Folk Revival wicn.org 90.5FM

PARENTS, CHILDREN (and one grandchild) OF THE FOLK REVIVAL MARCH6th

2008-03-07T17:18:00.005-05:00

Next week:
All-Irish show next week, featuring Spailpin, the Dubliners, the Irish Rovers, Tommy Makem & the Clancy Brothers, the Grehan Sisters, Barleycorn, Mick Moloney, Joan Baez, Brier, the Limeliters, John McEvoy, the Highwaymen, Chris Ball, Fair Isle Folk, Patsy Watchorn, the Dublin City Ramblers, Josef Locke, the Chieftans, the Black Brothers, Mary O’Dowd and the Robert Shaw Chorale.
This week we heard from:

Terry Gilkyson, Eliza Gilkyson (singing her stuff and one of her Dad’s songs), and Tony Gilkyson (singing his stuff, a song of his Dad’s w/Eliza, and a Woody Guthrie song). Woody Guthrie, Arlo Guthrie, and Sara Lee Guthrie (a couple of her songs and a Hoyt Axton song, with Dad Arlo singing on one of them).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9iuYDK2x-o
Josh White and Josh White, Jr. (one from each, plus a 1945 broadcast recording featuring Josh Sr, 4-year old Josh Jr, an d Duke Ellington’s Orchestra).

Johnny, June Carter, and Rosanne Cash (a total of five songs)
Harry (2 songs) and Shari (1 song) Belafonte. Levon Helm and daughter Amy (Ollabelle). Gil Robbins (Cumberland Three, Highwaymen) and son Tim Robbins (singing Pete Seeger’s ALL MY CHILDREN OF THE SUN). Bonnie Raitt (a Pete Seeger folk song and a duet with Dad John—OK, it was ANYTHING YOU CAN DO by Irving Berlin).

We raised $255 (show’s goal was $200) and then someone matched it.

This week's show ~ Feb 21, 2008

2008-02-23T00:43:00.004-05:00

"When the Village Was Green" -- the original Highwaymen: 50 Years of Folksinging. Nick had two guests-- Dave Fisher and Bob Burnett of the original Highwaymen-- and they had a great time. He played 40 songs over the three hours, they talked a lot, and they sang one song live in the studio -- "Finnegan's Wake". Thanks to all.
originalhighwaymen.com

Valentine's Day Show - FEB 14th

2008-02-15T21:34:00.001-05:00

On Valentine's Day Nick played 50 folk love songs—all types—romantic, sweet, happy, sad, cynical, tragic—all kinds.
Artists included The Seekers, Jean Ritchie, the Highwaymen, the New Christy Minstrels, the Dublin City Ramblers, Brier, the Grehan Sisters, Joan Baez, Joe & Eddie, Ann Reed, the Brandywine Singers, Dave Fisher (solo), Judy Collins, Ian & Sylvia, Peter-Paul-&-Mary, Noel Paul Stookey (solo), Mary Travers (solo), The Monkees, Burl Ives, Scott McKnight, John Jorgensen, Aloha Steamtrain, Mitch & Mickey (from A MIGHTY WIND), and The Maple Street Project.

Next week: The original Highwaymen—50 years of folk music, with guests Bob Burnett and Dave Fisher of the original Highwaymen in the studio with Nick Noble on The Folk Revival.

Women in Folk Music - FEB 7th

2008-02-15T21:14:00.003-05:00

Before there was Joan, Judy, Joni there was Carolyn Hester, Barbara Dane and Odetta.
below is a traditional song about the Irish famine recorded in 1963 as part of "Bob Dylan and Co."that another member put up. It was also on Carolyn's second Columbia LP.

Joan and Mimi sing in Spanish at Sing Sing - 1972

2008-02-01T16:01:00.000-05:00

On Thanksgiving Day, 1972, New York's Sing Sing Prison invited B.B. King, Joan Baez, the Voices of East Harlem, comedian Jimmy Walker, and others to perform for the inmates. New York's Daily News called it one of the greatest concert moments in live entertainment. B.B. King later said it was maybe the best performance that he had ever given. http://www.thehoffmancollection.com/

Thanks to Nick for his great show on American folk singers performing folk songs in
many languages.

Thanks to Nick Noble Jan 24th

2008-01-25T10:43:00.000-05:00

The Thursday 1/24 show was in part a tribute to John Stewart, who died one week ago at age 68, in part a celebration of the Dr King holiday week, and in part an eclectic mix of my favorites old and new (kincluding Union songs, story songs, etc.). Artists featured included The Cumberland Three, the Kingston Trio, John Stewart, Dion (ABRAHAM, MARTIN, & JOHN), Joan Baez, Nancy Griffith, the Highwaymen, the Limeliters, Josh White, Tom Glazer, Roseanne Cash, Peter-Paul-&-Mary, Mary Travers (solo), Schooner Fare, the Brothers Four, the Brandywine Singers, Bud & Travis, and many others.

