AMERICA THE GREAT CABARET-Rick Spencer

"Historical Songs of Outlaws, Villains and Rogues" is a presentation that addresses the human obsession with and documentation of misdeeds using songs as the informational medium.  Ballads collected by Francis James Child in the late 1800s (some going back hundreds of years), penny broadsides and popular songs from the 1700s to the mid 20th century are presented to tell the stories of Captain Kidd, Jesse James, Stagger Lee, Pretty Boy Floyd and a number of others. This program includes a discussion of why we as a culture are so fascinated by misdeed, violence and mayhem.  This program contains mature themes.