Album: We Are For Egypt

Introduction

Stacy Davidson, Executive Producer:

My vision for this album is to bridge Southern Illinois’ traditional musical heritage with its living arts culture while also highlighting Southern Illinois’ fascinating “Egyptian” legacy. In an homage to the “song catching” of Appalachian ballads, I set aside half the album for traditional songs and the other half to newly-commissioned works. It was a firm requirement that all of the musicians were from Southern Illinois or were active in Southern Illinois’ music scene. I also hope this album serves as an example for historians and researchers to develop more outward-facing projects and incorporate community members in the knowledge-making process. Ultimately, a scholar’s work is not for themselves but for others: I am but one link in a chain that extends backwards and forwards. May listeners, present and future, find inspiration in these songs and the rich, artistic traditions of Egypt, Illinois.

My work on this album is dedicated to the memories of my Grandpa, John T. Davidson (1928-2003), dulcimer-player extraordinaire and history buff, and my landsman, Steven H. Crane (1980-2020), saxophonist, bass clarinetist, and repository of Egyptian Illinois lore.

Jenny Pape, Music Producer:

I wanted to acknowledge the great resources that SIU Press and Morris Library hold in regard to the history of Southern Illinois. I found several of the traditional songs within the books, Tales and Songs of Southern Illinois by Charles Neely and Folk Songs and Singing Games of Illinois by David McIntosh. Both of these books house collections of songs passed down through oral history.

I would like to dedicate this album to my son, Thelonious Arthur Pape.