Next
Thursday 1/31 the general focus will be on artists of the Folk Revival singing songs in other languages.
Thursday 2/7 – The Women of the Folk Revival
Thursday 2/14 – Love Songs of the Folk Revival (in time for Valentines Day)
Thursday 2/21 – The Highwaymen and their contemporaries – “When the Village Was Green”
Thursday 2/28 – NO NICK (out of state)
And in March—a show featuring Irish and Scots music of the Folk Revival (there was a LOT of it) as we head into St. Patrick’s Day

And a Tribute to Doctor Martin Luther King...
Joan Baez sings "We Shall Overcome"

Hear Woody's Music live - Ribbon of Highway Tour

2008-01-10T18:23:00.000-05:00

January 12 - 8:00p - MASSACHUSETTS
Ribbon of Highway, Endless Skyway
A Celebration in the Spirit of Woody Guthrie
With Jimmy LaFave, The Burns Sisters, Joel Rafael, Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion.
Joyful Noise Coffeehouse
The First Baptist Church
1580 Massachusetts Avenue
Lexington, MA 02420
T: (781) 861-0142

January 13 - 7:30p - VERMONT
Ribbon of Highway, Endless Skyway
A Celebration in the Spirit of Woody Guthrie
With Jimmy LaFave, The Burns Sisters, Joel Rafael, Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion.
Tunbridge Church
Turnbridge, VT 05077
T: (802) 431-3433

January 14 - 7:30p - NEW YORK
Ribbon of Highway, Endless Skyway
A Celebration in the Spirit of Woody Guthrie
With Jimmy LaFave, The Burns Sisters, Joel Rafael, Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion.

The Knitting Factory
74 Leonard Street
New York, NY 10013
T: (212) 219-3121
Venue Website

The facts of his life ~ Woody Guthrie

2008-01-04T01:54:00.000-05:00

Woody Guthrie
Date of Birth
14 July 1912, Okemah, Oklahoma, USA
Date of Death
4 October 1967, Queens, New York, USA. (huntington's disease)
Birth Name
Woodrow Wilson Guthrie

IMDb Mini Biography By: Ed Stephan

Charley and Nora Guthrie named their son after the Democrat elected president that year. Woodrow Wilson Guthrie knew hard times as a youngster (his house burned down, his sister Clara burned to death, his father's small-town business and political careers never went anywhere, his mother suffered from undiagnosed Huntington's Disease and was declared insane), but he enjoyed performing (dancing, playing harmonica, writing songs) and learning (he read voraciously in the public library). In 1933 he married Mary Jennings, five years his junior, with whom he would have three children. In 1935 he joined the Oakies and Arkies driven to California by theDust Bowl. His songs went from describing the tragedy of the migrants to urging their unionization. Though he wrote a column for the Weekly People, he never joined the Communist Party. When Will Geer got a part in the play "Tobacco Road" he invited Woody to join him in New York where he met Pete Seeger, Lee Hays, Leadbelly, Cisco Houston. He was commissioned to write songs for a never-completed documentary on Washington State's Grand Coulee Dam, and it was in the Pacific Northwest that his family left him. Back in New York in 1940, Woody joined Pete Seeger's Alamanc Singers and married Martha Graham dancer Marjorie Mazia. His autobiography, Bound for Glory, was published in 1943. He served in the Merchant Marine in World War II, and three ships were torpedoed from under him. In 1946 he and Marjorie's daughter, Cathy, was burned to death in an apartment fire. They had three more children: Arlo, Joady and Nora. In 1953 he married for a third time, to Anneke Van Kirk. They had a child, Lorinna Lynn Guthrie. Anneke solely raised her until her premature death (at age 19) in 1973, from a car accident in California.

In the 1950s he experienced bouts of irrational behavior and was often unable to play his guitar; his condition was ultimately diagnosed as Huntington's Disease. The rest of that decade and into the 1960s a new generation, notably including Bob Dylan, began to discover and play his music, adapting some of it to the new Civil Rights movement.

Spouse
Anneke Van Kirk (2 December 1953 - 1956) (divorced) 1 child
Marjorie Greenblatt Mazia (November 1945 - July 1953) (divorced) 4 children
Mary Jennings (28 October 1933 - 1940) (divorced) 3 children

Family

Father of Arlo Guthrie

He and Marjorie had four children. Cathy (died aged 4 in a fire) Arlo Guthrie, Joady (named for Tom Joad in The Grapes of Wrath (1940) and Nora.

His daughter, Nora, recently invited English singer/songwriter Billy Bragg to look through the family archives, especially all the thousands of song lyrics that Woody had left in his notebooks. Billy, together with American country band Wilco, put them to music and recorded them for the album Mermaid Avenue.
He was cremated and his ashes were scattered off Coney Island. The family scattered the ashes of Marjorie in the same place when she died.
Was featured in 1998 on a 32-cent U.S. postage stamp in the Legends of Folk Singers stamp series.
Elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (under the category Early Influences) in 1988.
February 22, 1954: daughter: Lorinna Lynn Guthrie, with Van Kirk.

