Sunday Sessions: John o' Dreams

“...and for your boatman choose old John o’ Dreams.”

Wherever you live in the world, and wherever you are in your thoughts about politics, social issues, climate, and so many other things, there is no doubt that there’s a good bit going on, much of it uncertain and unsettling.

Photo by Hannah Smith on Unsplash

That can sometimes make it difficult to get to sleep. You might find yourself waking up i the night. as well

For all those reasons, it could be a good time to have a listen to a song of quiet, of peace, one you might take as a lullabye, a lullabye that works for adults as well as children.

It is a song that acknowledges need for rest and renewal. And hope.

The song is called John o’ Dreams. It was written by English musician Bill Caddick.

Emily Smith sings it here, backed by Jamie McClennan, Ross Hamilton, Matheu Watson, and Signy Jakobsdottir.

Emily Smith comes from Scotland, from Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland’s southwest. She grew up there, and after doing a degree in music in Glasgow, decided to return to base herself there.

She’s traveled across Scotland and to many places in the world with her music; she’s an award winning songwriter and a fine interpreter of traditional and contemporary folk song. She also plays accordion, piano, and guitar, and in recent years has been working in community education in her local area as well.

That local area, Dumfries and Galloway, is a place of hills, rivers, sea coast, natural beauty, and quite a bit of history and legend as well. It also has connections to the life and work of Scottish national bard Robert Burns.

Emily Smith enjoys seeking out songs, tunes, and stories of her home area to draw on for her own work, as well as ranging farther afield to other parts of Scotland sometimes to Americana musicians for material as well.

Emily was named BBC Scotland’s Young Traditional Musician of the Year in 2002. Among other other awards she’s won the USA Songwriting Competition as well as Scots Singer of the Year at the Scots Trad Music Awards twice, and has appeared as part of Transatlantic Sessions and Scotland Sings Nanci Griffith alongside sharing the stage with artists including Eddi Reader and Richard Thompson.

You may also wish to see

About Emily Smith’s album Echoes, where you will find John o’ Dreams recorded

Emily and her musical partner and husband Jamie McClennan collaborated on an album of the songs of Robert Burns. It’s called Adoon Winding Nith.

As the duo Smith & McClennan they’ve released an album called Small Town Stories

Emily Smith’s website

Another Sunday Sessions with an original song from Emily

Another artist from Scotland to learn about

More music that children and adults can enjoy together

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