Confederate General Robert E. Lee once remarked, “I don’t believe we can have an army without music.” And indeed, music and song were woven into the very fabric of the Civil War. There were songs of inspiration and brotherhood, songs of home so far away, songs to laugh to when laughter seemed impossible, and songs to simply pass the time when it seemed like nothing was ever going to happen.
And long after Lee surrendered, songs are still being written about that terrible chapter in the American story; music is one of the most important ways we carry our history with us. Buddy Mondlock will sing songs sung in the camps and field hospitals during the war as well as contemporary songs bringing the events of the time to life like no mere recounting of dates and locations ever could.
Buddy also writes songs. He does it so well that some great songwriters have recorded his songs on their own albums. Guy Clark, Nanci Griffith, and Janis Ian, to name just a few. You might’ve heard his song “The Kid” (recorded by David Wilcox, Peter, Paul and Mary and Cry, Cry, Cry) and maybe even sung it yourself around a campfire. He draws you into his world - where a single snowflake follows the trajectory of a relationship, where you get your pocket picked by a Roman cat, where you might swim over the edge of the world if you’re not careful and where dreams that don’t come true still count. To learn more about Buddy, visit her website at www.buddymondlock.com.
Buddy will perform at Coffeyville Community College on April 2nd as part of the Humanities Project. The public is invited to the 10:30 a.m. Tuesday humanities performances at CCC. The performances are free and held in the Spencer/Rounds Performing Arts Theatre.
For more information about the humanities project at CCC, please call 620-251-7700, ext. 2166.