The idea for this Folk Psalms album came about through a special gift from Pastor John & Alice Weaver: a copy of The Book of Psalms for Singing. Published by the Reformed Presbyterian Church in North America, this Psalter contains the 150 Psalms arranged in rhyme & meter and set to familiar hymn melodies for easy singing. Since the banjo

The idea for this Folk Psalms album came about through a special gift from Pastor John & Alice Weaver: a copy of The Book of Psalms for Singing. Published by the Reformed Presbyterian Church in North America, this Psalter contains the 150 Psalms arranged in rhyme & meter and set to familiar hymn melodies for easy singing. Since the banjo does not lend itself well to some hymn melodies, we decided it would make an interesting project to try singing the Psalms to folk tunes instead (from whence we get the term Folk Psalms). Back in early 2002, we (Norm & Trish) began by arranging 3 or 4 psalms as part of our gospel music program, adding more as time went along and incorporating the children as they became proficient on their instruments. Finally in 2008 we were able to get the last three Psalms arranged to complete the dozen tunes on this recording. This project ended up taking nearly two years to complete, so the songs we recorded most recently reflected certain improvements in the children’s musical skills. Hannah also graduated from the ½ up to the ¾-size fiddle during the recording process. The tunes are in numerical order rather than the sequence recorded. Then in 2009 we began work on a companion songbook, now available separately, to partner with this recorded album. The Folk Psalms Companion contains chords, words & informational notes for each tune, plus an educational section. Besides the Weavers, we have many to thank for their help & encouragement with this album… • Above all we thank our Heavenly Father for the wonderful songbook He provides in His Word. It is a joy to sing the Psalms and realize anew just how fresh & timeless His Word is. • To the multi-talented Greg Bailey for his invaluable help throughout the recording process and for his mixing & mastering skills that helped hide our rough edges. ☺ To Betty Kottkamp for her expertise with the original & subsequent jacket layout & packaging. • To Alycia Chadwick for “babysitting” some of our youngest ones during numerous recording sessions; and to our many friends & family, thanks for your prayers & support.

We hope you will be blessed by the contents of this Folk Psalm collection and find it an effective means to hide His Word in your heart.

All arrangements by the Farnum Family Norm ~ Banjo & Vocals, Guitar on Psalm 119 Daniel ~ Bass & Vocals Hannah ~ Fiddle & Vocals on Psalm 67 & Jesus Loves Me Trish ~ Piano & Vocals, Penny-whistle on Psalms 24, 47 & 149 Benjamin ~ Mandolin Nathaniel ~ Vocals on Psalm 51 & Jesus Loves Me Maggie ~ Vocals on Jesus Loves Me Greg Bailey ~ Stone County Recording / Betty Kottkamp ~ MTB Studios / Disc Makers

Be sure to order our Folk Psalms Companion songbook to supplement this album (available elsewhere on this page).