Was Bob Dylan's idol and mentor. Dylan visited him many times in the hospital in the last years of his life, and modeled his own folk-writing style after Guthrie's. The first song Dylan ever wrote was 'Song to Woody', which appeared on his 1962 debut album.
He was portrayed by David Carradine in Bound for Glory (1976), an apparently faithful adaptation of Woody's life story.
His guitar was inscribed with the words, "This machine kills fascists."
Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.
Is portrayed by Garth Gilker in I'm Not There. (2007).

Woody Guthrie Pt 1 January 3, 2008

2008-01-03T00:57:00.000-05:00

Big thanks to our friend Larry Siegel of Royalston who has opened up his collection to our show. We will start off this week's Revival with songs from 40 year old set of vinyl with live music from one of the first tribute concerts for Woody Guthrie, in 1968. for all things "Woody" go to: http://www.woodyguthrie.org/index.htm

On January 20, 1968, three months following Guthrie's death, Harold Leventhal produced "A Tribute to Woody Guthrie" at New York City's Carnegie Hall. Performers included Jack Elliott, Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton, Bob Dylan and The Band, Judy Collins, Arlo Guthrie, Richie Havens, Odetta and others. Leventhal repeated the tribute on September 12, 1970 at the Hollywood Bowl. Recordings of the two concerts were eventually released as 2 LPs then later as one CD.

A Woody Guthrie tribute show took place at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio in September 1996. The 10-day celebration, included notable musicians such as Arlo Guthrie, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Bragg, The Indigo Girls, Ellis Paul and Ani DiFranco. DiFranco's record label, Righteous Babe, released a compilation of the event, 'Til We Outnumber 'Em, in 2000.

From 1999-2002 the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service presented the traveling exhibit, "This Land Is Your Land: The Life and Legacy of Woody Guthrie". In collaboration with Nora Guthrie, the Smithsonian exhibition draws from rarely seen objects, illustrations, film footage, and recorded performances to reveal a complex man who was at once poet, musician, protester, idealist, itinerant hobo, and folk legend.

In 2003 Jimmy LaFave produced a Woody Guthrie tribute show called Ribbon of Highway, Endless Skyway. The ensemble show toured around the country and included a rotating cast of singer-songwriters individually performing Guthrie's songs. Interspersed between songs were Guthrie's philosophical writings read by a narrator. In addition to LaFave, members of the rotating cast included Ellis Paul, Slaid Cleaves, Eliza Gilkyson, Joel Rafael, husband-wife duo Sarah Lee Guthrie (Woody Guthrie's granddaughter) and Johnny Irion, Michael Fracasso, and The Burns Sisters. Oklahoma songwriter Bob Childers, sometimes called "the Dylan of the Dust," served as narrator.[69][70] When word spread about the tour, performers began contacting LaFave whose only prerequisite was to have an inspirational connection to Guthrie. Each artist chose the Guthrie songs that he or she would perform as part of the tribute. LaFave said, "It works because all the performers are Guthrie enthusiasts in some form". The Ribbon of Highway tour kicked-off on February 5, 2003 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. The abbreviated show was a featured segment of "Nashville Sings Woody," yet another tribute concert to commemorate the music of Woody Guthrie held during the Folk Alliance Conference. The cast of "Nashville Sings Woody," a benefit for the Woody Guthrie Foundation and Archives, also included Arlo Guthrie, Marty Stuart, Nanci Griffith, Guy Clark, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Janis Ian, and others.

Woody and Marjorie Guthrie were honored at a musical celebration featuring Billy Bragg and the band Brad on October 17, 2007 at Webster Hall in New York City. Steve Earle also performed. The event was hosted by actor/activist Tim Robbins to benefit the Huntington¹s Disease Society of America to commemorate the organization's 40th Anniversary.

“Life has got a habit of not standing hitched. You got to ride it like you find it. You got to change with it. If a day goes by that don't change some of your old notions for new ones, that is just about like trying to milk a dead cow.”

Woody Guthrie quotes (American Composer and Singer, 1912-1967)

DEC 27th ~ The Almanac Singers to "A Mighty Wind" ~ Folk groups of the Revival

2007-12-27T23:27:00.000-05:00

Nick Noble took us on a wonderful journey through the history of folk groups (trios and more) of the Folk Revival, filling us in on the interesting interconnections of personnel. As always, Nick supplemented our collection from his own and played a fabulous amount of music, from rarely heard versions of traditional songs to many number one and top 10 hits on the pop charts. Below are some fun videos of the Weavers, the Limeliters, The Tarriers and the Byrds reunion singing with Bob Dylan.

