(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

 

Segment 1:  Will shares stories about his grandfather and mother

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

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

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:

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

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