LauraPalooza attendees will recognize the name Dale Cockrell, a musicologist from Vanderbilt University who spoke in Mankato 
about Laura, Pa, and the music he played for their family. For the past few years, one of his main projects has been bringing to life the music Laura wrote about in her books. His company, Pa’s Fiddle Productions, has just released the third CD of Little House tunes.
So let me ask: Have you indulged your need for all things Laura by loading this music onto your iPod? Have you tapped your toe to “Captain Jinks”? (My daughter adores this.) Have you heard the full lyrics of Laura’s favorite “Gypsy King”?
If you have, hooray! You must love them as much as I do.
If you haven’t, why ever not, goosie?
Well, for the stragglers, here’s something to put on your Christmas list. Pa’s Fiddle is now offering both Happy Land (songs from the whole series) and The Arkansas Traveler (songs from solely Little House on the Prairie) plus the brand-new Charles Ingalls: American Fiddler — a collection of fiddle-only performances culled from the Little House books — for only $29. (It’s actually $27, but $2 shipping is added when you order.) And Charles Ingalls: American Fiddler isn’t officially available until January 19, 2011.
Order right on the Pa’s Fiddle web site.
I have to admit, some of these instrumentals are striking. Reading over the titles, I’m shocked to see how many I don’t instantly recognize. But there they are, mentioned in the text of Laura’s books … probably not etched in my memory because there were no lyrics to isolate.
My personal favorite right now? “The Devil’s Dream.”