Musician, actor, song collector Burl Ives talks about his career and the popularity of folk ballads.
American singer and actor Burl Ives is looking to buy a home in Ireland as a place to rest when he is not on the road working. Although he has a reputation as a kind of troubadour who collects songs, Burl Ives claims that he never went looking for ballads but rather came across them as he travelled. He now has a repertoire of at least three hundred songs and has made forty three albums.
I just sort of got them by osmosis.
For Burl, the popularity of ballads will continue as folk culture and popular culture come closer together. A fan of Irish ballads, he has published a book of Irish songs.
Away from music, Burl Ives is also a successful actor. His film roles include playing Harvey "Big Daddy" Pollitt in 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' (1958), starring alongside Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman.
This episode of Newsbeat was broadcast on 9 December 1964. The reporter is Des Keogh.
