The Joy of Living is a new 2-CD tribute album celebrating the centenary of Ewan MacColl's birth. MacColl – born Jimmy Miller in Salford, England – was an actor, playwright, social activist, musician, and controversial figure at the heart of the British folk revival in the 1950s and 60s. Joy of Living – produced by his sons Neill and Calum – celebrates MacColl the songwriter. Although best known for the love song “The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face” as recorded by Roberta Flack, MacColl also wrote many songs about the less-heralded members of British society: fishermen, miners, and travelling people. There are excellent tracks contributed by U.K. folk stalwarts and MacColl contemporaries including Dick Gaughan, Martin Carthy, Paul Brady, and Norma Waterson. For those in the U.S., this album also serves as introduction to luminaries of the contemporary British folk scene – Eliza Carthy, Seth Lakeman, Karine Polwart, and The Unthanks. Tune in to KDRT as The Folk Brothers feature The Joy of Living on Wednesday, Dec. 16, at 10 AM.
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