Artist: Bill Burns
Year: 2023
Format: 7inch 45 RPM Record
Publisher: Dunlop Art Gallery
Jacket and label design by Shannon Griffiths
Music by Marshall Burns
Lyrics by Marshall Burns with notes from Bill Burns
Produced by Marshall Burns and Christopher Sleightholm
Recorded and Mixed by Christopher Sleightholm at Song Has No End Studio
Mastered by Orion Paradis
In 2017 Bill Burns initiated the Great Donkey Walk in the Swiss Alps at the behest of Swiss curator Roman Kurzmeyer. Roman runs the Atelier Amden in the canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland about half way between Zurich and Basel. It is supported by the Alfred Richterich Stiftung.
With Roman’s help Bill procured some Swiss salt from Sel des Alps and understandings were reached with a beekeeper and an apple grower in autumn of 2017. In spring of 2018 two donkey keepers and two donkeys joined the project. Bill bought new boots. Finally, the trek up the mountain trails in the Swiss Alps began in summer of 2018. Each of the donkeys’ packs were loaded with two kilogrammes of salt (four kilogrammes in total). The excursion was slow and deliberate. When the artist, the donkeys, their keepers and the curator arrived at the apple orchard Bill traded some salt for two dozen apples. Next, everybody recommenced their trek up the mountain. A crowd of followers had already joined them but now it was getting bigger. Mist filled the valley and the pathways became slippery. By and by the trekkers arrived at the beekeeper’s house where Bill negotiated an exchange of nine apples for a litre of honey. The junket continued to the summit (or more precisely the summer barns at the top of the mountain pastures). At the summit Bill and the curator first fed a few apples to the donkeys, then sliced the remaining apples, drizzled them with honey and served them to the crowd with a pinch of salt.
Great news: Bill Burns and The Dunlop Art Gallery recently commissioned Marshall Burns to write a ballad about Great Donkey Walk called a Ballad of Two Donkeys as well as a song about the Great Goat Milking called The Milk and The Honey. Now these amazing songs are available for the first time as recordings produced as a 7-inch 45 RPM record by the Dunlop Art Gallery. In addition to the generous support of Alfred Richterich Stiftung and Roman Kurzmeyer, Bill is very grateful to his nephew Marshall Burns, curator Tomas Jonsson, musicians Christopher Sleightholm, Brigid McNutt, Andy Beisel, designer Shannon Griffiths and MKG127.
Side A
The Milk and the Honey:
Marshall Burns – Vocals, Guitar, Wooden Spoons
Christopher Sleightholm – Bass
Brigid McNutt – Fiddle
Side B
A Ballad of Two Donkeys:
Marshall Burns – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Christopher Sleightholm – Baritone and Slide Guitar, Wooden Block
Andy Beisel – Mandolin