Pretty Saro (Traditional Appalachian Folk Ballad) - Sam Shackleton

Playing my own Scottish version of a traditional Appalachian emigrant folk ballad called “Pretty Saro” on the banjo outside an old medieval church from the 1500’s on the beautiful Isle of Harris, Scotland. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Pretty Saro is a really interesting folk ballad, having first been found in England in the 1700’s, before being lost to time, only to be rediscovered by folklorists in the mountains of Appalachia where the song had survived and developed, having been carried over by the many thousands of emigrants who made the arduous journey across the Atlantic. As is such with these old cross cultural folk ballads, many different versions exist. So, I decided to create my own Scottish version, and I couldn’t think of a more fitting backdrop than this old medieval Hebridean church. 🪕

I recently sailed back over to the Isle of Harris to spend Christmas with my mother. The seas were rough, but nothing the modern ferry couldn’t handle. It really makes me think of all those souls from the past, who travelled across the wild North Atlantic in small wooden boats to make new lives for themselves. What ballads and stories may they have carried with them and how many more too were sadly lost to the depths. Wishing you all a merry Christmas, and as always if ya liked this tune, you can stream all my music with the link in my bio - cheers!! 🎄

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