Benjamin Deane [Laws F32]
DESCRIPTION: Benjamin Deane, the singer, is successful in business but wants more. He turns to criminal activities on the side. When his wife leaves him, he shoots her in a jealous rage. Now he is in prison, warning others against his sort of behavior
AUTHOR: probably Joe Scott
EARLIEST DATE: 1934 (Eckstorm collection, according to Ives-Joe-Scott-TheWoodsmanSongmaker)
KEYWORDS: homicide jealousy prison
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
1898 - Benjamin F. Deane (born in New Brunswick in 1854) murders his wife in Berlin Falls, New Hampshire. Tried and convicted, he spent less than ten years in prison
FOUND IN: US(MA,NE) Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES (8 citations):
Laws F32, "Benjamin Deane"
Ives-Joe-Scott-TheWoodsmanSongmaker, pp. 228-266, "Benjamin Deane" (2 texts, 4 tunes, with mentions of 29 versions)
Creighton-MaritimeFolkSongs, pp. 189-191, "Benjamin Dean" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ives-DriveDullCareAway-PrinceEdwardIsland, pp. 89-91,241-242, "Benjamin Deane" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ives-21FolksongsFromPrinceEdwardIsland, pp. 54-59,78-79, "Benjamin Deane" (1 text, 1 tune)
Manny/Wilson-SongsOfMiramichi 5, "Benjamin Deane" (1 text, 1 tune)
Cohen-AmericanFolkSongsARegionalEncyclopedia1, pp. 22-24, "Ben Deane" (1 text)
DT 686, BENJDEAN
Roud #2271
NOTES [70 words]: Sandy Ives says "there need be no question that Joe Scott [Joseph W. Scott] wrote BENJAMIN DEANE" (internet correspondence, based on Ives's article in JournalOfAmericanFolklore 72, 1959). But Laws, though he quotes this information, does so in such a way as to imply he still has doubts. - RBW
Ives-DriveDullCareAway-PrinceEdwardIsland and Ives-21FolksongsFromPrinceEdwardIsland are the same August 19, 1958 performance. - BS
Last updated in version 3.6
File: LF32
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