Cleveland Francis // Beyond The Willow Tree 2xLP

This is a reissue double record set by Southern American folk writer Cleveland Francis.

Contains 21 songs including unreleased demo sound sources.

Below is a commentary by the author himself.

“These recordings are a peek into my soul through childhood, poverty, segregation, prejudice, war, a long and lonely journey to understand the feelings of love and hope. It represents my attempt to express and come to terms with everything I've seen and felt as a black person."

Below is a commentary by the label.

"A 21-track 2-LP anthology restored and remastered from the original master tapes by Grammy Award-winning mastering engineer Michael Graves. Francis' debut 'Follow Me', as well as previously unreleased and unheard covers. A second record containing demos is included.Deluxe tip-on gatefold sleeve with liner notes by Cleveland Francis and Forager Records.The artwork is based on the original Follow Me record with photos of Francis from the late 2's and early 60's.

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Beyond The Willow Tree is a hauntingly beautiful anthology of folk songs about the experiences of a young black man growing up in the segregated South.A balanced mix of covers and originals, Cleveland Francis' work seamlessly blends deep, soulful vocals with acoustic folk instrumentation. late 60's,Francis coined the term "soulfolk" and performed cross-genre music on college campuses and coffee shops while earning a medical degree from the College of William and Mary.

These songs act as the missing link between soul and folk music, stifled by the harsh political climate of the music industry heavily influenced by racial stereotypes. "Black people play blues or soul music, but I wanted to play folk music," he said.Francis professes.

This double LP containsIncludes all tracks from Francis' 1970 self-album Follow Me, with original artwork and liner notes printed inside the gatefold. The second LP includes Beyond The Willow Tree, an unreleased demo recorded in 2 and a limited edition of 1968 singles recorded in 1970. "

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2x12" black vinyl.

Forager Records:

"21 track double LP anthology, restored and remastered from the original master tapes by grammy award winning mastering engineer Michael Graves. Includes Francis' debut release “Follow Me”, as well as a second record featuring unreleased and never before heard covers and demos. Made with a deluxe tip-on gatefold sleeve with liner notes written by Cleveland Francis and Forager Records. Artwork based on the original Follow Me record featuring photos of Francis from the late 60s and early 70s.

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Beyond The Willow Tree is a hauntingly beautiful anthology of folk songs chronicling the experience of a young black man growing up in the segregated south. A balanced mix of covers and originals, Cleveland Francis' body of work seamlessly blends deep, soulful vocals with the stripped down acoustic instrumentation of folk. In the late 60's Francis coined the term “soulfolk”, playing his genre bending music across college campuses and coffee shops while earning a medical degree at William & Mary.

These songs serve as a missing link between soul and folk music, suppressed by the harsh political landscape of a music industry heavily influenced by racial stereotypes. “If you were black, you played blues or soul music … I wanted to play folk music,” Cleveland professed.

Included in this double LP set is Cleveland Francis' entire 1970 self released album Follow Me, featuring the original artwork and liner notes printed inside the gatefold. The second LP takes you Beyond The Willow Tree with unreleased demos recorded in 1968 along with one 45 only A single recorded in 1970."

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Artist statement by Cleveland Francis:

“These recordings are a look into my soul through a long and lonely journey to understand feelings of my childhood, poverty, racial segregation, bigotry, war, love and hope. seen and felt as a Black man growing up in America.” 

Artist: Cleveland Francis

Label: Forager Records