Sing Out! Magazine, Volume 53, No 2 (Autumn 2009/Winter 2010) arrived today. This tribute from editor Mark Moss was in the Last Chorus section, on page 147.

SANDY PATON
1929 - 2009

Folk-Legacy Records founder Sandy Paton passed away on Sunday, July 26, around 6:30 p.m. He had been in poor health in recent years, suffering from emphysema, which required that he be constantly connected to oxygen. About a month ago, Sandy and Caroline's grandson died tragically - drowning in a river in Connecticut. Sandy took the loss extremely hard.

Sandy, with his wife Caroline and the late Lee Haggerty, founded Folk- Legacy Records in 1961 as an independent recording company specializing in traditional and contemporary folk music of the English-speaking world. Over the 48 years Folk-Legacy has existed, they have produced more than 120 recordings, with Sandy doing the actual recording and taking cover photographs. Folk-Legacy has always exuded the best of what a true, home-spawned independent label should be: the embodiment of a personal passion, with love focused on the music itself.

Sandy was a terrific singer in his own right, as well. He and Caroline were designated as the Official Connecticut State Troubadours for 1993-1994. Hearing Sandy and Caroline sing, or even better the family - with sons Robin and David - was always a treat. Their performances were always participatory, with lots of singing and learning. Simply wonderful.

In a world where meeting your "idols" rarely works out very well, Sandy Paton was an inspiration. His love, dedication and vision for traditional music was unwavering ... but he was never strident, pushy, or rude about his impressive knowledge. This was a guy who was all about loving the music and wanting to share his love for the songs and singers ... always visible in the glint in his eyes and infectious smile he had whenever he sang or talked about the music. And each Folk-Legacy release reflected that passion. Once I "met" my first Folk-Legacy release (the original Golden Ring recording), I was hooked ... and am proud to own almost every release from the label. Hardly "hi tech," but the music Sandy captured, made and shared was the real thing in the truest sense of the words. It was an honor to have known him.

Tax-deductible contributions in Sandy's name can be made to the
Kaelan Paton Memorial Fund and sent to: Caroline Paton, P.O. Box 1148,
Sharon, CT 06069; or Salisbury Bank, P.O. Box 7, Sharon, CT 06069.

Anyone with stories, photos, and/or remembrances of Sandy Paton is invited to send them to Linnea M. Palmer Paton at P. O. Box 472, Sharon, CT 06069, for possible inclusion in a future biography or history. - Mark D. Moss