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Thursday 20 March 2014

The UCSC Dorm Tape 1967 - Who is the mystery singer?

This recording (see below) was posted a few days ago on youtube and is now doing the rounds on torrent sites and seems to be stirring up some interest.

The singer certainly has a pretty good voice and the story seems intriguing. Will we find out what became of her?

Here's the original taper's story;
"This is what I call The Dorm Tape 1967. The facts are simple and frankly taught me a lot about simplicity in recording (and later, photography). I heard a girl singing and playing guitar down the hall in my dorm at UC Santa Cruz. She was hitch hiking through and needed a place to crash. I liked the sound I heard coming down the hall and I decided to try recording her. So I grabbed my reel to reel Sony 350 recorder, a modest piece, and two really crummy dynamic mikes that were part of the kit. I hand held them a foot or so from the guitar and her mouth ( left right more or less) and just let her sing.

She was sitting on a dorm cot and I was standing in front of her monitoring the levels on the Sony while holding the mics. Kind of awkward. My life moved on and now 44 years later(!), I pulled it out, digitized it and decided to add it to the YouTube archive of material from my alma mater. What I learned is that simple ain't so bad: musicality counts for a lot and a lot can be done with simple equipment...and common sense. Hope you enjoy."

The original taper has apparently decided to try to locate the singer/guitarist via social media. 

More here http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/1967-homemade-dorm-recording.346756/

1. The French Girl (Sylvia Fricker, Ian Tyson)
2. I Still Miss Someone (Johnny Cash, Roy Cash)
3. Red Velvet (Ian Tyson)
4. Gospel Ship (When We're Traveling Through The Air) (Herbert Buffum)
5. Bring It On Home To Me (Sam Cooke)
6. Let The Good Times Roll (Sam Cooke)
7. Like A Baby (Jesse Stone)
8. Hangin' 'Round (Patrick Sky)
9. Lonely Girls (Sylvia Fricker, Ian Tyson)
10. Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues (Bob Dylan)
11. (*a variation of) Buddy Bolden's Blues (Jelly Roll Morton)





More on stranger than known
Fairport Convention Bouton Rouge Sessions 

Previously unheard Jimmy Page era Yardbirds live...

10 comments:

  1. I am the person who made this tape of the singer/guitar player in my dorm at UCSC in 1967. I would love to find out who the singer is and if she is still around. If you can spread this to everyone you know, perhaps some crowdsourcing will turn her up or at least someone who knows who she is. it is quite a series of beautifully performed songs. She should not remain anonymous.

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    1. Hi Mike. It's a really nice recording. Good luck with the search!

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    2. David you have an AMAZING blog here!

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    3. Thanks. I just like talking about the music I like. If anyone is interested that's cool.

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    4. I've listened to this several times now and the really stand out songs here The French Girl and Tom Thumb's Blues. Excellent.
      Is there any info about dates? Might help to track her down.

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  2. Please help by spreading this as far as you can. She must be around

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  3. This was recorded in 1967 between September and mid December in Santa Cruz at UCSC in my dorm.

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  4. Your site has material that is absolutely precious and one of a kind. It would take years to find this by luck on the internet. It is pinned to my favorites and I will spread it to my audio and music friends.

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  5. Beautiful recordings, I hope we find out he the wonderful singer is.

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