Jane Fallon and Mike Worrall - Cotton Jenny

Veteran songwriters and performers Jane Fallon and Mike Worrall have teamed up to craft their personal take on Gordon Lightfoot’s pastoral song “Cotton Jenny.” Having met at a Florida Music Festival, they discovered their shared interest in well-crafted words and melodies. What started as a fun romp ended in this recording where they combine elegant vocals and artistic musicianship to convey Lightfoot’s story of a working man and his eternal love for Jenny, and for getting on with life as the “wheels go round.”

“I was at a campfire and heard this great voice,” Jane says. “I introduced myself and he returned the compliment. Noticing also his fine-tuned instrumental skills, I asked if he would back me in singing ‘Cotton Jenny.’ Our arrangement and performance seemed to fit us and was a hit with the audience. Awhile later, I suggested we do a studio version.”

They met up with producer Scott Anderson, a well-known musician and part of the band Have Gun Will Travel in his studio and spent a few hours putting it together. Mike added bass, acoustic and lead guitar, and, of course, harmonies to Jane’s guitar and vocals.

“I had been doing ‘Cotton Jenny’ for a while,” Jane said. “My voice had often been compared to Anne Murray’s. She had a big hit single with the song. Interestingly, Gordon never recorded it as a single, but it was included in his album Summer Side of Life.

Jane and Mike are consummate songwriters and are not used to recording cover songs. But their shared appreciation for the time-honored talents of Gordon Lightfoot seemed a good place to begin, and a great way to remember him on his birth anniversary of November 17th.