Bob Franke

2007-12-13T04:47:00.000-05:00

http://www.bobfranke.com/default.htm

"It's his integrity. I always think of Bob as if Emerson and Thoreau had picked up acoustic guitars and gotten into songwriting. There's touches of Mark Twain and Buddy Holly in there, too." -- Tom Paxton

"While fans from Claudia Schmidt to June Tabor may have...incredible taste in picking songs...when they sing Massachusetts-based Bob Franke's tunes, neither they nor anyone else can come close to the emotional (and spiritual) depth Franke brings to his understated songs of the heart, from 'Hard Love' to 'The Great Storm Is Over'. He continues also to dig into Robert Johnson's blues, and songs that offer hilarious uses of everything from bicycle repair to computers as metaphors for sex. In the folk singer-songwriter realm, Franke is simply the best." Express, Berkeley, California

"In the folk singer-songwriter realm, Franke is simply the best." Larry Kelp, Express, Berkeley, CA

" . . . a singer-songwriter unsurpassed for his lyrical grace . . . one of our wisest and most spiritually graceful songwriters" The Boston Globe, Boston, MA

"...a standard of songs that most writers can only dream about, and admire in drop-jawed silence" Folk Roots

Bob's Latest Recording is "The Other Evening in Chicago."
See the article about Bob entitled "Bob Franke: Patience is a Virtue" in the Spring 2005 issue of Sing Out Magazine.

Bob's New Blog: The Song Journal
Bob has started a blog called The Song Journal (http://www.songjournal.blogspot.com), which is a way for him to offer "miscellaneous news and writing by Bob Franke, mostly about songs as a portable art form, and the process of creating them and enabling them to do their work in the world."

In 2003, Kathy Mattea covered Bob's song "Straw Against the Chill" on her second Christmas album, "Joy For Christmas Day."

In the spring of 2004, Peter, Paul and Mary released "Alleluia, The Great Storm Is Over" on their CD "In These Times."

New friend - old music

2007-12-05T20:30:00.000-05:00

New friend of the Folk Revival Nick Noble has sent us some
videos.

He will be co hosting and playing some Hannukah songs tomorrow night
December 6th 2007 9PM.

Below

From the ORIGINAL Highwaymen. Recorded on 05-05-07 at Spearfish, South Dakota.
"Michael" a traditional Georgia Sea Island spiritual, was a #1 hit for the Highwaymen in 1961 (and throughout much of the world-- their "Michael" is the most successful traditional recording by a folk group of all time). Here it is sung by the original Highwaymen (Burnett, Fisher, Trott, Butts, with Johann Helton on bass) at a recent concert (2006) in the Dakotas.

Huddie Ledbetter's (Leadbelly) "Cotton Fields" was a Top 20 hit for the Highwaymen in 1962. Here sung by the original Highwaymen (from l to r: Bob Burnett-- VP of Bank of America in RI; Dave Fisher-- professional musician; Steve Trott-- Federal Appeals Court Judge on the 9th Circuit; and Steve Butts-- retired college administrator; with bassist Johann Helton of Boise, ID). They are seen here on the 2002 PBS Special "This Land is Your Land-- the Folk Years".

"If amethysts could sing...they would sound like Judy Collins." -Richard Farina.

2007-10-27T19:39:00.001-04:00

This week we are thrilled to feature Judy Collins! And we have a ton of her recordings in the original vinyl. Below is fabulous video from youtube and her bio from http://www.judycollins.com/

Judy Collins has thrilled audiences worldwide with her unique blend of interpretative folksongs and contemporary themes. Her impressive career has spanned more than 40 years. At 13, Judy Collins made her public debut performing Mozart's "Concerto for Two Pianos" but it was the music of such artists as Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, as well as the traditional songs of the folk revival, that sparked Judy Collins' love of lyrics. She soon moved away from the classical piano and began her lifelong love with the guitar. In 1961, Judy Collins released her first album, A Maid of Constant Sorrow, at the age of 22 and began a thirty-five year association with Jac Holzman and Elektra Records.

Judy Collins is also noted for her rendition of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" on her classic 1967 album, Wildflowers. "Both Sides Now" has since been entered into the Grammy's Hall of Fame. Winning "Song of the Year" at the 1975 Grammy's Awards show was Judy's version of "Send in the Clowns," a ballad written by Stephen Sondheim for the Broadway musical "A Little Night Music."

Released on September 29th, Judy's new book, Sanity and Grace, A Journey of Suicide, Survival and Strength, is a deeply moving memoir, focusing on the death of her only son and the healing process following the tragedy. The book speaks to all who have endured the sorrow of losing a loved one before their time. In the depths of her suffering, Judy found relief by reaching out to others for help and support. Now, she extends her hand to comfort other survivors whose lives have been affected by similar tragedy.

In a recent appearance on ABC's Good Morning America, Judy performed "Wings of Angels," the heartbreaking ballad that she wrote about the loss of her son. The song is currently available on the newly released Judy Collins Wildflower Festival CD and DVD, which also feature guest artists Arlo Guthrie, Tom Rush and Eric Andersen. This extraordinary concert was filmed at the famed Humphrey's By the Bay in San Diego, CA. The concert was the culmination of a 25 city national tour.

With Leonard Cohen in 1976 on PBS

Judy Collins Video 1966

2007-10-27T19:21:00.000-04:00

Judy loses the words a bit here but that is beauty of live music.

