African American folk artists

Subject: RE: African American folk artists
From: Jerry Dingleman: The Boy Wonder(inactve)
Date: 24 Feb 02 - 06:56 PM

Jerry,

I'd agree that some of the artists I mentioned would be beyond the means of a small coffee house. Some of them aren't though. I've also seen several of the artists I mentioned in coffee houses including Richie Havens. Others that I mentioned that I've seen playing in small coffee houses are Odetta, Corey Harris, Robert B. Jones, Philadelphia Jerry Ricks, Josh White Jr., Kim & Reggie Harris, Vance Gilbert, John Jackson (although he died a few weeks ago), Otis Taylor, Laura Love, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Guy Davis, Jackie Washington and Cephas & Wiggins.

Jerry

Subject: RE: African American folk artists
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 24 Feb 02 - 07:21 PM

Well, that's good news, Jerry. I'm glad to hear it. It's been several years now since I ran the series, and perhaps if I was still running it I could squeeze out a thousand dollars and pick up some of them. The problem for me was that the attendance dropped off gradually as the audience aged, and I think the coffee house probably ran it's course. The younger audience was all going to the open mike cattle calls for singer songwriters.

In the 60's, I spent an evening alternating sets for food at the Fat Black Pussy Cat in Greenwich Village. No billing for the musicians... just whoever stopped in and wanted to sing for their supper. There were three of us who alternated sets... me, Tiny Tim (before he was every on the Johnny Carson Show) and Richie Havens reading poetry and singing to the accompaniement of his bongo drums. You've never heard The House Carpener until you've heard it on bongo drums. For people who came to the Village expecting to find something bohemian, they sure weren't discouraged. I was doing stuff I'd learned from the Anthology of American Folk Music. We didn't end with the three of us singing Michael Row The Boat Ashore. WOuld have been interesting though, with Ukelele, acoustic guitar and bongo drums.

The other Jerry

Subject: RE: African American folk artists
From: Suffet
Date: 24 Feb 02 - 09:15 PM

Jerry, I saw Richie Havens at the Fat Black Pussycat, but I don't recall Tiny Tim. Maybe I saw you. Could you be more specific.

I also remember Richie Havens playing the Night Owl Cafe a couple of years later. Other regulars around the same time wer Peter Tork (later of the Monkees) and Tim Hardin. Back then I cut my teeth playing pass-the-basket houses, like the Four Winds and several others whose names I can't recall. Maybe one was called the Samurai. Another may have been the Basement, and another the Slammer. God, that was long ago! What I remember is that just about anything went. "The House Carpenter" on bongos may seem far out today, but not back then.

I recall waiting to go onstage for open mike night at Gerdes, and I thought I'd be real cool by singing "The Ballad of Ira Hayes." That is until I found out that Peter LaFarge was on a few people after me. I got all nervous and chickened out. That was the last time I saw him.

---Steve

Subject: RE: African American folk artists
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 24 Feb 02 - 10:23 PM

Hi, Steve: I'll PM you..

The other Jerry

Subject: RE: African American folk artists
From: Bobert
Date: 24 Feb 02 - 10:46 PM

Thank you, Jerry and Jerry. You don't go claming in the moutains and don't go bear hunting in the bay... Black folkies are very much HERE.

Subject: RE: African American folk artists
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 24 Feb 02 - 11:24 PM

Thanks yourself, Bobert. They're all around me. I am the only white male member of a 1,500+ black Baptist church. Most of my black friends listened to the Grand Ole Opry, and know Uncle Dave, the Blue Sky Boys and early country and folk as well as anyone. And love it all.

The other Jerry