Kossoy Sisters
Encyclopedia
The Kossoy Sisters, Irene Saletan and Ellen Christenson, are an American folk
and old time music act based around the identical twin sisters Irene Saletan and Ellen Christenson. In their music, Irene sings mezzo soprano vocal, and Ellen supplies soprano
harmony
, with Irene on guitar
and Ellen playing the 5-string banjo
in a traditional up-picking technique. Their performances are notable examples of close harmonies
singing. They began performing professionally in their mid teens and are esteemed as a significant part of the popular folk music movement that started in the mid 1950s.
The sisters were born on May 11, 1938 in New York City
, USA. The twins began singing together at about the age of six, in imitation of harmonies created in the home by their mother and aunt. At fifteen they attended a summer camp at which Pete Seeger
and other well known folk singers often performed, and they developed a lifelong attachment to the genre. They quickly discovered the bustling folk music
scene in the Greenwich Village
section of New York City and mingled with the people who congregated in Washington Square Park
.
When they were seventeen, they recorded the album Bowling Green which features the sisters' close harmonies
and accompaniment by Erik Darling. The duo were introduced to a new audience when their version of "I'll Fly Away
" from this album was used in the film O Brother, Where Art Thou?
.
They performed in the first Newport Folk Festival
in 1959. They also were in the original stage production of Woody Guthrie's
"Bound for Glory" and at the Fox Hollow Folk Festival in Petersburgh, NY. They toured California in 1981 and have appeared in the Boston area, Washington DC, New York Pinewood Camp, various venues in the St. Louis area and numerous other locations.
A second CD, "Hop on Pretty Girls," appeared in 2002 on the Living Folk label. A non-commercial CD, "Kossoy Sisters," is available from Public Radio Station WBUR in Boston. It is a recording of an interview with the twins on February 23, 2003, during their promotional tour for "Hop on Pretty Girls."
Irene and Ellen attended local schools in New York and went on to graduate from Blackburn College in Carlinville, Illinois
. Soon after completion of their formal studies, the sisters married. Ellen moved to St. Louis and Irene settled in the Boston area. Irene and her husband Anthony D. Saletan performed together for some time as Tony and Irene Saletan. They released an album themselves, Folk Songs and Ballads, in 1970 on Folk-Legacy Records
. Over the years the sisters have continued to perform live while also immersing themselves in the responsibilities of family life. Ellen has a son and a daughter, and Irene has a son and a daughter.
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
and old time music act based around the identical twin sisters Irene Saletan and Ellen Christenson. In their music, Irene sings mezzo soprano vocal, and Ellen supplies soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
harmony
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
, with Irene on guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and Ellen playing the 5-string banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
in a traditional up-picking technique. Their performances are notable examples of close harmonies
Close harmony
Close harmony is an arrangement of the notes of chords within a narrow range. It is different from open harmony or voicing in that it uses each part on the closest harmonizing note , while the open voicing uses a broader pitch array expanding the harmonic range past the octave...
singing. They began performing professionally in their mid teens and are esteemed as a significant part of the popular folk music movement that started in the mid 1950s.
The sisters were born on May 11, 1938 in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, USA. The twins began singing together at about the age of six, in imitation of harmonies created in the home by their mother and aunt. At fifteen they attended a summer camp at which Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger
Peter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
and other well known folk singers often performed, and they developed a lifelong attachment to the genre. They quickly discovered the bustling folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
scene in the Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
section of New York City and mingled with the people who congregated in Washington Square Park
Washington Square Park
Washington Square Park is one of the best-known of New York City's 1,900 public parks. At 9.75 acres , it is a landmark in the Manhattan neighborhood of Greenwich Village, as well as a meeting place and center for cultural activity...
.
When they were seventeen, they recorded the album Bowling Green which features the sisters' close harmonies
Close harmony
Close harmony is an arrangement of the notes of chords within a narrow range. It is different from open harmony or voicing in that it uses each part on the closest harmonizing note , while the open voicing uses a broader pitch array expanding the harmonic range past the octave...
and accompaniment by Erik Darling. The duo were introduced to a new audience when their version of "I'll Fly Away
I'll Fly Away
"I'll Fly Away", is a hymn written in 1929 by Albert E. Brumley and published in 1932 by the Hartford Music company in a collection titled Wonderful Message...
" from this album was used in the film O Brother, Where Art Thou?
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a 2000 comedy film directed by Joel and Ethan Coen and starring George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, John Goodman, Holly Hunter, and Charles Durning. Set in 1937 rural Mississippi during the Great Depression, the film's story is a modern satire loosely...
.
They performed in the first Newport Folk Festival
Newport Folk Festival
The Newport Folk Festival is an American annual folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the previously established Newport Jazz Festival...
in 1959. They also were in the original stage production of Woody Guthrie's
Woody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
"Bound for Glory" and at the Fox Hollow Folk Festival in Petersburgh, NY. They toured California in 1981 and have appeared in the Boston area, Washington DC, New York Pinewood Camp, various venues in the St. Louis area and numerous other locations.
A second CD, "Hop on Pretty Girls," appeared in 2002 on the Living Folk label. A non-commercial CD, "Kossoy Sisters," is available from Public Radio Station WBUR in Boston. It is a recording of an interview with the twins on February 23, 2003, during their promotional tour for "Hop on Pretty Girls."
Irene and Ellen attended local schools in New York and went on to graduate from Blackburn College in Carlinville, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. Soon after completion of their formal studies, the sisters married. Ellen moved to St. Louis and Irene settled in the Boston area. Irene and her husband Anthony D. Saletan performed together for some time as Tony and Irene Saletan. They released an album themselves, Folk Songs and Ballads, in 1970 on Folk-Legacy Records
Folk-Legacy Records
Folk-Legacy Records is an independent recording company specializing in traditional and contemporary folk music of the English-speaking world. It was founded in 1961 by Sandy and Caroline Paton along with the late Lee Baker Haggerty...
. Over the years the sisters have continued to perform live while also immersing themselves in the responsibilities of family life. Ellen has a son and a daughter, and Irene has a son and a daughter.
Discography
- Bowling Green, Tradition 1956 (rerelased by RykodiscRykodiscRykodisc Records is an American record label. It is owned by Warner Music Group, operates as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance.-Company history:...
in 1996, Released as part of the three disc set "The Best of the Bluegrass Tradition.) - Hop on Pretty Girls, Living Folk 2002
- Kossoy Sisters, Recording of an interview from the National Public Radio program "On Point", February 23, 2003
- Banjo Music of the Southern Appalachians, Erik Darling (The Kossoy Sisters appear on this record).
- Instrumental Music and Songs of Southern Appalachians, Erik Darling (The last ten tracks of this CD, all sung by the Kossoy Sisters, appear to be copied from Banjo Music of the Southern Appalachians).
See also
- O Kossoy Sisters Where Art Thou Been?, countrystandardtime.com Retrieved June 18, 2008
- Kossoy Sisters.com, Official Website Retrieved on June 18, 2008