Bob Dylan's Dream

Judi Collins on Pete Seeger's TV show 1966

2007-10-27T19:17:00.000-04:00

The Background of Rainbow Quest:

Back in the mid-sixties Pete Seeger had an educational TV show called Rainbow Quest. In 1962 the Court of Appeals had ruled that the House Un-American Activities Committee was faulty in its charges against Seeger and dismissed the case against him. With his newfound freedom, Pete was anxious to appear on TV again and promote the cause of folk music. But in spite of the court ruling, networks and sponsors were still wary. The producers of the new show Hootenany claimed that they wanted Seeger, but that the sponsors weren't willing; and the sponsors claimed they wanted Seeger on the show, but that the public wouldn't stand for it.

Following the do-it-yourself ethic of folk music, Seeger finally decided to start his own show, Rainbow Quest. It began on UHF channel 47 in New York and had only been picked up by seven stations when Seeger began to run out of funds. During its brief run of 38 episodes, Pete talked and strummed with such guests as Elizabeth Cotten, Patrick Sky, Donovan, Judy Collins, and Buffy Sainte Marie. Richard and Mimi Fariña also appeared on the show in February of 1966

Josh White Jr. Bio

2007-10-17T22:48:00.001-04:00

Josh White Jr patiently waited while we futzed with equipment and tried to get him on live for a phone interview. Sadly we did not broadcast our conversations but I can tell you that Josh White Jr. is an interesting,gracious and very patient man.
He will be in the area at Passim in Cambridge MA www.clubpassim.org/passimcalendar/

JOSH WHITE, JR. Biography

JOSH WHITE, JR. (secular, folk/blues, pop, jazz, vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, actor, adult and children's concert performer and recording artist, teacher and social activist).

Born November 30, 1940, in New York City, one of five children, to Joshua Daniel White, famed singer/guitarist/actor/social leader, and his wife Carol (nee Carr).

Josh White, Jr., became, a 'hit' literally over night at the age of four, by performing with his legendary father JOSH WHITE one night at New York's famed "Café Society" night club (America's first integrated nightclub). For the next five years, Josh, Jr. performed with his father from New York to Boston to Philadelphia. In 1949, Josh, Jr. landed his first role on Broadway, and as Josh says, "It was type casting..." he played his father's son in How Long Til Summer? with Dorothy Gish and Don Hanmer. While continuing a solo acting career, Josh went on to perform and record with his father for the next seventeen years on radio, television, Broadway, concert halls and nightclubs around the world.

Josh attended New York's famed Professional Children's School, along with Elliott Gould, Sandra Dee, Brandan de Wilde, Leslie Uggams, Christopher Walken, and, among others, Marvin Hamlisch, who co-wrote Josh's first solo recording for Decca in 1956, "See Saw".

Between the years 1949 and 1960 Josh was in five Broadway plays and one off-Broadway play: "How Long Til Summer," in which he was honored with a Special TONY AWARD as "Best Child Actor" of the year in 1949; "The Man," with Josh White, Sr. (1950); "Touchstone" (1955); "Take A Giant Step" (1957) (the popular, long-running Off-Broadway play, in which he was the third person to take over the starring role, following Billy Gunn and Josh's friend Lou Gossett); "Only In America" (1959) starring Nehemiah Persoff; and "The Long Dream," (1959) book by Richard Wright, directed by Lloyd Richards, whose cast included Al Freeman, Jr. and newcomer Clarence Williams III. Some other actors he shared the stage with in these plays were Arthur O'Connell, Godfrey Cambridge, Patty McCormick, Beah Richards.

By 1961 Josh had already Guest Starred in more than 50 American Television Dramas, and costarred with his father in Great Britain for North Grenada television in "The Josh White Show." However, as he was approaching his 21st birthday, the number of acting jobs available on Broadway, TV and film for young Black actors was limited, while musically, the Folk Revival in America was beginning to take storm and offer more lucrative opportunities. Accordingly, Josh decided to focus on his career as a singer/guitarist, put his acting career on hold, and branch out from his long association with his father, to go on the road alone to pursue his solo concert and recording career.

