Bookmarked: Singer David Francey reads true crime on the road
I read a lot of true crime books on the road of late. Scouring the used book stores on our way west, I found the book I am presently reading. In essence it is a history of the origins of the Sicilian Mafia in America by Mike Dash entitled The First Family, The Birth of the American Mafia.
David Francey gets bookmarked
Manitoba SCENE · CBC News ·
David Francey plays The Park Theatre Oct. 15. (Tony Girardin)
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Scottish-born folksinger David Francey is a carpenter-turned-singer who writes songs about working people and spins great stories on stage.
Francey's songs have been covered by the likes of The Rankins and James Keelaghan. His recordings have garnered many awards. Francey takes the stage at The Park Theatre in Winnipeg, on October 15.
SCENE bookmarked the legendary singer and storyteller:
I read a lot of true crime books on the road of late. Scouring the used book stores on our way west, I found the book I am presently reading.
In essence it is a history of the origins of the Sicilian Mafia in America by Mike Dash entitled The First Family, The Birth of the American Mafia.
Set in the end of the 19th century and the early 20th, it is an extensively and meticulously researched work. Because of that research Dash's story unfolds with startling detail and an almost current immediacy.
The First Family makes for a compelling read for singer David Francey. (Random House)The stories of the long dead villains he writes about still haunt the mean streets of turn of the century Little Italy, vibrant and violent to this day.
Dash builds his story around the rise and inevitable fall of Sicilian immigrant Giuseppe Morello, the first "boss of bosses" in the new world. He was an unlikely man to rise to that position, a man of slight stature, a peasant with a badly deformed right arm that ended in a single finger.
In a world of hard and violent men this man was reliably violent, driven by the desire to dominate.
A handsome villain, with a stone continence, his moustache worn in the brigands style. He is a truly frightening subject.
Dash has a remarkable ability to place the reader on the scene, as if reporting directly from the past, the settings accurate and compelling.
It is a fascinating read from an impressive author and researcher. When I finish this book I will certainly be on the search for another one of his works.
Catch David Francey at The Park Theatre, Oct. 15 at 8:00 p.m.
