http://mothra.nts.uci.edu:80/~dhwalker/dixie/ (World Wide Web Directory, 06/1995)
Ain't Whistlin' Dixie
Ain't Whistlin' Dixie 
Traditional Music for Penny Whistle and Ocarina
Ain't Whistlin' Dixie is, as far as I know, the Internet's first music album. It contains a collection of traditional music from Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales and America performed by me on the Penny Whistle and Ocarina.
I am not a professional musician. While I have played for many years with Blackthorn, Orange County, California's premier Irish band (and been paid for it), the wages earned for playing live music in wine bars and coffee houses hardly counts. I am best categorized as "local talent." The fascinating thing about the Internet is that it provides us local talents with a global, yet informal, outlet for our work. We can produce albums like Ain't Whistlin' Dixie without the time, effort, stress (and money) required to do studio-quality work. It's a marvelous opportunity!
It is in this spirit that I offer Ain't Whistlin' Dixie. I hope you enjoy it.
The Tunes
Each tune is available in two audio formats, "AU" and "AIFF," as well as a short sampler in the AU format. The AIFF version is noticeably better quality, but is not supported on many computing platforms (and takes 2-3 times longer to transfer). To play the AU version, click on the title of the tune or the 
button. To hear the higher-quality version, click on the 
button. The sampler can be heard by clicking on the 
button.
These two reels are the standard opening for most Blackthorn performances. They're happy tunes and good at getting the audience to realize that things have started. D Penny Whistle
This tune is also known as the Saint Patrick's Day Jig. It's one of the first tunes I learned. D Penny Whistle
This is a haunting air that I learned from the playing of Joe and Antoinette McKenna. D Penny Whistle
This tune is actually a song. The first couple of lines go "The Quaker's wife, she baked some scones, and Johnny danced when they were done. Merrily Kissed the Quaker's wife, and merrily kissed the quaker." D Penny Whistle
This is one of hundreds of tunes that are attributed to Turlough O'Carolan, a famous blind Irish harper. The story goes that this was his first composition. D Penny Whistle
A "star" is a champion. This song, which I perform as an air, is about the winner of the beauty contest in County Down. C Penny Whistle
Normally, I play this as a duet with Greg Mirken of Blackthorn on bones. We call it the Bargain Duet for two reasons: 1) it's played on the two least expensive looking instruments any of us play, and 2) we can't remember the names of the two tunes that make up this medley. Ocarina
Barbara Allen is a beautiful song about a young girl who spurns her lover, only to find that he dies shortly thereafter. Sounds like a 50's love ballad, huh? Ocarina
One of Turlough O'Carolan's "planxty" tunes; planxty means "in honor of." O'Carolan wrote hundreds of them as payment for bed and a meal. D Penny Whistle
A tune O'Carolan wrote after a night at the Irwin's. D Penny Whistle
A really neat hornpipe. D Penny Whistle
It's hard to find a traditional Irish musician who doesn't know this set tune. It's always made a good closing piece. D Penny Whistle
David Walker - 7/6/94 (Text revised 10/28/94.)
http://mothra.nts.uci.edu:80/~dhwalker/dixie/ (World Wide Web Directory, 06/1995)