After the 1956 Decca Records release of "See Saw", and after more recordings with his father (such as "Josh White at Town Hall" 1960), Josh, Jr.'s solo recording career continued with "Do You Close Your Eyes" - Mercury 1962, (which is a "golden oldie" in the Pittsburgh area to this day); "Good & Drunk & Goozey" (with sister, Beverly White) - Sonnet 1963; "I'm On My Own Way" - Mercury 1964; "The Josh White, Jr. Album" - United Artists 1967; "One Step Further" - United Artists 1968; Spoken Arts multi-media production, "The Dream Awake" with James Earl Jones, Josh White, Jr. and Josephine Premice, an educational aid complete with film strips, teacher guide and seven long-playing recordings containing performances by the cast, with an original text by Owen Dodson; "Josh White, Jr." Vanguard 1978; "Sing A Rainbow" - Mt. Railroad 1979, "Josh White, Jr. Sings Traditional Folk Songs" - National Archives 1980; the 1980 recordings of "The Strangest Dream" and "The King's Highway" (official Theme Song recordings for the "Peace Corps" and "VISTA" - both composed by his old friend Ed McCurdy); "May The Brush Be With You" (with Jimmy Carter, Frank Sinatra, Muhammad Ali & Lily Tomlin) - Cornucopia 1981; "Delia's Gone" - FFMM 1983; "Almost Alone" - Eagle 1984; "Jazz Ballads & Blues" (GRAMMY nominated instrumental jazz album tribute to his father) - RYKODISK 1986; "Live at the Soft Rock Café" - RTG/Oceansong 1990; "My Favorite Toy" (children's album) - Coden/White Records 1994; plus numerous appearances on festival, compilation and tribute albums; the recent "House of The Rising Son" (Silverwolf 1999) "Cortelia Clark" (Silverwolf 2001) and "Josh White, Jr. - LIVE" (Silverwolf, 2003)

After appearing on countless television variety and talk shows around the world as a solo artist, including such American shows as "Today," "Merv Griffin," "Steve Allen," "Joey Bishop," " Mike Wallace," "Mike Douglas," " Della Reese," "Gary Moore," "Arthur Godfrey," "Kate Smith," "Donald O'Connor," and "Hootenany," Josh, Jr. starred in his first PBS/TV Concert Special in 1979 "Ramblin" with Josh White, Jr.", and costarred (with Odetta, Tom Paxton, and Bob Gibson) in the 1980 "Soundstage - Just Folks" Concert TV Special, followed by two more PBS/TV Specials: "The Making of JOSH: The Man & His Music" 1984, and "Josh and Ron's Family Adventure", 1993, with Ron Coden. Josh Jr.'s composition "Say A Prayer For A Stranger" was performed by Harry Belafonte on the ABC-TV prime-time Special, "100 Years at The Music Hall."

As a concert artist, Josh, Jr. has performed on the world's greatest stages of four continents, including Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Odeon Hammersmith Hall, Berlin Philharmonic Hall, and Madison Square Garden to name a few.

From 1963 through the 80s, Josh headlined more than 2000 college concerts. At the peak of this folk boom, in the mid 60s through the late 70s, Josh was considered one of NACA's most celebrated and honored performing artist. C. Shaw Smith, from Davidson College, North Carolina, penned him the 'Dean of College Concert Attractions'.

Josh returned to the theatrical stage in 1983, in his first musical - a musical revue - "One for Me, One for You". An original regional theater production, with all of the songs written by his good friend Mayon Weeks who was also one of the performers. In 1983, he premiered the musical dramatic biography of his father Josh White, Sr., entitled "JOSH: The Man & His Music" (written and directed by Broadway veteran Peter Link) to 'rave reviews' at the Center for the Arts, Boarshead Theater, in Lansing, Michigan, for a five-week, sold out, limited-run engagement. Every few years Josh, Jr. reprises the play on the road with great success and is proud to maintain the image, story and songs that his father gave us all. Josh also sang "The John Henry Suite", as Guest Star with the "Dance Theatre of Harlem" in a limited tour which took him from New York to San Francisco with one of the stops at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Josh, Jr.'s marriage in 1963 to Jackie Harris produced two children - Joshua 'Buddah' White III, an actor/playwright born in 1963, and Jason, born in 1969. In November, 1971, following the death of his wife and just two years after the death of his father, Josh, Jr. left New York City, and moved to upstate New York with his two sons and slowed down his touring. During that time, he established an artist-in-residence program at many college campuses he performed at during the regular school year so he, his sons and their Malamute, Robin, could spend their summers together. Josh White, Jr. moved to Detroit in 1976 and married Sara in 1978. Sara brought four children to the marriage and Josh brought two. Their children, now all adults, have blessed Josh and Sara with 13 grandchildren.

Josh White, Jr. received Honorary Doctorate Degrees from the University of Maine, and the University of West Florida; was named the "Voice of The Peace Corps" and "Voice of VISTA" by the US Government in 1980; in 1982, he shared the stage with his mother at the Smithsonian Institution's 100th Birthday Celebration of Franklin Roosevelt. In 1983, he was presented with "Keys to the City" by Detroit and Lansing, Michigan, and on April 20, 1983, the State of Michigan honored he and his father with "JOSH WHITE and JOSH WHITE, JR. DAY"; in 1984, he was named "Michigan Man of The Year;" in 1984, NACA (National Association of Campus Activities) honored Josh with its first "Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award" at Opryland in Nashville; in 1987, he was honored to be named the Host and Emcee for the final two legs of festivities for Pope John Paul II's grand tour of America. In earlier years, he also appeared with his father at President Johnson's Inauguration and at a Command Performance for the Prime Minister of Canada. In July, 1997, Josh was the Special Guest Star Performer at the National Community Service Conference's Annual Banquet in New York honoring cofounder of the Peace Corps, Harris Wolford, with its Lifetime Achievement Award; Josh performed "Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream", the Peace Corps Theme Song he had recorded for Mr. Wolford and Sargent Shriver years earlier.

