This is the missing link we were looking for in the story of Richard Harrow and his Potts song cycle, thanks to the archives of Laurie Mills. In the mid-80's, Harrow and collaborator Glen Mundy returned to their Potts songs, recording this tape and staging shows at Fort Calgary. The production is slicker, less of the country rock slant of the original LP. You get a bit of a bonus with this - we pulled two copies out of Laurie Mills' collection, one labelled Demo and noting that it was narrated by Mundy and Harrow. So what you get are two versions - one with just the tunes, and another with, well, narration. We're guessing that's more what the stage show was like. [center][img width=412]//7ca49eb9f67ba1319ef136f9d52cd8b8.cdn.bubble.io/f1748401099689x166875264893473250/richtext_content.jpeg[/img][/center] [h2]Songs tell story of Metis scout's place in history[/h2] By Kate Zimmerman (Herald staff writer) Music and history are combined in an irreverent storytelling format in Potts: Selections from the Musical. It's an hour that's far from slick, but the presentation is fun, the music is sometimes catchy and a little history sinks in, too. The story is about Jerry Potts, a Metis adventurer who became a scout for the R.C.M.P., under Colonel J. F. Macleod, in the late 19th century. A heavy drinker who killed many men in fights and battles, Potts' is certainly an interesting story, not easily summed up in an hour. This show is merely representative of a much larger "rock musical," which had its debut in 1974. The excerpts make one wish to see the original. Richard Harrow, who composed the music, is dressed as Potts in suede jacket and moccasins. Potts' author Glen Mundy, appears as Colonel Macleod, in scarlet and gold. The songs cover a range of musical styles, from folk to blues. The two men accompany themselves on various guitars (Mundy plays the harmonica as well) and on several tunes a tape recording rounds out their some- times-messy sound. The songs describe important periods and moments in Potts' life including the murder of his father by an Indian, and young Potts' revenge. But in spite of gruesome events like a massacre of the Cree, there's lots of humor included in the show, both in the songs and bridging the gaps between them.
