Soledad was your mother's name

September 5, 2015 11:49 AM

Richard Shindell is an American folk songwriter. He currently lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with his wife and their children. A few selected highlights from an amazing songbook are inside.

The Last Fare of the Day
The Ballad of Mary Magdalene (with friend and collaborator Lucy Kaplansky)
The Kenworth of my Dreams
The Next Best Western
Transit
Reunion Hill

... and the emotionally devastating "Abuelita."

posted by jbickers (12 comments total)

Over the next couple of months I'll be recording my entire catalogue into a video camera, song by song

Oooh. That's great news!

On a Sea of Fleur-de-Lis is a song that pops into my head periodically.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 12:03 PM on September 5, 2015

Thanks so much for this. I didn't realize that there were American singers writing music about the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo. "Abuelita" is an amazing and, as you said, emotionally devastating song.
posted by correcaminos at 1:22 PM on September 5, 2015

Reliably cited by me in every AskMe post asking for songs to make you cry.
posted by clavicle at 1:59 PM on September 5, 2015

For anyone not familiar with Richard Shindell, these songs are so not to be be missed.

A Summer Wind, A Cotton Dress
Are You Happy Now? or alternate
Are You Happy Now?
posted by vers at 2:43 PM on September 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

His cover of Cold Missouri Waters as part of Cry Cry Cry is also very, very good.
posted by mudpuppie at 2:45 PM on September 5, 2015 [7 favorites]

Came here to mention Cold Missouri Waters. I've heard his version so many times that I know it by heart, and it still gives me chills.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 3:13 PM on September 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

You forgot Fishing, a story about an encounter with an immigration officer in Chicago.
posted by marklyon at 4:16 PM on September 5, 2015

KEnworth of my dreams is one of the most optmistic songs of working class life ive heard
posted by PinkMoose at 6:51 PM on September 5, 2015

"Are You Happy Now" is the greatest song, ever. Ever.
posted by waterisfinite at 8:14 PM on September 5, 2015

I've been a fan of Richard Shindell ever since a friend introduced me to his work. Thanks for posting - great singer / songwriter.
posted by grimjeer at 7:23 AM on September 6, 2015

Two songs that never leave my car stereo's flash drive:

Confession
You Stay Here
posted by parilous at 4:50 PM on September 6, 2015

I saw him on a bill with the luminescent Kate Rusby at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music. (Enjoyed da boat a dem.) He certainly has a devoted fan base. We had an extra ticket thanks to an in-law defection (I had forgotten my In-Law Law: They hate you, you hate them! Don't, DON'T trust them! If given a chance they WILL kill you and eat you!!) and so was forced for the first time in my life to "scalp". I adopted the method of standing near the ticket booth with a forlorn demeanor holding a ticket slightly proffered to an invisible recipient. Within seconds a bespectacled young woman was upon me. "You have a ticket for sale? I have to see him! Have you ever seen him? He's wonderful! How much do you want??". I had this slight waking vision of the possibility of actually getting "300,000 dollars and your clothing!" if I had asked. Instead, I stuttered something about whatever was printed on the ticket, not really wanting to be Capitalist Poster Boy Wolf of Lincoln Avenue.
posted by Chitownfats at 3:14 AM on September 7, 2015