Classic Ash Grove LA performances online

Subject: Classic Ash Grove LA performances online
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 02 Dec 09 - 10:01 AM

The Ash Grove was a pioneering music venue in Los Angeles from 1958 to 1973. Not only a performance venue, it was a melting pot and crucible for the development of many musicians in genres from the blues to zydeco.

"The Ash Grove was where teenagers like Ry Cooder and Jackson Browne could interact with legendary performers such as Lightnin' Hopkins, Brownie McGhee and Albert Collins. Over the years, hundreds of artists appeared there, ranging from New Orleans zydeco master Clifton Chenier to Jim Croce, Linda Ronstadt, Johnny Cash, Howlin' Wolf and the Byrds.
-Jeff Spurrier and Steve Hochman, Los Angeles Times

Several performances are available streaming online via this link on the Ash Grove Music site (scroll down to links to these sets):

Lightnin' Hopkins 6/2/1964
Merle Travis 12/9/1966
Mississippi John Hurt 7/5/1964
Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys 5/19/1967
Ramblin' Jack Elliot 8/16/1963
Mance Lipscomb 12/4/1964
Clarence Ashley & Doc Watson 5/9/1963
Bessie Jones and the Georgia Sea Island Singers 6/20/1963
Bukka White 8/17/1967
The White Brothers 4/1/1967
Roscoe Holcomb 5/9/1963
Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee 1/27/1967
Sam Chatmon 8/24/1967
Kathy & Carol 1/27/1967
Hamza el Din 1/17/1970

~ Becky in Tucson

Subject: RE: Classic Ash Grove LA performances online
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 02 Dec 09 - 11:50 AM

Becky

Were you able to get the concert tracks to play?

Subject: RE: Classic Ash Grove LA performances online
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 02 Dec 09 - 11:56 AM

You do have to go through the process of creating an account, and then if you have a pop-blocker (e.g., via Firefox), you have to tell it to allow popups because the player comes up in a separate window. After that it worked for me. (I'm on a Mac, fwiw.)

~ Becky in Tucson

Subject: RE: Classic Ash Grove LA performances online
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 03 Dec 09 - 09:05 AM

refresh

Subject: RE: Classic Ash Grove LA performances online
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 04 Dec 09 - 08:53 AM

one last bump from me

Subject: RE: Classic Ash Grove LA performances online
From: GUEST,TJ in San Diego
Date: 04 Dec 09 - 05:39 PM

I was there one night when Sam Hinton, Mike Seeger and the New Lost City Ramblers AND Ramblin' Jack Elliot all performed in the early 1960's. Additionally, there was a young girl making her first big stage appearance, Jackie DeShannon. She was billed as a folk singer, but so were many others at the time. It sold better.

What a great venue and how sad that we don't have such places to which we can repair for our folk "fix" these days.

Thanks for the tracks.

Subject: RE: Classic Ash Grove LA performances online
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 05 Dec 09 - 10:44 AM

Wow, TJ, that must have been amazing.

Subject: RE: Classic Ash Grove LA performances online
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 05 Dec 09 - 03:43 PM

Thanks for he link,DD. I went over the list of performers, to see which I saw and which I missed. Probably I saw about 25 acts there, and some who appeared there I saw at other places. 1959 - 1964, I was a poor college student, but that was also the time I was most interested in folk music. The desire and the coin purse were out of sync, then.

I noted the omission (assuming my memory is correct) of Bud (Dashiell) and the Kinsman. While the group was okay, it obviously was primarily Bud and two other guys. One was, again with the memory, was Carson Parks, who was a very good musician, and deserved better.