Florida about a year and a half at that point. Though I had never met him and didn’t know a lot about him I did know one of his songs very well. “Hold Back The Waters.” It was about the 1928 Hurricane that killed between 3,000 to 4,000 people. The song had become very popular in folk music circles. That fact alone enticed me to ask Will to sit down for an interview in 1985. A couple of years later, after I’d gotten to know him better, I asked Will to come in for a second interview. The two interviews have been in my personal audio archives for nearly 30 years. I thought it was about time I shared them on my website.

Author’s note: My voice sounds very young in these old interviews. Also, the interviews below are from cassette dubs from the original reel to reel tapes. Some of the 1985 cassette dubs have gotten a little scratchy over time. I am anxious to see how the original reel to reels will sound if I can get my hands on a reel to reel machine. The 1987 dubs from the cassette below sound much better. I’m including both years for the sake of archival history).

I’m posting the interviews in a couple of different ways. You can either listen to the interviews in their entirety or listen to them in separated segments (see below).

Will McLean Interview in 1985

1985 Full Interview

Early photo of Will McLean's grandparents — Early photo of Will McLean’s grandparents

Segment 1: Will shares stories about his grandfather and mother

Segment 2: Will talks about the public radio Prairie Home Companion host Garrison Keillor

Will McLean 8-28-58 — Florida’s Black Hat Troubadour, the late Will McLean

Segment 3: Will shares the story of his song “Hold Back The Waters”

Will McLean0174 — (l to r) Dale Crider, Will McLean and Gamble Rogers

Here’s the song Hold Back The Waters:

Segment 4: Will shares the story of performing at Carnegie Hall in NYC with Pete Seeger

Segment 5: Will talks about giving his music away and his song Macclenny Farewell

Here’s the song Macclenny Farewell:

Segment 6: Will shares the story of his wife Alice’s cancer battle and finding new love

Segment 7: Will talks about environmental concerns

(left to right) Paul Champion, Gamble Rogers and Will McLean — (l to r) Paul Champion, Gamble Rogers and Will McLean

Segment 8: Will talks about his friends Gamble Rogers, Paul Champion and Cousin Thelma Boltin

Cousin Thelma Boltin, Gamble Rogers and Will McLean 1988 50th Anniv of The Yearling in Cross Creek (photo by Iris Greenfield)

Segment 9: Will talks about the Florida songs he’s written that he’s most proud of

Lottie and Will McLean as children from Chipley, Florida

Here is Will’s song Florida Sand:

Here’s Away O’ee:

Segment 10: Will shares more about his Carnegie Hall performance in NYC

Will McLean Interview in 1987

Full interview with Will McLean in 1987 Part One

Part Two of the full interview in 1987 Will addresses whether he’d ever go back to Rosewood to try and gather material for a song

Shorter separated segments:

Segment 1: Will shares the story behind his song The Ballad of Scotty

Here’s the song Ballad of Scotty

Segment 2: Will talks about the inspiration for his song Wild Hog

Here’s the song Wild Hog:

Segment 3: Will shares the story of Cush Holston

Here’s Will’s song Cush Holston:

Segment 4: Will gives the background on Tate’s Hell

Here’s Will’s song Tate’s Hell:

Segment 5: Will talks about his grandfather

Will McLean performing on a set with audience on stage

Segment 6: Will talks about “who” he is and why

Segment 7: Will shares the story of being run out of Rosewood (he refers to it as Rosehill)

Segment 8: Will talks about the 1928 hurricane and his song Hold Back The Waters and his relationship with the Seminoles

Here are Will’s songs Seminole and Osceola’s Last Words:

Lais doing dance interpretation while Will McLean performed at the Florida Folk Festival

Segment 9: Will talks about his dream for a ballet featuring his songs of Florida

Will McLean (53) — The late Cousin Thelma Boltin with Will McLean circa 1988 in Cross Creek

Segment 10: Will talks about what he’s been writing lately

Segment 11: Will talking about whether he would go back to Rosewood to try and gather song material

Segment 12: Will talks about environmental concerns for Florida

Tag Archives: Macclenny Farewell

Jessie and Lee Townsend Tribute CD now available