In recent years, Josh, Jr. has added to his multi-dimensional talents and touring schedule, by becoming a "single-digit" (as he calls it) performer, doing children and family concerts, including school concerts for grades K-4. And with the release of the U.S. Postal Service's stamp honoring his father (and Leadbelly, Woody Guthrie and Sonny Terry) he does a music/lecture session on his father, Josh, Sr. for grades 5 through 12. He provides an extraordinary, interactive experience for young people.[Read comments from some of the schools.] He has appeared many times on the Nickelodeon Network and he along with his good friend, Ron Coden, hosted their own PBS special, "Josh and Ron's Family Adventure."

In 1991, Josh teamed up with the founder of “StoryLiving,” Rändi Douglas, to create a highly successful outreach alternative educational program now called “Living History.” The program’s purpose is to teach history and social studies using multiple interactive intelligence systems, and as Josh says, “It is where you become the people you are learning about and then when you become emotionally involved, you never forget.” And all this happens in the classroom with music, imagination and role-playing. Sessions are held in schools, universities, churches, temples, community centers and at seminars.

SOME MEMORABLE CONCERTS. . .

In 2006, Josh appeared at the African-America Music Foundations’ First Annual Spirituals Festivals; at San Diego State University’s Tribute Concert to Josh White (Sr.) for their Black History Month; and at the Black History Month tribute to his father at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum in Hyde Park, New York, where he used to play as a boy when it was the home of Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt. In 2004, he celebrated his father’s music at the Montreal Jazz Festival. In 2002, he joined Judy Collins, Pete Seeger, Odetta, John Sebastian, David Amram, John Hammond,Jr., Bethany Yarrow (Peter’s daughter), John Sebastian and Oscar Brand at New York’s Cooper Union Theatre for the fund and conscious-raising concert to establish the “Folk Music Museum” in New York’s Greenwich Village City, from which came the Bitter End Records’ compilation album "The Folk Music Museum in Greenwich Village" where he performed “The Strangest Dream” and “Southern Exposure.” In 2001, he co-starred with Odetta, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Richie Havens, Tom Paxton and Oscar Brand in the National PBS-TV Tribute Special to Woody Guthrie, “Woody & Me.” In 2000, he was chosen as the sole performer representing the State of Michigan (his home state) on the Millennium stage at Washington’s Kennedy Center, celebrating “Michigan State Day.” On June 26, 1998 Josh gave a Tribute Concert to his father on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., celebrating the unveiling of the first American Folk Artists 32¢ stamp, sponsored by the United States Postal Service and the Smithsonian Institute - honoring Josh White, Sr., Leadbelly, Woody Guthrie and Sonny Terry, followed by other Stamp Tribute Concerts in Boston and Philadelphia. IN 1995, he co‑ starred with (sister) Beverly White, Pete Seeger, Odetta, Peter Yarrow, Richie Havens, Tom Paxton, Arlo Guthrie and Oscar Brand in a 'live' radio concert at New York's Cooper Union Theatre, celebrating Oscar Brand's 50th Anniversary radio show "Folk Song USA" on WNYC Radio. IN 1994, he co-starred with Burl Ives (in his last concert performance), Pete Seeger, Art Garfunkle, Theodore Bikel, Tom Paxton, Oscar Brand and the Chad Mitchell Trio at New York's "92nd Street Y's 50th Anniversary Folk Festival," and later that year was a co‑sponsor/co‑host (with Peter Yarrow) at Chicago's Park West Theatre, where a cast of folk stars performed in a Tribute Benefit Concert for folk legend Bob Gibson before his passing. He also felt a privilege of appearing with Ray Charles at the Peace Center Theatre in Greenville, South Carolina — the birthplace of his father, Josh White (Sr.).

Elijah Wald's book on Josh White, Sr.

2007-10-17T22:44:00.000-04:00

Josh White: Society Blues
was published in Fall, 2000, by University of
Massachusetts Press.

"I learned things about Josh White from this detailed biography that I never knew. Elijah Wald has done a fine job. This is a more complete and fair book than I would have believed possible." -- Pete Seeger

"Complete, well written, and in-depth. Highly recommended."
-- Library Journal

"Wald deftly describes White's repertoire and that of his contemporaries, giving an immediacy to the music culture that surrounded him. The reader follows White as he maneuvers through the complexities of race, politics, and popular music. With White as its focal point, Society Blues provides a glimpse of the interaction between twentieth-century American society and its vernacular musics... that lucky combination of a writer who knows his topic, knows what story he wants to tell, and possesses the tools to tell that story."
--Tod Harvey, The Journal of American Folklore

Topical Songs 2007 OCT 11 wicn.org= Roy Zimmerman and Robert Zimmerman and others...

