Red River Valley, Oh Shenandoah, By the Banks of the Ohio (Three American Rivers)

“Three American Rivers”: an instrumental medley of the traditional American tunes “Red River Valley,” “Oh Shenandoah” and “By the Banks of the Ohio.”

In fact there may be more than three rivers here: there are, after all, several Red Rivers in the US, and early versions of the song probably referenced different rivers, depending on where it was being sung; also, there is some doubt as to whether “Shenandoah” originally referred to the river or possibly to an Oneida Iroquois chief of that name (the song also mentions the Missouri river). Whatever, “Red River Valley” and “Oh Shenandoah” are undoubtedly beautiful melodies, and “By the Banks of the Ohio” is a rousing ballad.

The arrangement is performed on guitars, dulcimer and harmonium.

The accompanying images are all of American rivers, not necessarily those mentioned in the songs. They have been drawn from various sources and copyright where appropriate belongs with their originators, to whom many grateful thanks.

"Down to the Roots" is a collection of new instrumental arrangements of traditional folk songs from the British Isles and (occasionally) the United States, performed on a range of acoustic instruments and multi-tracked in a small home studio. Various selections can be found on this channel, all accompanied by sequences of appropriate images.

Видео Red River Valley, Oh Shenandoah, By the Banks of the Ohio (Three American Rivers) канала Down to the Roots