I first met Tony and John at a folk music festival in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1974. They were starting their careers in academia, and were so talented, smart, fun, and full of exuberance that you were easily drawn into their world. You came away feeling richer in spirit, a lot more knowledgeable about English folk songs, and part of a devoted community. I followed them over the next 5 DECADES, seeing them at festivals and at their Christmas shows, introducing first my wife, then our son, to this brilliant duo and their music. They had great voices and wonderful taste, drawn from a wide swath of the English folk tradition. My wife, Sylvia Yount, hosted them in conjunction with her Maxfield Parrish exhibition at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Artists, in 1999, for a unique performance of songs and ballads based entirely on nursery rhymes. (I recall that after the performance, at dinner, Tony and John related a few ribald versions of classics like “Old King Cole.”)There’s a little less joy in the world with his passing.

—Tom Genetta