To mark Labour Day, we trace a line from quiet graft to collective thunder: Stanley Kirkby’s “The Farmer’s Boy” (1912, Beka-Grand-Record) opens with rural work ethic and upward hope; Alan Turner’s “The Village Blacksmith” (Victor) hammers out craft pride and debtless independence; and Chaliapin’s “Dubinushka” (HMV DA 621, 1924)…
