Portland Town By John Stewart Of The Kingston Trio

Honored singer-songwriter John Stewart (1939-2008) performs his adaptation of Derroll Adams' "Portland Town." This is Stewart's acoustic track, his solo on the Kingston Trio album "Something Special" (1962) that included overly-lush orchestrations behind the normally acoustic Trio's own instrumental backing.

The song's copyright belongs to Stewart, controversially so because he had heard the tune on a record (perhaps Adams himself or Ramblin' Jack Elliott) and, assuming the song was traditional, created his own adaptation using only part of the melody line and some of the original lyric. Adams original song was a passionate anti-war piece written in 1957 in the shadow of the Korean War; Stewart's song is a folk-styled love ballad.

Adams sued Stewart and the KT, but according to former Weaver and Old Town School of Folk Music founder Frank Hamilton in 2007, the royalties that should have gone to Adams were eaten up by Stewart's court costs, and Adams received no compensation whatsoever for Stewart's freehand adaptation.

History has had its revenge, however: Stewart's version appeared on one of the lightest-selling KT albums and today is largely forgotten - unjustly so, perhaps, because Stewart's rendition here is lovely if unintentionally derivative. Adams' (who died at 75 in 2000) original composition has been covered frequently, by among others Marianne Faithfull in 1965 (and she, too, mistakenly credited the song as traditional) and more recently by the contemporary pop roots group the Avett Brothers.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• PortlandTown
• Derroll
• Adams
• KingstonTrio
• JohnStewart
• folk

[CadillacL]

R.I.P. John :)

[DEProf06]

I miss Johnny Stew. Luckily his craft will allow him to live forever.

[3Pitous]

I wish it was the first time I listened the song as I can't help from hearing the orchestra and the background voices of Something Special like it was first released in 1962.This arrangement was intended to be added to the orchestra but I think John Stewart would haves sung it alone this way.Great memories.

[XMLarry]

Another example of the musical genius of John Stewart what he brought to the Trio. May you rest in peace John, we miss you a lot.