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O.J. Abbott
Artist

O.J. Abbott

Genre: Pop, Singer/Songwriter, British Folk, Celtic, Folksongs, Folk Revival
Origin: England
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Biography

Born Oliver John Abbott in Enfield, England, in 1872, O.J. Abbott spent the next nine decades gathering folk songs and eventually introduced hundreds of them to audiences everywhere. Early in adulthood he left England for Canada, where he formed close ties with Irish immigrants and their descendants while employed on Ottawa Valley farms and in lumber camps throughout Ontario and Quebec. Recognition within Canadian and broader North American folksong communities had grown steadily by the middle of the 1950s, leading him to commit more than one hundred songs to tape between 1957 and the late winter of 1962; many of these pieces originated in the 1880s and 1890s and traced their roots to Irish tradition. Folkways Records issued selections from the sessions together with excerpts from his set at the 1960 Newport Folk Festival. Approaching his ninetieth year, Abbott saw international demand for his performances rise sharply, resulting in appearances at the National Museum of Man in 1958, a 1959 Ottawa concert alongside Pete Seeger, CBC broadcasts and another Newport appearance with Seeger the next year, and a 1961 slot at the Mariposa Folk Festival. He died early the following year.

Top Songs

  1. Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa ValleyThe Cruiskeen LawnIrish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley · 1961Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley2:25
  2. Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa ValleyThe Dog and the Gun (The Golden Glove)Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley · 1961Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley3:14
  3. Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa ValleyThe Gypsy DaisyIrish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley · 1961Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley2:15
  4. Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa ValleyThe Barley Grain for MeIrish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley · 1961Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley2:53
  5. Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa ValleyThe Farmer's BoyIrish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley · 1961Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley1:54
  6. Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa ValleyThe Silver HerringsIrish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley · 1961Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley1:49
  7. Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa ValleyThe Lass of GlensheeIrish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley · 1961Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley2:25
  8. Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa ValleyThe Colleen Bawn (Limerick is Beautiful)Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley · 1961Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley1:45
  9. Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa ValleyThe Bunch of Water CressesIrish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley · 1961Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley3:18
  10. Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa ValleyThe Bonny Irish BoyIrish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley · 1961Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley1:23
  11. Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa ValleyDaniel O'ConnellIrish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley · 1961Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley3:02
  12. Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa ValleyThe Mountain DewIrish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley · 1961Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley0:49
  13. Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa ValleyBy the Hush, Me BoysIrish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley · 1961Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley2:49
  14. Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa ValleyA Young Man Lived in Belfast TownIrish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley · 1961Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley1:51
  15. Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa ValleyThe Plains of WaterlooIrish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley · 1961Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley4:14
  16. Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa ValleyThe Green LinnetIrish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley · 1961Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley2:44
  17. Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa ValleyKelly the PirateIrish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley · 1961Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley2:42
  18. Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa ValleyCaptain ColdsteinIrish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley · 1961Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley3:14
  19. Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa ValleyNellie Coming Home from the WakeIrish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley · 1961Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley1:39
  20. Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa ValleyThe Banks of NewfoundlandIrish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley · 1961Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley3:10

Albums

Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley

Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley

1961
Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley
O.J. Abbott · Album · 1961
Play
  1. The Dog and the Gun (The Golden Glove)O.J. Abbott3:14
  2. The Gypsy DaisyO.J. Abbott2:15
  3. The Barley Grain for MeO.J. Abbott2:53
  4. The Farmer's BoyO.J. Abbott1:54
  5. The Silver HerringsO.J. Abbott1:49
  6. The Lass of GlensheeO.J. Abbott2:25
  7. The Colleen Bawn (Limerick is Beautiful)O.J. Abbott1:45
  8. The Bunch of Water CressesO.J. Abbott3:18
  9. The Bonny Irish BoyO.J. Abbott1:23
  10. Daniel O'ConnellO.J. Abbott3:02
  11. The Mountain DewO.J. Abbott0:49
  12. The Cruiskeen LawnO.J. Abbott2:25
  13. A Young Man Lived in Belfast TownO.J. Abbott1:51
  14. The Plains of WaterlooO.J. Abbott4:14
  15. The Green LinnetO.J. Abbott2:44
  16. Kelly the PirateO.J. Abbott2:42
  17. Captain ColdsteinO.J. Abbott3:14
  18. Nellie Coming Home from the WakeO.J. Abbott1:39
  19. The Banks of NewfoundlandO.J. Abbott3:10
  20. Skibbereen - A Ballad of the FamineO.J. Abbott3:23
  21. The Heights of AlmaO.J. Abbott1:50
  22. The Bold and Undaunted Youth (The Rambling Boy)O.J. Abbott2:15
  23. By the Hush, Me BoysO.J. Abbott2:49