The Life & Times of James "The Rooster" Corcoran
Vincent Cross' new song cycle brings together early Irish-American ballads, and old-time mountain banjo with recently composed and discovered traditional songs around and about the infamous 19th century, Irish-American gang leader James "The Rooster" Corcoran. Corcoran was known for his "caustic tongue and ready wit," he was often stereotyped tabloid fodder for the newspapers of the 1800s. Many of the songs were written using historical documents as primary sources, and structured to resemble broadside ballads of the era. If you've ever seen the movie Gangs of New York, then this would be a musical accompaniment to the rogues, pimps, murders and thieves that inhabited New York City in the 19th century.