2007-10-05T22:59:00.001-04:00

Bob Dylan in 1964

David Masengill, live in 2007

Home movie Rufus, Martha, Kate and memé?

2007-10-03T23:25:00.000-04:00

Rufus and Martha spoof on mom and aunty

Kate McGarrigle and Anna McGarrigle are sisters who write and perform together. They were born of Canadian and Irish parents in Saint-Sauveur-des-Monts, northwest of Montreal, and educated at a Roman Catholic convent school. Their careers in music began with the 1960s folk combo Mountain City Four, in conjunction with Jack Nissenson and Peter Weldon.

Their songs have also been covered by a variety of other artists, including Maria Muldaur, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Billy Bragg, Chloé Sainte-Marie and Anne Sofie von Otter. Although associated with Quebec's anglophone community, the McGarrigles have also recorded and performed many songs in French. Two of their albums, Entre Lajeunesse et la sagesse (also known as French Record) and La vache qui pleure, are entirely in French, but many of their other records include one or two French songs as well. Most of their French songs have been co-written by Philippe Tatartcheff, with occasional input from Kate McGarrigle's son, Canadian-American solo artist Rufus Wainwright. Rufus and his sister Martha Wainwright, also a singer, are the children of Kate and her former husband, singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III.

Their version of Wade Hemsworth's song, "The Log Driver's Waltz" grew famous as the soundtrack for a 1979 animated film by the National Film Board.

They provided backing vocals on Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds's 2001 album No More Shall We Part.

Another sister, Jane McGarrigle, is a film and television composer who has written and performed several songs with the duo.

They were appointed Members of the Order of Canada in 1993 and received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award in 2004.

They appear in the 2006 Leonard Cohen tribute film Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man. Cohen, like them, originates from Montreal.

Siblings sing

2007-10-03T23:20:00.000-04:00

Rufus Wainwright Hallelujah + Martha Wainwright and Joan Wasser

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Kate, Anna and Emmy Lou + many more sing Hard Times

2007-10-03T23:17:00.000-04:00

Your Mother and I Loudon WainwrightIII

Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.
Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina, Chapter 1, first line
Russian mystic & novelist (1828 - 1910)

Joan in 1960s

2007-09-22T12:36:00.000-04:00

This is a clip from the Concert/Film "The Big TNT Show"
which also features Ray Charles, Ike & Tina,
Donovan, The Lovin' Spoonful, The Ronettes and Man From UNCLE David MacCollum.
Some "skips" in the tape but if you stick with it, you will be glad.

in 1969 on Italian TV

Still singing and touring ~ Joan Baez

2007-09-21T23:06:00.001-04:00

http://joanbaez.com/tourschedule07.html

But here she is in 1975

Joan Chandos Baez (born January 9, 1941) is an American folk singer and songwriter known for her highly individual vocal style. She is a soprano with a three-octave vocal range[1] and a distinctively rapid vibrato. Many of her songs are topical and deal with social issues.

She is best known for her 1970s hits "Diamonds & Rust" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" -- and to a lesser extent,"We Shall Overcome" "Sweet Sir Galahad" and "Joe Hill" (songs she performed at the 1969 Woodstock festival). She is also well known due to her early and long-lasting relationship with Bob Dylan and her even longer-lasting passion for activism, notably in the areas of nonviolence, civil and human rights and, in more recent years, the environment. She has performed publicly for nearly 50 years, released over 30 albums and recorded songs in over eight languages. She is considered a folksinger although her music has strayed from folk considerably after the 1960s, encompassing everything from rock and pop to country and gospel. Although a songwriter herself, especially in the mid-1970s, Baez is most often regarded as an interpreter of other people's work, covering songs by Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Jackson Browne, Paul Simon, The Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder and myriad others. In more recent years, she has found success interpreting songs of diverse songwriters such as Steve Earle, Natalie Merchant and Ryan Adams.

in 1966

Videos of Phil Ochs

2007-09-18T21:28:00.001-04:00

The Phil Ochs FBI File

2007-09-18T21:24:00.000-04:00

Folk Singer for the FBI: The Phil Ochs FBI File
by Federal Bureau of Investigation

Description: Hard to believe and who knows what they [FBI et alia] do these days.

Phil Ochs was one of the greatest political and topical folk singers of the 1960s. Ochs was first investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) early on in his career, after writing a favorable article on Woody Guthrie in Mainstream magazine in 1963, which also brought another name to the attention of the FBI: Bob Dylan. The FBI attended political rallies where Ochs played, and he began noticing the attention, telling an audience in 1966: “I’m a folk singer for the FBI.” The FBI’s investigation intensified after the DNC riots in Chicago in August 1968. The FBI attempted to build a case against Ochs and other members of the Youth International Party (Yippies), but the indictment against Ochs never materialized due to a lack of evidence. Ochs instead later testified at the Chicago Seven trial for the defense. Despite the hundreds of pages in his FBI file, Ochs never committed a federal crime. He continued to be under investigation until his death by suicide in 1976.