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Folk singer Adam Miller to perform at Sarris Library

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There are some songs that, no matter your age or where you grew up, you just know – “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” “London Bridge,” “Three Blind Mice” – songs that folk singer and storyteller Adam Miller call an “oral tradition,” which were passed down for years without ever being written down.

“There is a whole culture of these little homilies, poetry and song snatches we repeat,” said Miller. “There are jokes, songs and poems we impart to our kids, almost unconsciously.”

Miller, who travels 70,000 miles to perform more than 200 concerts a year, is interested in how folk songs travel through history and how history travels through folk songs. Specifically, he is interested in “songs that have survived one or more lifetimes – songs that have endurance and staying power outside of popular culture.”

He believes his gig is to perform the songs that have been sung for hundreds of years, and when he moves on, for the next person to take over.

“We live in a time of great, popular music. Music is everywhere – in the elevator, at the grocery store. But a short 120 years ago, people didn’t hear music very often,” he said. “People had to share songs and stories, and a lot of those songs and stories survived.”

Miller, who sings and plays the autoharp and guitar, performs concerts tailored for adults or children, but always weaves together a show that incorporates events in history.

Observer-Reporter

Observer-Reporter

Frank Sarris Public Library.

“My program is very conversational,” he said. “It feels like a conversation with the audience.”

Miller will perform a free concert from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday at Frank Sarris Public Library, Canonsburg, to kick off the library’s adult summer reading program.

His “Steamboatin’ Days” show incorporates songs with ties to local history, including the introduction of the railroad and how it brought about the end of steamboats.

“I make every effort to include Pennsylvania folk songs and songs about steamships in Pittsburgh,” said Miller, whose repertoire includes more than 5,000 songs.

Miller said he first became interested in folk music as a child in California, when his mother loaded him into the family station wagon and took him to hear Sam Hinton perform. As an adult, Miller connected with Hinton and studied under him.

Now, when Miller performs, he regularly encounters people who tell him, “That reminds me of a song my parents used to sing.” His goal is to get them singing along.

No matter if his audience is hearing about trains or World War I, Miller believes Americans have a craving for history.

“America isn’t very old. … People want to know how they fit in,” he said. “I find, as I sit in my programs, that adult audiences are hungry to know how they fit in. Because we are a melting pot with a short memory, Americans are hungry about history. I stick with history I let the other people do the contemporary songs.”

For more information, visit www.folksinging.org.

Royce McCornack

Folk singer and storyteller Adam Miller will perform his concert, “Steamboatin’ Days,” incorporating folk songs tied to local history.

Summer Reading Program for Adults at Frank Sarris Public Library, Canonsburg, kicks off Monday with a free concert by Adam Miller from 6 to 7:30 p.m., with a reception to follow.

Guests can also apply for a library card and find out about weekly prize drawings.

The program will end with a celebration at North Strabane Community Park on Aug. 4.

For more information, call 724-745-1308 or visit www.franksarrislibrary.org.

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