Hi, Frank - note the spelling - Marcia and Jon Pankake were editors of the 1988 A Prairie Home Companion Folk Song Book, a delightful collection of mostly parodies that may or may not be folk songs.

Here's an interesting quote from Minnesota Public Radio, Feb 26, 1998:

Amid the glitter and glamour of the Grammys last night, a University of Minnesota student adviser and a string musician walked up to claim his prize. Jon Pankake won a grammy for his essay included in the liner notes for the "Anthology of American Folk Music." It's a collection of some 84 songs originally compiled in 1952 by Harry Smith, an experimental filmmaker. Smith chose country, blues, hillbilly and gospel songs from his own record collection... a selection some say evokes a "lost America." Pancake's contribution to the CD re-issue of the Anthology was a personal essay about how Smith's selections influenced and inspired him as a musician and educator.

The University of Minnesota no longer has a faculty listing for Jon Pankake, but you can Click here to get to the website of Marcia Pankake.

I couldn't find any mention of recent activity by Jon Pankake, and he is not listed as a co-author on Marcia's most recent Prairie Home book.

-Joe Offer-