Origins: Oscar Brand's 'Wake Island'

Subject: Origins: Oscar Brand's 'Wake Island'
From: Lighter
Date: 14 Jan 07 - 12:31 PM

About 1960 Oscar Brand recorded a collection of songs for, about, and presumably by, U.S. Marines. One was called "Wake Island," and the lyrics are in the DT:

http://www.mudcat.org/@displaysong.cfm?SongID=7567

Brand's tune was "The Cyclone of Rye Cove," by the Carter Family.

Is there any evidence at all that the song existed before Brand began singing it ? Has anyone reading this post ever sung it ?

Subject: RE: Origins: Oscar Brand's 'Wake Island'
From: Charley Noble
Date: 14 Jan 07 - 02:35 PM

Why not contact Oscar Brand? He's still based in NYC and runs a folk music radio show on WNYC. Here's a link to his website: Click here for website

He was a veteran of World War 2 and may have collected the song while editing a newsletter to the troops.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Origins: Oscar Brand's 'Wake Island'
From: Lighter
Date: 15 Jan 07 - 05:43 PM

Charley, I've said it before and I'll say it again: "D'oh !"

But even if he "collected" it, nothing resembling it appears elsewhere. I'm still interested to know whether the song has caught on in the nearly half-century since it went public.

Subject: The 'Wake Island' Story
From: Gene
Date: 16 Jan 07 - 02:19 PM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Wake_Island