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Archive: May 2018 (2 Posts)

A man in a suit sits in a chair

King David Kālakaua: Royal Folklorist

Posted by: Stephanie Hall

This blog post is part of a series called “Hidden Folklorists,” which examines the folklore work of surprising people, including people better known for other pursuits. King David Kalākaua (1836 – 1891) is often known outside of Hawai’i by his nickname, the Merrie Monarch, so-called for his patronage of Hawaiian music, dance, and culture.  He …

Posted in: Hawaiian Americans, Hidden Folklorists, Pacific Islander History, Pacific Islands Americans

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

Caught My Ear: The Ballad of J. B. Marcum

Posted by: Stephanie Hall

On May 4, 1903, a prominent and well-respected attorney and U. S. commissioner, James Buchanan Marcum, was shot and killed on the steps of the Breathitt County courthouse in Jackson, Kentucky. “The J. B. Marcum Song,” more widely known as “The Ballad of J. B. Marcum,” preserves the memory of this important Kentucky citizen and the …

Posted in: Folksong